DEROIT, MI – November 14, 2024 – The Ford Foundation has granted the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) with the coveted BUILD grant, a long-term investment into MOCAD. Over five years, Ford Foundation will provide MOCAD with $1.6 million USD in operational funding and focused support for operational strengthening, equipping MOCAD with strategic clarity, people, knowledge, and resources needed to achieve impact and advance systematic change over the course of years and decades. 

The Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD) initiative is a grantmaking approach focused on helping social justice organizations become stronger and more resilient over time. Past recipients include The Studio Museum in Harlem, the Arab Council for Social Sciences, and the Center for Media Justice to name a few. With this grant, Ford Foundation invests in organizations as partners. They collaborate closely with their grantees while keeping them in the driver’s seat. MOCAD will be provided with the trust, flexibility, and support the institution needs to do its best work. The BUILD initiative provides organizations with five kinds of support– flexible funding, assessment tools, focused strengthening, peer learning, and rigorous evaluation. Organizations develop their own plans for the types of institutional strengthening they wish to pursue with these funds. Convenings, technical assistance, evaluation, strategic communications, and funder engagement round out the BUILD model. 

Leaning on a strong relationship with the Ford Foundation, MOCAD looks forward to participating in the BUILD initiative to strengthen operations and better serve the museum’s mission. With the leadership of Co-Executive Directors, Jova Lynne and Marie Madison-Patton, this grant will allow MOCAD to further invest in its staff and operations. This grant and organizational support will give the institution the tools to implement DEIA goals, empower staff in professional development, and evaluate the Museum’s operations to ensure successful longevity. 

“This significant investment from the Ford Foundation will strengthen MOCAD’s foundation and advance our mission in the long term. With the BUILD grant, we can continue to serve as an important platform for contemporary art in Detroit’s cultural community. We are proud to be a part of the roster of distinguished institutions that the BUILD program has supported,” shares Marie Madison-Patton, Co-Director + Chief Operating Officer of MOCAD.  

Over the past 18 years, MOCAD has been at the forefront of contemporary art with experimental exhibitions, innovative programming, and thoughtful partnerships with the goal of serving the creative community in Detroit. MOCAD proudly functions as a hub for exploring emerging ideas in the contemporary arts and presenting art at the forefront of contemporary culture. The Museum remains responsive to the cultural content of our time, fueling crucial dialogue, collaboration, and public engagement. 

ABOUT THE FORD FOUNDATION

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

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ABOUT MOCAD

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) presents exhibitions and programs that explore the best of contemporary art, connecting Detroit and the global art world. MOCAD focuses on art as a means to nurture social change and human understanding, reflecting our community. We encourage innovative experimentation by artists, musicians, makers, cultural producers, and scholars to enrich all who participate and to educate visitors of all ages in the power of art. Whether from Detroit or worldwide, we welcome creative voices who can guide us to an equitable and inclusive future. We believe that art can change us, and it’s our responsibility to hold a space where challenge, acceptance, hope, and beauty can coincide.

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