GM Detroit Grants

GM Detroit Grants is sponsored by General Motors Foundation Inc. Supports nonprofits focused on education, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization in Detroit.

General Motors Company | Inside Philanthropy OVERVIEW: The General Motors Company changed its philanthropic strategy in 2017, shutting down its charitable foundation and setting up an in-house social investment program. The company’s areas of grantmaking interest include STEAM education, vehicle safety, and the Detroit area.

IP TAKE: This is a surprisingly accessible corporate funder that conducts targeted traditional grantmaking as well as strategic partnerships. General Motors (GM) conducts its philanthropy through a corporate giving program, rather than a traditional staffed private foundation. Pitch a program that is not just socially beneficial, but clearly connected to GM’s two key focus areas .

Try to avoid framing that sounds purely charitable or generic. GM responds better to proposals that look like scalable problem-solving. It accepts letters of inquiry each year until September 30.

PROFILE: The General Motors Company (GM), based in Detroit, conducts grantmaking through its Corporate Giving program since unwinding its corporate foundation in 2017. The new philanthropic strategy aims to “create inclusive solutions to social issues in the communities in which [its employees] live and work around the world. ” Stated areas of interest include STEAM education and vehicle safety.

Although a significant portion of General Motors’ philanthropy consists of signature programs conducted through partnerships with nationally known organizations and institutions, the company continues to make grants to smaller nonprofits and runs a separate organization, the GM Cancer Research Foundation, which is based in New York.

Grants for K-12 and STEM Education STEAM grants support organizations working to strengthen foundational reading, math, and science skills, expand classroom and educator resources, and increase participation in STEAM careers. GM’s STEM funding focuses on developing the next generation of talent in STEM fields, prioritizing mentorship programs and underrepresented groups.

Specific areas of interest include immersive learning experiences, the development of computational thought, artificial intelligence and “the digitization of education,” a term GM uses to refer to the use of “digital tools and resources” for both in-person and online education.

K-12 STEM funding is mainly directed at national organizations that provide out-of-school or supplementary learning opportunities for elementary and secondary students.

GM partnered with the Girl Scouts of the USA to develop a series of STEM exploration badges and worked with the Virginia-based nonprofit Ashoka to develop the STEM for Changemaking Challenge, a contest that asks students to use STEM skills to solve environmental problems or improve sustainability. In the summer of 2020, GM launched its signature STEM Summer School , in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Directed at families who might be stuck at home for the summer, the program provides free video instruction for hands-on projects in engineering via YouTube. Grants for Higher Education GM’s higher education STEM funding prioritizes programs that support STEM career development, diversity initiatives, student organizations and degree programs in design and manufacturing.

Higher education recipients of STEM grants include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Texas-Austin, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the Cleveland Institute of Art and the National Society of Black Engineers, among others.

Although it ended many of its traditional grantmaking programs in 2017, GM continues to make grants to support education, sustainable employment, neighborhood revitalization and culture in the Detroit and Flint Michigan areas. Grantees include Boys and Girls Club of Greater Flint, Communities First, Inc., Flint Children’s Museum, and Flint River Watershed Coalition.

Other Grantmaking Opportunities Road Safety grants should improve safe behavior in and around vehicles, expand access to reliable transportation, and increase awareness/access related to EVs and charging infrastructure. Because much of its philanthropy consists of signature programs and strategic partnerships, it is difficult to ascertain an average grant size for this funder.

Grants for Detroit organizations are generally awarded in amounts up to $500,000, with an average grant size of about $75,000. Eligible grantseekers can submit letters of inquiry up until September 30 of each year and are notified within about six weeks if they have been selected to apply for funding. General Motors’ website features application guidelines .

Inquiries may be directed to grantmaking staff via email. Enable JavaScript to continue This site uses JavaScript to verify your account, display articles, and provide other features. Please enable JavaScript or allow scripts for Inside Philanthropy, then reload the page.

Chrome: Open Chrome Settings, then go to Privacy and security > Site settings > JavaScript, and select “Sites can use JavaScript. ” Safari: Open Safari Settings, then check the Security settings for JavaScript. Make sure JavaScript is enabled, then reload this page.

Brave: Click the Brave Shields lion icon in the address bar and allow scripts for this site. If scripts are blocked, article access and account verification may not work. Full Brave Shields instructions