Enabling Communities
Nonprofits Aim to Create BIPOC Solidarity Network in Detroit
Read the original press release from the Michigan Nonprofit Association.
DETROIT – Michigan Nonprofit Association, in partnership with Data Driven Detroit, is pleased to announce the release of the first-ever Nonprofit Leadership Census survey aimed at building a solidarity network among BIPOC-led nonprofits (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in the city of Detroit.
The Nonprofit Leadership Census survey is spearheaded by Michigan Nonprofit Association in partnership with Data Driven Detroit. This project is supported with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and data support is provided by Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.
The survey is open to all nonprofits in Detroit and is intended to generate the first comprehensive, diverse data set about nonprofit leadership in the city. Amid a global racial reckoning, the effect of such a collaboration in communities of color and Indigenous communities could be transformative.
“This network could create new opportunities for Detroit communities,” said Nellie Tsai, social innovation officer at Michigan Nonprofit Association. “By working together, we are creating robust pathways so that BIPOC-led nonprofits can connect and lean on each other for support and resources.”
Detroit is a city that is predominately Black, and the Nonprofit Leadership Census survey seeks to learn and affirm where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are having an impact in their communities.
“This survey is the first opportunity of its kind for each nonprofit in Detroit to see their individual threads in the fabric that holds our communities together,” says Co.act Detroit executive director Allandra Bulger. “It’s also an opportunity for funders to gain a more intimate understanding of the landscape.”
The results from the survey will be used to elevate the stories of Black and Brown leaders in Detroit and to better facilitate connections between nonprofit leaders, funders, corporations, and other resource service providers who want to support them.
“We hope this critical information will help all Detroiters understand the important work that our city’s Black and Brown nonprofit leaders are doing,” said Nathaniel Wallace, Knight Foundation director for Detroit. “The important work around equity is just beginning, but this valuable tool will help us all understand our community’s strengths, where we can improve, and how we can build a nonprofit ecosystem that continues to reflect the community it serves.”
Access to the online survey is available at https://detroitnonprofit.questionpro.com/.
Organizations that take part in the survey and provide their contact information will be entered in a drawing to win one of 10 $500 stipends. The drawing will be held after the data collection phase is completed.
About MNA
Founded in 1990, Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) is a 501 © (3) charitable organization dedicated to nonprofits and the communities they serve by promoting anti-racism and social justice. MNA is a statewide membership organization that achieves its mission through
advocacy, training, technology services, and civic engagement.
