Mott Foundation

A graphic has a screened drone photo of downtown Flint, overlaid with the text "Happy 810 Day" and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation logo.

In honor of 810 Day, the Mott Foundation building will be illuminated in red on Sunday! Share in the comments what you’re doing to celebrate.

Rows of children play and dance while wearing colorful paper flags attached to their chests.

Children enthusiastically play in a colorful inflatable water slide.

A man wearing a Latinx tshirt helps a boy mix up batter as they sit at a station with an Easy Bake Oven. They are at an outdoor festival and others work on their baking projects in the background.

A girl looks up with determination at a glittering red and silver pinata as she prepares to strike it with a colorful stick. A group of children and several adults watch in the background.

On Saturday, the neighborhood around Latinx Technology & Community Center came alive with music, dance, food and celebration during the annual Latinx Summer Celebration! Mott is proud to support LTTC and its efforts to uplift Genesee County’s Latinx community through inclusive programs and services.

A woman enthusiastically smiles at and listens to a small child who faces her.

A baby plays in a field of bubbles.

A group of people lead an outdoor fitness activity.

Two smiling girls take a break to hug while working on a marshmallow and toothpick STEM project.

The Flint Center for Educational Excellence, supported by Mott, organizes community education and afterschool and summer programming at Flint area schools to bring together a variety of academic, enrichment, social and health services, helping Flint kids and their families thrive.

A graphic with multicolor speech bubbles says, "The Focus on Flint quality of Life survey is underway!"

Flint residents: The seventh annual Focus on Flint Quality of Life Survey is underway. Please respond if you receive a call or text message on behalf of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Your participation helps us identify Flint residents' priorities and helps to inform our local grantmaking.

Environmental lawyers demand action on lead in school drinking water Environmental lawyers asked the province to address high lead levels in drinking water at three school boards now under government control.

In Toronto, a Mott grantee called on federal officials to address lead in school drinking water. The Canadian Environmental Law Association’s call to action followed a report which found that lead levels in drinking water in half of all Ontario public schools exceeded the federal standard.

A man looks down and away as he stands in front of a microphone on an artistically lit stage.

A woman works at a vendor booth under a sign that says prana malas. Beaded and decorative items are on tables around her and hanging from her tent.

A group of people have fun while gathered on and in front of a porch.

Performers use a porch as a makeshift stage while a seated audience watches.

Nearly 3,000 residents filled the streets of Flint’s historic Carriage Town Neighborhood for the sixth annual Carriage Town Porchfest! The Mott Foundation is proud to support this and other hometown events through a grant to the Greater Flint Arts Council for the Parade of Festivals.

Two people in rainbow gear with their backs to the camera stand in front of a rainbow balloon sculpture that spells out pride. One person holds a flag that says love always wins, and one has rainbow wings.

The Mott Foundation building will shine in a rainbow of colors on Saturday in honor of the Flint Pride Fest, scheduled for 2-8 p.m. We’re proud to support this and other events that celebrate diversity in our hometown through a grant to the Greater Flint Arts Council for the Parade of Festivals.

A group gathers in front of a performer on an outdoor stage.

Two people eat and chat while sitting at a table in a colorful seating area in front of a "Better Block Flint" sign.

Two men play chess at a folding table in an outdoor alley as bystanders watch.

A young girl and boy play for the camera at an outdoor festival.

4,000+ residents filled the streets of downtown Flint on Saturday during Flint Alley Fest! 65 vendors set up in the alleys, and 16 bands performed across two stages. Mott is proud to support this and other events in our hometown through a Greater Flint Arts Council grant for the Parade of Festivals.

Carriage Town Porchfest, ‘a love letter to Flint,’ bringing live music to historic neighborhood July 18 The free celebration invites the public to explore the heart of Carriage Town– centered around West First Avenue and Mason Street– while enjoying live performances by local musicians who take to neigh...

The Mott Foundation building will be illuminated Friday in honor of the sixth annual Carriage Town Porchfest! We’re proud to support this and other events in our hometown through a grant to the Greater Flint Arts Council for the Parade of Festivals.

Iconic whitefish on edge of collapse as Great Lakes biodiversity crisis deepens | Great Lakes Now Few fish are as synonymous with Michigan as whitefish. Pushed to the edge by invasive species, their struggle is the tip of a cataclysmic species collapse that could change our way of life.

