Detroit is renowned for its grit, innovation and transformative contributions to music, design and industry. As the city evolves, its creative community -- a diverse ecosystem of artists, makers and cultural leaders -- emerges as a vital asset.
The Gilbert Family Foundation recognizes this potential and is committed to investing in the city’s cultural infrastructure through a holistic strategy that supports artists, revitalizes neighborhoods and expands access to the arts for all residents.
This integrated vision fosters a virtuous cycle: Investment in artists enriches communities, and vibrant communities create fertile ground for artists to thrive. When artists are supported, the entire city benefits through increased public art, community performances and cultural events, leading to richer experiences for residents and new opportunities for creatives.
The Gilbert Family Foundation aims to build a sustainable, inclusive cultural infrastructure that delivers long-term social and economic value.
Supporting creators: The CONTAINER initiative
At the heart of this ecosystem is the CONTAINER initiative, launched in partnership with The LOVE Building and WDET. It’s a multi-faceted program designed to showcase and support Detroit’s homegrown top talent -- in music, fashion, fine arts and food.
Backed by a $250,000 investment, CONTAINER offers artists platforms for exposure, strategic support and community-focused opportunities to help them thrive locally.
Each season, 12 Detroit-based artists are featured.
Participants benefit from:
- LOVE@Nite performances that bring artists together in immersive, collaborative showcases.
- Audio and digital storytelling: WDET-produced podcasts and vignettes share artists’ journeys and visions.
- Quarterly convenings that build networks between artists, institutions and funders.
The CONTAINERtour -- a mobile shipping container-turned-art venue -- will bring art directly into Detroit neighborhoods. The containers will be placed at meaningful locations and transformed into everything from a dining room and performance space to a gallery or boutique -- all depending on the artist’s discipline. The venues will launch this August.
“These performances will be both in-person -- placed throughout the city mid-August through mid-October -- and digitally amplified, giving artists a stage that honors their past while propelling them forward,” said Kwaku Osei, Executive Director of the LOVE Building.
The CONTAINER Takeover series kicked off on April 24 and continued with showcases on May 29 and June 12. Each time, a different group of artists held the spotlight.
The season will culminate on July 10 with a full program that will celebrate and feature all 12 creatives in the most expansive and immersive LOVE@Nite event yet.
“We, in many ways, see this as the ‘Detroit Homecoming’ for our native creatives, and by shining a spotlight on them and telling their stories in unique ways, we intend to lead them to more local, regional and even national opportunities,” Osei said.
The July 10 event -- which will include DJ sets, activations and more -- is open to the public and expected to bring in hundreds of attendees.
Building sustainable creative businesses: Seed & Bloom Detroit
Supporting artists means recognizing them as entrepreneurs. The Seed & Bloom Detroit program, launched with a $1.5 million investment from the Gilbert Family Foundation in partnership with United States Artists and the Kresge Foundation, supports artists with the resources and opportunities needed to turn their artistic practice into sustainable businesses. The pilot program awards 10 BIPOC artists in the cohort $150,000 in flexible grants over three years.
Seed & Bloom goes beyond traditional grants. It fosters dynamic dialogue between funders and artists, emphasizing long-term sustainability.
In its first year, the focus was on organizational stabilization -- giving artists the tools and resources to build thriving, resilient creative businesses.
“Artists are entrepreneurs and innovators,” said Laura Grannemann, executive director of the Gilbert Family Foundation. “Their art not only helps us think differently about beauty, humanity and society, it also catalyzes deeper social connections across our city.”
[Learn more: Seed & Bloom Detroit: Nurturing growth and transformation in Detroit’s creative ecosystem]
Investing in the next generation: CCS scholarship expansion
The future of Detroit’s creative landscape relies on its youth. The Gilbert Family Foundation has committed $2 million to expand scholarships for Detroit students attending the College for Creative Studies (CCS), including:
- Expansion from one to two $50,000 scholarships annually, distributed over four years.
- Full tuition coverage for Detroit high school graduates with financial need.
- Pre-college preparation of $50,000 for 12 summer workshop scholarships in 2025.
- $25,000 in retention scholarships for upperclassmen.
This investment creates a supportive pathway from high school to creative careers, empowering the next generation of creative leaders.
Students like Chris Romero Hernandez, a scholarship recipient, put it simply: “It’s given me a chance to get out there in the art world and continue creating.”
Expanding access: Culture Pass Detroit
Equity in the arts also means ensuring that all Detroiters can experience the city’s cultural riches. Culture Pass Detroit is a program launched by the Gilbert Family Foundation in 2024 to support eligible Detroit families with access to the arts by removing financial barriers associated with memberships and ticketing. In its pilot year, 300 Detroit families received free annual memberships to the city’s top cultural institutions.
In its inaugural year, Culture Pass Detroit offered unlimited access to organizations like the Charles H. Wright Museum, Detroit Historical Society, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Opera and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, all of which represent the best of Detroit’s cultural spectrum. Culture Pass is about turning institutions into true community resources.
Now entering its second year, the program is expanding from 300 to 800 families, and bringing in four new partners, including the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts and the TeMaTe Institute for Black Dance and Culture.
Collaborating with the Detroit Housing Network and Connect Detroit ensures the program reaches families who might otherwise miss out.
[Learn more: Expanding access to Detroit’s cultural treasures: Introducing Culture Pass Detroit]
Looking forward: Scaling impact, sharing the model
The Gilbert Family Foundation’s initiatives are growing. CONTAINER will launch its second, community-nominated cohort this fall, while Culture Pass is scaling with a $1 million, three-year investment.
Seed & Bloom will continue into its second year with a focus on cohort-based learning.
More than local projects, these approaches are becoming a national model for arts philanthropy. These approaches are becoming a national model for arts philanthropy, demonstrating the potential of community-led selection and investment in the full pipeline of creative talent.
A blueprint for cultural equity
The Gilbert Family Foundation’s comprehensive strategy -- from CONTAINER to Culture Pass -- proves that the arts are integral to community development.
By addressing both artist support and public access, the foundation is nurturing a cultural ecosystem where talent flourishes, communities engage, and equity is foundational.
Detroit’s creative community isn’t just surviving, it’s leading. And with wraparound support, it’s poised to shape not just the city’s future, but the future of arts philanthropy nationwide.
Learn more about the Gilbert Family Foundation and its city-wide initiatives by clicking or tapping here.