Michigan · Nonprofit
FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE
FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE (Michigan) receives grants from 11 organizations whose IRS filings report $154,249,164 to it, the largest being THE FORD FOUNDATION ($66,666,664). 11 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $23M
- Funders on record
- 11
- Grants received
- $154M
- Net assets
- $48M
What Foundation for Detroit's Future does
Mission
Foundation for Detroit's Future (fdf) shall work to lessen the burdens of government, combat community deterioration, and improve the quality of life of the general public in and around the city of detroit through, among other things, conducting activities and programs, and providing support and funding to governmental entities, charitable organizations and others, to protect and preserve the city of detroit's rich cultural heritage, foster and promote the economic revitalization and fiscal health of the city of detroit and enable the city of detroit to fulfill its municipal, financial and civic obligations. The fdf supports the community foundation for southeast michigan (cfsem) by supporting organizations whose work furthers cfsem's mission. The cfsem's mission is to build the resources, relationships and expertise required to expand equitable access to opportunities across southeast michigan to make it a desirable place to live, work and play for all residents, today and tomorrow.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Program
Support of fdf's role to help improve the quality of life in southeast michigan primarily as the charitable entity that manages the dia settlement (commonly known as the "grand bargain") approved as part of the plan of adjustment that concluded the bankruptcy proceedings of the city of detroit. Subject to the terms and conditions of the settlement agreement, on the closing date (2014) and on an annual basis thereafter commencing in 2016, payments will be made to the city subject to the conditions of that settlement agreement.
$18,850,000 spentof which $18,850,000 as grants$130,000 earned by the program100% of program spending
The program described on its FY2024 Form 990. Program spending in total: $18,850,000.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2020, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2020, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $40M to $48M (+18%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
93% of FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (61% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 5 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
David T Provost
Chair /director
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 5 funders to 9 funders, grant income fell $17M → $15M.
Left out of every figure on this page: $3.7M from 2 payers (the payer shares this organization's board, largest Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan). These are real filings, and they are not money FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE raised.
From the IRS filings of FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE leans on a few funders — its largest provides 43% of grant income and the top three 81%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 48% · 2018 48% · 2019 48% · 2020 40% · 2021 42% · 2022 56% · 2023 55% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
90% of FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 100% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE draws 50% of its grant income from funders outside Michigan, across 3 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 659 community improvement nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 659 community improvement nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Organizations like FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Michigan
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
100% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE?
- FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE (Michigan) receives grants from 11 organizations whose IRS filings report $154,249,164 to it, the largest being THE FORD FOUNDATION ($66,666,664). 11 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE have?
- IRS filings report 11 organizations giving $154,249,164 in grants to FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE, 11 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE?
- THE FORD FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $66,666,664 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Michigan. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2020–2024), and the filings of 11 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing