Community-based education and programming, tourism, musical performances and physical recreation are a few of the focus areas being funded through this year’s Community Organization Investment, an initiative of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan.
Thirteen organizations providing services to Sandwich/west Windsor and Delray/Southwest Detroit will receive investments ranging from $4,000 (CDN) to $25,000 (CDN) to support events, programming, and small infrastructure improvements. The total investment for this year’s projects is $200,000 (CDN).
“Our commitment to community investment has yielded astounding results for the host communities over the past five years, with over 100 projects underway or complete through the Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy. I am incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished in collaboration with valued delivery partners.”
- Charl van Niekerk, Chief Executive Officer, Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA)
“The extension of the Community Organization Investment initiative for an additional year is a direct response to community feedback and the success of the projects completed to date. I look forward to seeing these new projects come to fruition in the Sandwich and Delray communities and congratulate the successful recipients.”
- David Henderson, Chief Executive Officer, Bridging North America (BNA)
“Our partners in Canada continue to deliver on promises to help vital organizations, including some in Southwest Detroit focused on helping youths, the unhoused and reading programs. Even before this transformational bridge is open, the project is paying dividends in communities on both sides of the border.
- Bradley C. Wieferich, Director, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
Recipient Organizations
Canadian Organizations
CJAM Student Media: 2024 Higher Grounds Festival - $25,000
Funding will support CJAM student media in hosting a public one-day event showcasing local talent in music and the visual arts.
Windsor Symphony Orchestra: Education, community outreach and concert programming - $25,000
Funding will enable the Windsor Symphony Orchestra to conduct musical arts programming in community spaces, schools, care facilities and social agencies in Sandwich/west Windsor.
Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation: Kickstarting the West - $20,000
Funding will support the transformation of a vacant lot in Sandwich into a community soccer field, drawing on public engagement to inform its design, location and cultural elements.
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Windsor Essex: Fridge/freezer purchase and programming support - $12,000
Funding will support the installation of a new fridge/freezer for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul’s Caring Hearts food distribution program and the support expansion of Helping Hands Friendship Centre programming.
Bike Windsor Essex: Virtual guided bicycle tours - $9,000
Funding will support the development of two virtual guided bike tours focusing on the history of the Underground Railroad and local Black history in the Sandwich community.
Assumption University: Father Joe Quinn Education Series - $5,000
Funding will support Assumption University to provide opportunities for local students to learn about social issues within their community and their role in bettering society.
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary: Family activities and events - $4,000
Funding will enable Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary to expand their services and add new programming, fostering a safe, welcoming community environment.
US Organizations
New City Kids: Transformational Teen Life internship program - $25,000 (CDN)
Funding will support the New City Kids After School Center, offering paid teen life internships to local grade nine students, increasing their knowledge of financial stewardship, workforce readiness, leadership and the attainability of post-secondary education.
Hispanic Police Officers’ Association of Michigan – Detroit Chapter: Grants for youth sports in Southwest Detroit - $21,000 (CDN)
Facilitated through the Hispanic Police Officers’ Association of Michigan – Detroit Chapter, funding will subsidize the costs to play sports for SW Detroit youth, including team registrations, fees, equipment, uniforms and travel.
Southwest Detroit Business Association: Experience Southwest Detroit - $18,000 (CDN)
Funding will support the formation of three taskforces that will generate reports and recommended findings to transform SW Detroit into a tourist destination.
Trinity-St. Mark’s Pantry and Gardens: Feed the Homeless - $15,000 (CDN)
Funding will support Trinity-St. Mark’s Pantry and Gardens to provide 300 monthly lunches to unhomed individuals and boxed food to local families in need.
Unity in Our Community Timebank: Let’s Get Moving - $11,000 (CDN)
Funding will enable Unity in Our Community Timebank to highlight SW Detroit’s parks and recreational spaces by delivering cultural and physical activities including community bike rides, yoga and a Fiesta event in the community.
Southwest Economic Solutions: Literacy programming at Campbell - $10,000 (CDN)
Funding will promote library card registration and engage local families in literacy activities at Campbell Library, including bookbinding workshops and children’s story times.
About the Community Organization Investment
The Gordie Howe International Bridge project is a once-in-a-generation undertaking. Not only will the project deliver much-needed transportation improvements for international travellers, but it is also providing jobs and opportunities for growth to the Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan region. A key project element is the inclusion of a Community Benefits Plan which includes the Workforce Development and Participation Strategy and the Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy.
The $23 million Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy of the Community Benefits Plan includes the Community Organization Investment, an annual commitment to provide a $200,000 (CDN) investment allowance for community organizations located in or serving Sandwich/west Windsor or Delray/Southwest Detroit (the host communities). Funds are provided between 2020 and 2025 to support events, programming and/or infrastructure improvements that benefit the host communities and align with one of the community investment priorities, including: community partnerships, community safety and connections, economic benefits, and/or aesthetics and landscaping. Community organizations can apply annually for funding for events, programming and infrastructure improvements in amounts ranging from $1,000 - $25,000 (CDN).
From November 2023 to January 2024, registered non-profit and charitable organizations were invited to apply for the program’s fifth year of funding. Twenty-four eligible applications were reviewed, scored, and prioritized by members of the Local Community Group, which includes stakeholders representing various perspectives from Windsor and Detroit. The prioritized applications were reviewed by senior project representatives from Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), Bridging North America (BNA) and the state of Michigan to determine funding recipients.
