Collective Wisdom: Lessons for Organizational Partners

EVALUATION BRIEF APRIL 2021

Photo: City of Detroit 1

COLLECTIVE WISDOM: LESSONS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERS

Throughout the first three rounds of the Kresge Innovative Projects: Detroit (KIP:D) initiative (2015–2017), 56 planning or implementation grants were awarded to 40 unique organizations in Detroit neighborhoods. KIP:D funding began, initially, as the Kresge Foundation’s commitment to the Detroit Future City goals with: 1) transforming vacant land into an innovative open-space network; and 2) stabilizing neighborhoods (Detroit Future City, nd).

After receiving feedback from KIP:D themselves KIP:D organizational funding recipients (hereby referred partners during the first three rounds. to as organizational partners), KIP:D shifted the priorities of the initiative The lessons in this brief highlight the to better meet community needs. ways organizational partners navigated Updates integrated into the second planning and implementing projects in the and third rounds of funding shifted complex and diverse landscape of Detroit. the framework for how projects were To see the full evaluation report please conceptualized; projects were seen visit: kresge.org/resource/kipd-evaluation as drivers for building organizational capacity and leadership to steward long- LESSON 1 term community investment. Rather than focusing on “shovel-ready” projects and The legacy of structural racism and addressing land use, KIP:D lengthened white supremacy in Detroit means it project timelines and invested in more is especially critical for organizational grassroots efforts in order to build partners to spend time establishing neighborhood connectivity and cohesion. trust among those impacted by projects.

Through a retrospective look at the Although there are many causes for the first three rounds of grant funding, decline of Detroit in the 20th century, our team will use insights gleaned one practice that has had clear and from a variety of stakeholders to offer lasting impact is housing discrimination. lessons learned for current and future Racist practices such as redlining, organizational partners. Data was mortgage discrimination, rental collected by speaking with community discrimination and predatory loans have residents, community leaders and past all contributed to the current need to organizational partners using multiple revitalize vacant and blighted areas of participatory and qualitative methods. the city. We also had extended conversations with longtime community development As of October 2020, the Detroit Land leaders who were recommended by Bank Authority has an inventory of organizational partners and were 85,159 vacant or blighted properties 2

Photo: City of Detroit

(Detroit Land Bank Authority, 2020). An organizational partner mentioned, “I Due to historically racist and destructive mean you’re talking about a community practices toward Detroit and Detroiters, that has generations of trauma, so it’s many residents admitted distrust of hard to build that trust.” outside agencies and funders. Organizational partners frequently “I think in general there’s skepticism in discussed how they navigated the the city. There’s a spirit of skepticism process of gaining credibility and because people have been taken confidence within the context of Detroit, advantage of. And, when it comes stressing the importance of relationship to things like whether there are building, forming authentic connections community spaces or businesses or and listening to and following up on whatever, people look at things like, expressed concerns from neighbors. ‘What’s happening? Are you really for Other discussions centered on being us?’ So there has to be continued trust transparent with what the project’s there with my neighbors,” said one goals and intentions are. Organizational organizational partner. partners also noted the importance of consistency and long-term relationships. Implementing projects in communities Many specifically called out how they that have been historically marginalized had been working within the same can understandably be met with concern community for many years. Put simply, regarding the intentions of the funder trust is built, not given. and project leaders. 3

LESSON 2 “As much as possible we try to use existing structures. And then also with Even with historically racist practices that resident leadership,” mentioned an impacting generations of Detroiters, organizational partner. communities within the city have their own legacy of leadership, thriving Working within existing structures community organizations, natural and with trusted community leaders beauty, local businesses and culture can frame the intention of a project that organizational partners should with the lens of those past structures build upon. and leaders’ work. One organizational partner noted, “Even though we’re Through plugging into existing funded by certain entities, our first leadership and engagement structures, allegiance is to the communities we’re KIP:D projects can gain momentum and trying to organize with.” support. As noted in the first lesson, trust is built, and the process of building Organizational partners leveraged the trust can take longer than the time assets of the communities they worked projects have access to funding. The in by utilizing trusted community spaces, process of building trust doesn’t have working with current neighborhood to start from scratch if organizational leaders and building from current partners begin their work by tapping neighborhood engagement structures, into the strengths and assets of the such as block clubs or meetings. communities they are working in. One resident noted that information about a project was provided during a neighborhood cookout because it was a time when everyone had already gathered together.