Invasive quagga mussels are sucking the life out of Lake Michigan, creating a biological desert that has iconic whitefish fighting for survival. Bridge Michigan, which Mott supports, explores the tragic ramifications of a crisis affecting four of the five Great Lakes.

Legal empowerment | Mott Foundation Closing the justice gap through legal empowerment.

Learn why legal empowerment is so important for advancing people-centered justice around the world during a key week when these issues are being discussed at the World Justice Forum in Warsaw, Poland.

#WorldJusticeForum2025 #WJF2025 #JusticeForAll

For nonprofits in Flint, federal funding cuts pose dire threat | Mott Foundation Nonprofit leaders and community advocates discuss what current or proposed federal funding cuts could mean for Flint.

“...It’s just impossible for foundations to close the gaps created by such significant cuts in federal funding for health, social and other critical programs,” said Ridgway White, Mott president and CEO, of the dire threat federal funding cuts pose for nonprofits in Flint.

Funders can do more to support people-centered justice in 2025 | Mott Foundation To help close the global justice gap, the Mott Foundation worked with donors and grassroots justice practitioners to create and launch the Legal Empowerment Fund in 2021. As injustices are on the rise...

More than 5.1 billion people — two-thirds of the world’s population — lack meaningful access to justice. The Mott Foundation kick started the Legal Empowerment Fund in 2021 to help close this global justice gap. Learn more about how LEF is advancing people-centered justice around the world.

The Mott Foundation building lights will shine on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States and celebrate all those who are working for a just and equitable society. #Juneteenth

A young woman dramatically rides a horse around a multicolor barrel.

A girl wearing a red, white and blue sequined hat smiles as she holds up a large white fan.

An audience watches as a man holds onto a saddle with one arm and has the other waving in the air as the bull he is riding attempts to throw him off.

Two men wearing rodeo gear hug while standing in fenced in fairgrounds.

The Midwest Invitational Rodeo came to Genesee County to celebrate the rich history of Black rodeo. Thanks to a Mott sponsorship, tickets were provided to the Flint Center for Educational Excellence to ensure Flint kids and families could watch the MIR shine a spotlight on Black cowboys & cowgirls.

The Mott Foundation building is shown at night from street level, lit in columns of multicolored lights.

To celebrate the Flint Art Fair taking place on June 14 and 15 at the Flint Institute of Arts, the Mott Foundation building will be illuminated with a pleasing palette of colors! Hundreds of local artists will set up on the FIA’s front lawn. Learn more: www.flintartfair.org.

A large group seated at tables in a room with lots of natural light listen to a speaker presenting in front of a welcome slide with the text "Flint and Genesee County Trails Symposium."

A large group seated at tables in a room filled natural light listen to a speaker presenting in front of a slide with the text "What the world needs now: healthy, happy, resilient."

A group of people have a discussion over a large printed map spread out on a table.

A group of people have a discussion over a large printed map spread out on a table.

Local and county officials, nonprofit leaders and community advocates attended the Flint and Genesee County Trails Symposium to share their priorities for trail projects throughout the county. Residents can share feedback online through June 30 at gcmpc.org/flintandgeneseecountytrails.

New PFAS guidelines spark more ‘do not eat’ warnings for Michigan fish | Great Lakes Now Anglers are warned not to eat their catch from 98 Michigan waterbodies, up from 33 last year, after state officials revised their health guidance in light of growing evidence that PFAS is more toxic t...

The state of Michigan has tripled the number of lakes and rivers where fish are unsafe to eat due to contamination from PFAS compounds, the so-called forever chemicals. The Great Lakes News Collaborative, which Mott supports, explores the widening PFAS crisis.

Are Data Centers a Threat to the Great Lakes? Explore the impact of a proposed data center in Benton Harbor, a city grappling with infrastructure challenges and poverty.

Data centers are popping up throughout the Great Lakes region. Facilities generate tax revenue for communities, but they also use tremendous amounts of water. That has some people asking if the centers are a threat to the lakes. The Mott-supported Great Lakes News Collaborative explores the issues.

Iluminando o futuro: Como a liderança indígena está moldando a justiça energética na Amazônia | Mott Foundation Lideranças Kisêdjê no Xingu lutam por acesso justo e equitativo à energia solar por meio do programa federal Luz para Todos.

