Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation

06/17/2026

JazzEd Detroit brings together five organizations providing jazz education programs to network, organize, and work together in collective ways that serve young people in learning jazz. ArtOps continues to lead the JazzEd Detroit initiative, helping to preserve Detroit’s collaborative tradition of mentorship in the art form.

We are proud to support this important cultural tradition with two grants totaling $181,000 to Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings to support ArtOps in leading the JazzEd Detroit initiative and to support the Carr Center’s Gathering Orchestra program.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/16/2026

Are you more Huron or Erie?

No matter where you live in the Great Lakes region, the land around you — and what happens on it — is more connected to the lakes themselves than you may think.

Created in partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Michigan, our Great Lakes Watersheds Map color codes every watershed, making it easy to see how your community is connected to the Great Lakes.

Whether you're an educator, community leader, environmental advocate, or simply curious about where you fit in the system, these maps are free to order and make a great resource for classrooms, offices, and events.

Find your watershed and order a free map: https://www.erbff.org/great-lakes-watersheds-map/

We like to say that everyone lives on waterfront property. This is because everything people do on their land – no matter if it’s located on a river or lake or not – ends up in one of the Great Lakes.

06/16/2026

For people to feel confident in the democratic process, it’s essential that democratic institutions remain responsive and trustworthy. The Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne State University Law School is strengthening the legislative oversight practices that keep government accountable to the people it serves — making our democracy healthier through accountability and public trust.

"The Levin Center works to reduce the distance between the people and their government by promoting fact-driven inquiry, cooperation, and responsible public leadership, values grounded in Senator Carl Levin’s legacy,” said Levin Center director Jim Townsend. “This grant from the Erb Family Foundation will enable the Center to continue and expand its training and technical assistance to lawmakers in Michigan and across America to enable them to fulfill their responsibilities to the constitution and our democracy."

We’re proud to support this work with a new $250,000 grant.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/15/2026

Great Lakes policy doesn’t only happen at the state level — it happens in Washington, too. The Northeast-Midwest Institute Policy Research ensures that members of Congress and their staff have what they need to understand, and champion long-term protection of the Great Lakes through sustained, informed federal engagement.

"The Northeast-Midwest Institute is excited and energized by the opportunities for Federal Great Lakes policy as we enter a new Congress in 2027," NEMWI President and CEO Michael J. Goff said. "We are grateful to receive continued generous support from the Erb Family Foundation, which will allow us to grow and engage the Great Lakes Task Force, securing wins and developing champions for the region in Washington.”

We’re proud to support the Congressional Great Lakes Task Forces through a new $250,000 grant to Northeast-Midwest Institute through the Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/12/2026

The Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition brings together more than 200 organizations working to keep Great Lakes restoration at the forefront of regional and national policy. It harnesses the collective talent, knowledge and passion of its members to make Great Lakes restoration a top federal policy priority.

"The Erb Family Foundation support enables the HOW Coalition to implement targeted strategies that have the potential to inspire and motivate more people, not just the traditional Great Lakes advocates, to tell their stories, to reach out to their Members of Congress, to talk to their neighbors, friends, and family, about what they care about, and to ultimately combat the serious barrage of threats to the Great Lakes communities." Laura Rubin, Director, Healing Our Waters, Great Lakes Coalition

Year two of a $3.9 million grant continues to support the Coalition, through its fiscal sponsor National Wildlife Federation, sustaining that leadership at a critical moment for the Great Lakes.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/11/2026

A healthy democracy depends on eligible voters having accessibility to the election process. Promote the Vote MI has been at the forefront of protecting voting rights and election accessibility across Michigan.

We’re proud to support this work to ensure Michigan elections remain free, fair and accessible with a new two-year $500,000 grant.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/10/2026

Allied Media Projects has served many arts projects and organizations through its fiscal sponsorship work, providing administrative and financial support to community-led projects in Detroit and beyond. The organization has built a home for community media, network-based organizing, and creative collaboration. Rooted in the LOVE Building on the city's West Side, that work continues to grow.

We're grateful for this partnership and proud to support their next chapter with a final grant of $300,000 over three years.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement:https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/09/2026

Protecting the Great Lakes takes more than science and policy — it also takes legal advocacy.

The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (GLELC) helps communities across the region have access to the legal tools they need when their water is at risk.

"Throughout Michigan, there are environmental superheroes fighting to protect their communities and treasured natural spaces from environmental pollution. This grant allows the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center to work alongside these incredible Michiganders and to provide them with free legal services so that we can work together to ensure all Michiganders have safe communities free from pollution and beautiful natural places to enjoy." Nick Leonard, Executive Director of the GLELC

We’re proud to support that work with a new three-year $450,000 grant.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/08/2026

Mothering Justice puts mothers at the center of conversations about economic justice, civic power, and community wellbeing — connecting policy, advocacy, and real lived experience to create change for the families and communities across Michigan.

We’re proud to support that work with a new three-year $750,000 grant.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/

06/05/2026

Clean water and a strong regional economy are more connected than they might seem. The Council of the Great Lakes Region works across the US-Canadian Great Lakes region to build bridges between freshwater governance and supply chain modernization, helping businesses and policymakers make decisions that support clean waters and a thriving economy.

"This investment represents a transformative step forward for the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region and will help build sustainable capacity to coordinate the integration of freshwatergovernance with supply chain modernization. By strengthening shared governance, aligned partnerships, and cross-border collaboration, CGLR will advance a more resilient, sustainable, and globally competitive regional economy while supporting long-term Great Lakes restoration, stewardship, and infrastructure planning across jurisdictions and sectors. We are deeply grateful to the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation for its leadership, vision, and confidence in CGLR’s role as a convenor driving lasting regional impact.” — Vance Badawey, President & CEO, Council of the Great Lakes Region

We’re proud to support this work to bolster the future of communities in the region with a three-year $750,000 grant.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/nearly-11m-awarded-across-southeast-michigan-and-the-great-lakes/,