Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Charitable Foundation Fund Grant

Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Charitable Foundation Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Amount: US $10,000 - US $50,000
Last Updated: July 29, 2025

Summary

The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Charitable Foundation Fund empowers charitable organizations focused on enhancing the lives of children and youth in southeast Michigan. Since its establishment in 1999, it has allocated over $6.4 million to support local nonprofits. The fund prioritizes sustainability, regional impact, collaboration, and leveraging additional resources to ensure lasting benefits for the community. Applications are welcomed from 501(c)(3) organizations serving the defined region, with an emphasis on impactful, collaborative projects.

Overview

Purpose The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Charitable Foundation Fund supports grants to charitable organizations that make a lasting impact on the lives of children and youth in southeast Michigan. Impact The DADA Charitable Foundation Fund provides support to nonprofit organizations in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, St. Clair, Monroe and Livingston counties, with a primary focus on charitable organizations and activities that assist children and youth. The fund is supported by proceeds from the North American International Auto Show Charity Preview. Since its inception in 1999, the DADA Charitable Foundation Fund has provided more than $6.4 million to support nonprofit organizations that are improving the lives of children and youth in southeast Michigan. This partnership is unique among auto trade associations nationally — a permanent legacy to benefit our region for generations to come. Our Priorities While the Community Foundation has a large footprint in terms of the types of organizations we fund, there are common priorities that we look for in any application, no matter how large or small, and no matter what topic area. While we do not expect that all of these priorities will be addressed in every application to the Community Foundation, we want to give you a sense of what kinds of lenses we look through when reviewing applications. Our current priorities include: Sustainability We view sustainability in two ways. First, we want to support projects and ideas tied to a longer term vision for an organization. We do not want to make grants for projects that end the moment the grant is over. We will look closely at the overall financial health of your organization, as well as your programmatic and fundraising visions. We will want to support you at key moments in time along your path as a growing organization —helping to put new strategies in place, or building out existing strategies in more comprehensive ways. Regional Impact We actively serve a seven-county area and think about issues from a regional perspective. While we know that every grant we make will not touch all seven counties, we are particularly interested in projects that serve a large portion of the region, build relationships across communities in the region, and/or serve to test a new model in a specific geography that could later be adopted by other nonprofit organizations in the region. Leverage We want our funds to help you leverage other dollars into your organization and for the region. As such, we look closely at proposals to understand what kind of leverage will occur. Collaboration Beyond leveraging dollars, we like to see good models, ideas and human resources leveraged as well. We encourage collaboration among nonprofit organizations and also between nonprofit and/or government entities when it makes sense.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Projects must benefit children and youth (defined as Pre-K-12) in southeast MichiganAny 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in southeast Michigan may apply for a grant. Southeast Michigan is defined as the seven counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston.Your organization must be headquartered in one of the seven counties that we serve, and must serve residents of our region. Occasionally, grants to statewide or national organizations will be considered for activities in the region and particularly if a local partner is actively involved in the project.In general, we provide support to a specific project of an organization.The Foundation will only make grants to federal 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations, government entities, school districts and universities We require that your organization have a certified financial audit or a financial review, conducted by a CPA or other external financial professional.

Ineligibility

The 6 nonprofit organizations that traditionally receive support directly from the Charity Preview are ineligible.Please note that the Fund does not award grants to host or sponsor events.While grants to religious organizations are considered, sectarian religious programs are not eligible.We do not fund ongoing operational costs, capital projects or campaigns, annual fund drives, conferences or other one-time eventsWe will not consider a new grant to an organization when they have an open competitive grant.