No início deste ano, lideranças indígenas, órgãos do governo e organizações da sociedade civil se reuniram no Território Indígena do Xingu para ajudar a construir uma política de energia renovável que respeite as realidades das comunidades indígenas no Brasil.

The exterior of McFarlan Villages building on a sunny day. An American flag and a building sign that says "Welcome to McFarlan Villages" are in the foreground.

A group of people cheer as a ribbon is cut in front of a building.

A group of people cheer as a ribbon is cut in front of a building.

A woman guides a man and woman through a newly renovated reception area.

Flint's McFarlan Villages, formerly Court Street Villages, celebrated its newly renovated senior community. Mott Foundation supported the project, which included upgrades to housing units, community spaces and essential infrastructure designed to improve energy efficiency and enhance accessibility.

Lighting the future: How Indigenous leadership is shaping energy justice in the Amazon Kisêdjê leaders in Brazil’s Xingu Indigenous Territory fight for just, equitable access to solar energy through the federal Light for All program.

Earlier this year, Indigenous leaders, government agencies and civil society organizations gathered in the Xingu Indigenous Territory to help shape a renewable energy policy that respects the realities of Indigenous communities in Brazil.

Communications Design Associate | Mott Foundation The Mott Foundation seeks a communications design associate to provide graphic design support to advance the work of the Foundation.

We’re hiring a graphic designer to join our communications team in Flint, Michigan. Visit mott.org/designer for details and how to apply.

Mott Foundation grants more than $1 million to support trail expansion throughout Genesee County | Mott Foundation The Mott Foundation granted $1,030,000 to Genesee County to cover funding gaps for four trail segments.

The Mott Foundation is pleased to grant $1,030,000 to Genesee County to cover funding gaps for four trail segments.

A group of kids excitedly look at the books they are reading.

A row of kids sit in a classroom setting with open books in their laps, while a woman in the background reads aloud.

A child looks at the camera over an open book.

Kids excitedly read books.

Students at Westwood Heights’ McMonagle Elementary wrote, illustrated and published a book about their favorite parts of the Thrive Afterschool program. The Flint Center for Educational Excellence, supported by Mott, organizes community education and afterschool programming at Flint area schools.

Three girls address an audience while standing on a stage with a UM-Flint banner.

A woman and two men, all wearing captain hats, listen intently to presenters.

A child's colorful project board has information about flavor bursts.

Three boys stand on a stage with UM-Flint banners, talking to a room filled with children seated at tables.

Twenty teams pitched their business ideas during the 2025 UM-Flint Young Sharks and Junior Sharks Youth Entrepreneurship Competitions this week. With support from Mott, the program teaches elementary and middle school students about entrepreneurship while also building their skills and confidence.

Communications Design Associate | Mott Foundation The Mott Foundation seeks a communications design associate to provide graphic design support to advance the work of the Foundation.

We’re hiring a graphic designer to join our communications team in Flint, Michigan. Visit mott.org/designer for details and how to apply.

Notes from the field: from kick-off in Warsaw to crossroads in Ukraine - Foundations for Ukraine Following the Foundations for Ukraine (F4U) kick-off event in Warsaw on March 28-29, a small group of F4U initiators got on the train in Warsaw for the 17-hour journey to Kyiv: Markus Lux and Julia Te...

Foundations for Ukraine, supported by Mott Foundation to help coordinate philanthropic aid to Ukraine, took its first group visit to Ukraine to learn first-hand about the situation on the ground. Nick Deychakiwsky from Mott joined colleagues from the Robert Bosch Foundation and Razom for Ukraine.

Electronic government helps communities solve problems, access resources in wartime Ukraine | Mott Foundation Designed to foster civic participation, electronic government in Ukraine plays an important role in helping communities solve problems and access resources during wartime.

Read about how electronic government in Ukraine has become an essential part of society, helping Ukrainians solve problems in their communities and access resources during wartime.

Mott Foundation commits up to $1.5 million to help North Flint Food Market open | Mott Foundation The Mott Foundation has committed up to $3.6 million to support the North Flint Food Market.

The Mott Foundation will grant up to $1.5 million to support the opening of the North Flint Food Market. Mott previously granted a total of $2.1 million in 2021 and 2022 to support construction and general operations.