The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan recognizes that over the next 25 years the projected doubling of the region’s aging population will have profound implications for every aspect of life in southeast Michigan. The Foundation envisions communities of dignity—desirable places for all persons to age and live healthy, empowered and productive lives where whatever one has to contribute makes a difference. We aim to have the contributions of older adults recognized, respected and heralded by the philanthropic, nonprofit, government and business sectors alike.

Older adults have an essential role in the economic and social transformation that is now underway in Michigan, yet for this to happen, older adults need to feel empowered and connected to those places where their contributions can make a difference.

As part of the Community Experience Partnership (Partnership), an initiative for U.S. community foundations from The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan completed a community assessment that showed great interest and enthusiasm for community engagement among older adults across the region. It also showed that there is no “silver bullet” approach to mobilize and engage older adults to address community solutions. Instead, a series of approaches are required. This led the Foundation’s staff, Trustees, volunteers and partners to employ the following five strategies:

• Regional strategy: Working with other funders and community partners by establishing partnerships, coordinating efforts and building support among the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, the regional strategy leverages and promotes older adult initiatives and awareness of multigenerational opportunities and challenges in the region in areas such as education, workforce, transportation and health care.
• Urban strategy: Focusing on an area of Detroit with the highest older adult population and leveraging a partnership with the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the urban strategy is demonstrating how to tap the extraordinary resources of older adults to create more livable neighborhoods in a diverse urban setting.
• Economic strategy: Building upon the Community Foundation’s investment in the New Economy Initiative, opportunities are being identified and encouraged to engage older adults in ways that will accelerate the transition of metro Detroit to a more sustainable innovation-based economy, through older adult community engagement, social purpose work, entrepreneurialism and workforce participation.
• Internal strategy: Recognizing aging as a priority for the region, the Community Foundation’s internal strategy includes review and assessment of age-related grant making to inform the Community Foundation’s community investment and program planning related to lifespan issues and older adults, and ultimately building the Community Foundation’s assets for age-related investments.
• Communications and networking strategy: Building a critical mass of leadership on aging issues to effect change, the communication and networking strategy raises awareness and supports and connects local foundations, community leaders, public officials, and the nonprofit and for-profit sectors to transform the way the community views aging and older adult civic and community engagement.

In order to create communities of dignity throughout the region, implementation of these strategies has taken several forms that build upon one another to leverage opportunities for maximum impact in the community.

Here are a few examples:

The Senior Alliance Initiative of Adult Well Being Services involves senior residents in Detroit’s near-east side to develop older adult leadership and social programs in order to work with local agencies to make their community more senior-friendly. The Alliance mobilizes older adult residents to join with local businesses, community organizations and government leaders to improve access to healthy food, sponsor community building programs, expand transportation options and reduce crime.

The Livable Communities Series is providing a unique opportunity for participants to work with nationally recognized experts on how to create livable communities through social innovation, community development and urban design. This year-long series of events is engaging community leaders and public officials in thoughtful educational seminars and neighborhood-specific workshops.

The Community Foundation, in partnership with Grantmakers in Aging and the Council of Michigan Foundation’s EngAGEment Initiative, is helping organize the state-wide conference:

The Mature Workforce: Philanthropies Response to an Emerging Economic Crisis. This event targets the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including philanthropy, and will focus on Michigan’s 40+ workforce. Featuring speakers from the Conference Board, the conference provided a forum to discuss global, national and statewide labor market trends, the needs and aspirations of mature workers and the ways philanthropy can encourage the corporate and nonprofit sector to better tap the talents of older adults.