We are excited to announce that College for Creative Studies on behalf of Design Core Detroit has been approved for a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the second year of the 2021 City of Design Challenge. 2022 will be a continuation of last year's program as the winning teams work to execute and implement their projects during Detroit Month of Design and the Cumulus Conference this autumn. Our project is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from Design Core Detroit that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “Design Core in Detroit is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”

As the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the United States, Detroit is proud of its rich and diverse design legacy and eager to highlight inclusive design as a powerful tool for creating equitable communities in Detroit and beyond. Inclusive design centers itself around people who are often left out of the design process in order to create places, products, and services that allow more people to fully participate in society.

A partnership between Design Core and College for Creative Studies, the City of Design Challenge is a program that invites designers, residents, policymakers and others to collaborate around ideas that make life better for more people in Detroit and cities everywhere. In 2021, participants worked to develop community tech hubs that support the needs of residents and foster more engaged and informed communities. A total of $60,000 in funds was divided amongst three winning teams, selected by a community-based jury in October 2021. For more information about the City of Design Challenge, please visit https://designcore.org///city-of-design-challenge/.