Photo: Woodbridge Neighborhood Development 4

LESSON 3 LESSON 4

Maintain credibility by understanding Engage neighbors through any possible the limits of funding and resources; avenue; both informal and formal incremental change can have engagement are valuable and have big exponential effects that can become impacts on how residents perceive radical change if momentum is projects. maintained. Engaging residents can be done both The reality of KIP:D projects is that they formally and informally, but it needs are funded for short, finite periods of to be a core tenet of any project time. While tapping into community and an organizational value. As one assets helps create momentum organizational partner noted, “We and expands available resources, built our skills in engaging community momentum can fade if the project members. But that’s not because becomes too big and unwieldy to be Kresge paid for it; it is because of how maintained or completed. we approach our work.”

“Some of it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Some successful strategies of Because on the one hand, funders give engagement that organizational partners us grants and we promise we’re going noted included: door-knocking, surveying to do X-Y-Z, A-B-C, 1-2-3. But then, on neighbors on what they want to see in the the other hand, a lot of organizations, neighborhood, encouraging individuals to particularly here in Detroit, don’t have be a champion for beautifying their block, the resources to hire the people that partnering with block clubs, distributing know how to do those things,” said an neighborhood newsletters and hosting organizational partner. “And then when community meetings. the things don’t happen in the timeline that was agreed upon, it’s assumed the Engagement should be comprehensive nonprofit has done something wrong. and accessible to all neighbors. Not every Well, did they? Or was it all just a setup resident will be able to participate in the that, in general, you’re going to get little same capacity, and engagement strategies success because you don’t have the should meet neighbors where they are. right ingredients?” Organizational partners stressed the need to host formal engagement in trusted Organizational partners noted that community spaces. Formal engagement momentum is built through small, should also be reliable; meetings should be incremental changes and noted the at regular times and not move around or importance of setting both short-term change frequently. and long-term goals. Setting smaller goals not only helps combat the challenges of limited funding and resources, but also helps when building trust. LESSON 5 Community engagement efforts will provide supportive and critical insights; be prepared to respond to neighbors’ concerns and adjust plans when appropriate.

Neighborhoods are not monolithic; the wants and needs of individuals within neighborhoods are unique and residents 5

will have their own ideas as to what An organizational partner mentioned, would best serve them. Organizational “We went basically block by block and partners should be ready and open to let people decide if they wanted alley receive feedback that will require them lights or if they didn’t. So, there were to shift the course of their projects. some blocks where we just didn’t do it because people didn’t want it. And so, An organizational partner said, “The that was one of those things where you more you [engage the community], would think we would understand that I think the more you realize that not there are bigger issues where there’s everybody is going to agree. And once going to be lots of different opinions on you hear what people say, what are you how to proceed.” willing to do about it? If they hate your project, do you stop?” Similarly, community engagement can help organizational partners understand Organizational partners should have a how to best leverage community assets, strategy for deciding what course of or if they should be leveraging them at action to take after receiving critical all. While utilizing a strengths-based feedback through engagement efforts. approach and working from within the An example of an organizational partner community is important for projects, shifting goals was provided by a project focusing only on what has been done that proposed putting more lights in can be limiting and past focus does not alleyways, and the partner was surprised necessarily address current community when it was met with opposition. Moving needs. forward ended up looking different based on what individual neighbors wanted.

Photo: Michigan Environmental Council 6

CONCLUSION funding that are not reflected in this The work that KIP:D organizational retrospective look at the first three partners have accomplished is not easy; rounds. Every cohort of KIP:D funding projects take commitment, dedication, will inevitably have more advice and strategic planning, adherence to lessons for the next rounds and the deadlines and follow-through. Each initiative will keep adjusting to best neighborhood in Detroit is unique serve the needs of the organizational with its own set of assets, strengths, partners, especially as practices adapt to resources and challenges. While these the current COVID-19 global pandemic. five points represent broad lessons Although the challenges future learned across the first three rounds of organizational partners will face is not funding, each of them may not apply to known and projects may have to adjust each unique project. how they operate, positive change can It should be noted that KIP:D has be achieved through building trust, continued evolving the initiative, and engaging neighbors, listening, planning additional supports for organizational and adapting. partners have been integrated into the

REFERENCES Detroit Future City. (n.d.) “Detroit Future City Strategic Framework.” Detroit Future City. detroitfuturecity.com/strategic-framework

Detroit Land Bank Authority. (2020). City Council Quarterly Report. Detroit Land Bank Authority. dlba-production-bucket.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/City_Council_Quarterly_Report/ DLBA+Q1+FY2021+CCQR+FINAL+REPORT.pdf

Sugrue, Thomas J. (1996). The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit. 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540: Princeton University Press. © 2021 Regents of the University of Michigan

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