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Hudson Webber Foundation

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The Hudson-Webber Foundation is a left-of-center grant-making organization founded in 1939 that funds left-progressive organizations and projects in the city of Detroit, Michigan. 1

In November 2020, presumptive President-elect Joe Biden selected the foundation’s president, Melanca D. Clark, to join his transition team as part of the Justice Department team. 2

History

The Hudson-Webber Foundation’s origins date to 1881, when English immigrant Joseph L. Hudson founded the J. L. Hudson Company department store in Detroit. Hudson used his wealth to support Progressive Era initiatives and passed the company down his sister Mary Webber’s sons in 1912. The Webber brothers continued Hudson’s philanthropic work, and company president Richard H. Webber established three foundations between 1939 and 1960, which merged into the Hudson-Webber Foundation in January 1984. 3

Initiatives

The Hudson-Webber Foundation’s issue areas are arts and culture, built environment, community and economic development, and safe and just communities. The foundation places a heavy emphasis on racial diversity in all four of its issue areas. 4

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation received $400,000 from the foundation in 2018, $600,000 in 2019, and another $600,000 in 2020. 5 The corporation funds left-progressive causes and issues race-based grants through its Black Economic Development Fund. 6

United Way for Southeastern Michigan, an affiliate of the left-aligned United Way progressive charity network, received $250,000 from the foundation in 2020. 7

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan (CFSEM) received $150,000 from the foundation. 8 CFSEM funds initiatives that advance left-of-center law enforcement and refugee resettlement priorities. 910

In 2020, the Foundation helped establish the Michigan Justice Fund, and with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan provided $520,000 for racially oriented criminal justice policy change efforts. Left-leaning funders include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation. 11 A COVID-19 relief fund initiative gave $700,000 to 14 groups in 2020. 12

Impact

Since its founding, the Hudson-Webber Foundation has distributed a total of more than $200 million in grants to left-of-center non-profits in Detroit. 13

In November 2020, Democratic presumptive President-elect Joe Biden selected the foundation’s president, Melanca D. Clark, to join his transition team as part of the Justice Department team. 14

Leadership

Jennifer Hudson Parke is the chair of the board of directors of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. She also sits on the boards of several other local community organizations. 15

Melanca Clark is the president and chief executive officer of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. She previously served at the Department of Justice and on the White House Domestic Policy Council under  the Obama administration. She also worked for the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-wing legal think tank and activist organization, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which now receives hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual funding from the Hudson-Webber Foundation. 16

Heidi Reijm is the program and learning officer of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. Like Clark, Reijm previously worked for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. 17

Michael Shaw is the program director of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. He previously worked for the Kresge Foundation, a Michigan-based liberal philanthropic organization, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 18

Financials

The Hudson-Webber Foundation paid out $7.32 million in contributions and grants in 2018 and $4.59 million in 2017. Between 2012 and 2016, the foundation regularly exceeded $8 million a year in contributions and grants. 19

References

  1.           Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020.
  2.          Michael E. Hartmann, “Big Philanthropy transitions to the Biden administration,” Philanthropy Daily, November 18, 2020. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://www.philanthropydaily.com/big-philanthropy-transitions-to-the-biden-administration/
  3.             History of the Foundation, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020.

    History of the Foundation

  4.           What We Do, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://hudson-webber.org/what-we-do/
  5.            Grants Database, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://hudson-webber.org/grants-database/
  6.         Black Economic Development Fund, LISC Strategic Investments. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://www.liscstrategicinvestments.org/black-economic-development-fund
  7.        Grants Database, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://hudson-webber.org/grants-database/
  8.        Grants Database, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020.

    Grants Database

  9.             Michigan Justice Fund, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://cfsem.org/initiative/michigan-justice-fund/
  10.        Southeast Michigan Immigrant and Refugee Funder Collaborative, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://cfsem.org/initiative/immigrants-refugees/
  11. Darcie Moran, “$520K in grants take aim at racial injustice in Michigan,” September 3, 2020. Detroit Free Press. Accessed November 25, 2020.

    https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/09/03/racial-injustice-michigan-justice-fund/5700011002/

  12. Grace Turner, “Area foundations offer funds for COVID-19 relief, Hudson-Webber Foundation announces guarantees,” March 25, 2020. DBusiness. Accessed November 25, 2020 https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/area-foundations-offer-funds-for-covid-19-relief-hudson-webber-foundation-announces-grantees/
  13.        What We Do, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020.

    What We Do

  14.       Michael E. Hartmann, “Big Philanthropy transitions to the Biden administration,” Philanthropy Daily, November 18, 2020. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://www.philanthropydaily.com/big-philanthropy-transitions-to-the-biden-administration/
  15.             Jennifer Hudson Parke, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Accessed November 23, 2020. https://detroitriverfront.org/our-story/board-directors/jennifer-hudson-parke
  16.        Melanca Clark, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020.

    Melanca Clark

  17.      Heidi Reijm, Hudson-Webber Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2020.

    Heidi Reijm

  18. “Michael Shaw.” Accessed December 2, 2020. https://hudson-webber.org/staff/michael-shaw/.
  19.        Hudson-Webber Foundation, ProPublica. Accessed November 23, 2020.https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/386052131
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