Address: 3011 West Grand Boulevard, Suite 218
Phone: 313-964-6994
Web: yourchildrensfoundation.org
Email: staff@yourchildrensfoundation.org
The Children’s Foundation is a public charity that promotes health and well-being for children in Michigan through strategic grantmaking, advocacy, and continuous fundraising efforts. Its story begins at Children’s Hospital of Michigan where it has been trusted to steward philanthropic funds for more than 130 years. In 2011, upon sale of the hospital, the foundation broadened its reach and mission, expanding its grantmaking in support of children in Michigan with a primary focus on Southeast Michigan.
The foundation is committed to catalyzing long-lasting change that ensures every child in Michigan has the opportunity to thrive. It partners with the community to advance solutions and discoveries that improve the physical and mental health of children in Michigan. It supports 501(c)3 organizations that focus on improving the physical and mental health of Michigan’s children and young adults from birth to 26 years old.
Program Information:
The foundation focuses on the program areas of Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder, Physical Health, Health Equity, and Children’s Hospital of Michigan Initiatives.
Financial Information:
Total Assets: $160 Million (FY24)
Amount Dedicated to Health-Related Grants: $4.6 Million (FY24)
Special Initiatives and/or Representative Health and Human Services Grants
Michigan Central Station Children’s Endowment Initiative — The Michigan Central Station Children’s Endowment Initiative is a transformative philanthropic initiative that provides $500,000 to 11 Detroit, Michigan-area youth-serving organizations to start or grow an endowment. The organizations also receive support and services to help them secure additional matching endowment funds, providing them with the opportunity to establish a $1.5 million endowment by Dec. 31, 2026.
The goal of this initiative is to give some Detroit, Michigan area youth-serving organizations the opportunity for a more equitable and financially solid footing and embolden them to determine their future by establishing and providing the infrastructure support to grow their $1.5 million endowment long after Dec. 31, 2026.
The Children’s Foundation firmly believes that supporting organizations to become self-sustaining by building endowments is one of the best ways to create a more equitable landscape. Endowments reflect the highest form of equitable and trust-based philanthropy. Funding endowments is a way to shift both resources and power to those working directly with children. By supporting the creation and sustainability of endowments, the region says to youth-serving community organizations: “this money is yours, and we trust you to use it as you need to fuel your mission.” ($19 million)
Community Health Awareness Group – Project YOUR — The grant supports the “Project YOUR” pilot program designed by youth to reduce overdose deaths among adolescents who inadvertently take substances laced with synthetic opiates. ($25,000)
Live Rite Recovery Resource Center – Youth Impact Program — The grant supports the “Youth Impact Program” which is a two-pronged approach: helping youth who are personally in recovery or at risk of substance use, and offering family reinforcement programming that helps parents, caregivers, and siblings better understand addiction and rebuild trust. ($25,000)
Southeast Michigan Health Association – Asthma Home Services — The grant supports the “Managing Asthma Through Case Management (MATCH)” program for children and families in their homes to assist them in gaining control of their asthma through education, assessment of home asthma triggers, and supplies and equipment to address asthma triggers. ($80,000)
Black Family Development, Inc – Hope and Healing Clinic — The grant provides funding for a Family Nurse Practitioner at Black Family Development’s Hope and Healing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. ($50,000)
The Children’s Foundation and GIH
The Children’s Foundation is a new member of GIH. By being part of GIH and engaging with other foundations, it can increase its capacity to meet its mission, learn best practices, and hear about innovative philanthropic and programmatic strategies.
Role of Philanthropy in Meeting Pressing Needs
“’Speramus Meliora’—‘We Hope for Better Things’—is one of the mottos on the seal of the City of Detroit, the home of the Children’s Foundation. This spirit of hope anchors our philanthropic philosophy and reflects the enduring commitment to meet the pressing and ongoing needs of our communities.
Hope, for us, is not passive. It is rooted in our community’s aspirations and informed by empathy—especially for challenges we may not have personally experienced. It is guided by a deep understanding of the systems that shape our work, including public policy, government funding, and health infrastructure. Hope is a starting point, but it is not the destination.
“Action is where philanthropy demonstrates its true value. At the Children’s Foundation, this means supporting community-led solutions, participating in collaborative funding efforts, and advocating for policies that strengthen public health, uplift nonprofit partners, and reinforce the philanthropic sector. Action requires transparency, trust, and long-term commitment.
“Dissemination ensures that our impact resonates beyond the initial funding. It means sharing not just what we have done, but what we have learned—with peers, policymakers, and the public. It also means amplifying the voice of the community so others can see what is possible when philanthropy helps to catalyze community vision. “In essence, the role of philanthropy—and our role at the Children’s Foundation—is to transform hope into action and ensure that the outcomes are broadly disseminated to inform and inspire even greater change.”
–Kelly Brittain, PhD, RN, Vice President of Impact at Children’s Foundation