Recent charitable grants totaling more than $473,000 will support scholarships, programs, faculty research and community outreach at Detroit Mercy.
The grants are:
- $80,000 from the Sutaruk Foundation to fund the Alex Sutaruk Scholarship program for Engineering students, which honors the legacy of Alex Sutaruk ’51. In 2017, 14 Engineering students received Sutaruk Scholarships; more than 120 students total have received them.
- $60,000 from the Kuzak Family Foundation to fund annual expendable scholarships for four degree-seeking undergraduate students majoring in Engineering. This is the second year of a pledge to fund expendable scholarships through 2027. The Kuzak Family Foundation was created by Derrick Kuzak ’73, ’74, ’76 and his wife Kate and daughter Allison.
- $50,000 from the Ford Motor Company Fund to fund the Campus Kitchen manager position. Campus Kitchen’s mission is “to develop compassionate and just student leaders who engage our community in promoting food security. The Ford Motor Company Fund has supported this position since 2015, allowing Campus Kitchen at Detroit Mercy to extend the impact of its community engagement.
- $12,000 from Metro Health Foundation to provide scholarships of $4,000 each to McAuley School of Nursing students. This grant continues the partnership between the University and the Metro Health Foundation that began in 2013 and establishes a legacy of support for improved access to higher education for careers in nursing.
- $11,750 from the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine to conduct research in Jerusalem for a project on the rhetoric of urban destruction in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament.
- $10,000 from FCA Foundation to support the students in the extra-curricular SAE Supermileage Vehicle Team Competition in building a vehicle for the annual event held in June.
Ford, Kresge grants aid DCDC work
Two grants totaling $215,000 to University of Detroit Mercy’s Detroit Collaborative Design Center will fund the group’s award-winning community building work.
A $200,000 grant from the Ford Foundation is operating support to strengthen the DCDC’s ability to partner with Detroit community development and other urban neighborhood-level organizations to develop and nurture communities that celebrate existing residents and welcome new ones.
The second grant of $15,000 from the Kresge Foundation comes in the form of additional budget support to a $200,000 grant awarded in 2016 for the Kresge Early Years for Success: Detroit Civic Engagement Support — Hope Starts Here launch. The grant will support DCDC organization of three citywide community conversations organized by DCDC on civic engagement and participation and advice to the early childhood development community.
Delta Dental, Goodfellows foundations dental clinic program
University of Detroit Mercy’s School of Dentistry will continue its mission of providing dental care to underserved populations thanks to three recent grants totaling $35,000.
The Old Newsboys’ Goodfellow Fund of Detroit awarded $15,000 to the Mobile Dental Clinic and $5,000 to the School’s Pediatric Clinic. A Delta Dental Foundation grant of $10,000 has been earmarked for dental care for uninsured children who take part in the mobile clinic programs.
The Mobile Dental Clinic provides dental services for children in grades K-8 in Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck, River Rouge and Harper Woods. The clinics support the University mission of service in the community, while providing valuable experience to the students in Detroit Mercy Dental.
In addition, the American Dental Association Foundation awarded a $5,000 E. “Bud” Tarrson Dental School Student Community Leadership Award to the dental student-run Health Unit on Davison Avenue (HUDA) Dental Clinic, which also provides dental services to underserved children.
“The funding represents mutually beneficial investment in initiatives and priorities,” said Yvonne Lindstrom, director of Corporate and Foundation Relations. “Many of the grants provide ongoing support from previous years to continue the important work we do at Detroit Mercy.”
