Our Mission: Making Michigan better through high-quality, nonpartisan journalism & engagement.
For all state residents, diverse civic stakeholders and philanthropy, the Center for Michigan (the “Center”) and its newsrooms – Bridge Michigan & BridgeDetroit – drive healthy and informed policy dialogue and problem-solving by publishing Michigan’s most impactful nonprofit public service journalism and community information in the face of traditional newspaper decline. The Center focuses on in-depth explanatory and watchdog reporting while working collaboratively with various media to deepen and widen public consumption of in-depth reporting. More about the Center's values for its work and its workplace can be found here. Click here to read our ethics and conflict of interest policy.
Organization background:
Founded in 2006, the Center for Michigan seeks to make Michigan better through high-quality, nonpartisan journalism & engagement. The Center publishes Bridge Michigan and is home to the editorially independent BridgeDetroit. The Center is incorporated in Michigan as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.
In 2011, the Center launched Bridge Michigan, which has grown into one of the nation’s leading examples of nonprofit journalism as mainstream newspapers have dramatically declined. You can learn more about the history of Bridge Michigan since its founding in 2011 here.
BridgeDetroit, the Center’s most recent project, launched in May 2020 as an independent newsroom. BridgeDetroit has already received national acclaim in its work to address long standing racial inequities in professional newsgathering and community information. Both publications seek to fill the public information void, and lift up traditionally unheard stories, for the civic betterment of the communities served.
Current programming
Bridge Michigan: At the heart of Bridge Michigan’s model is a commitment to fact-based, nonpartisan journalism as a crucial resource for good decisions about public policy and civic life. Bridge Michigan informs Michigan readers and leaders by explaining the how and the why behind the daily headlines with in-depth reporting otherwise in danger of extinction as commercial newspapers rapidly decline. Bridge Michigan publishes nearly every day and is available free of charge via web, email and social media. Bridge Michigan is at the forefront of developing and understanding best practices for nationwide nonprofit journalism business models. Bridge Michigan continually seeks to apply that knowledge for the civic betterment of Michigan communities.
BridgeDetroit: BridgeDetroit provides Detroit with credible, highly relevant news and community information – driven by authentic and diverse public engagement and citizen priorities – to help city residents. Detroit’s 700,000 residents deserve a community-rooted, transparent, innovative, diversely staffed news organization to deepen and improve their access to information and truth. The city’s most vulnerable – the poorest, least educated, and most isolated – depend on a splintered array of local media organizations, special interests, and unaccountable social media mechanisms for vital civic news and information.
Board of Directors:
- Regina Bell
- Loyal A. Eldridge III
- Rob Fowler
- Cindy Goodaker
- Paul C. Hillegonds, Chair of Board
- Philip H. Power
- Glenda D. Price
- Devin Scillian
- Sara Wycoff McCauley
- Katy Locker, CEO, ex officio
Funders
The Center for Michigan, and its projects, Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit, are funded by numerous foundations, sponsors and more than 8,000 individual donors. We accept donations, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.
To view a list of Center for Michigan/Bridge Michigan donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year please click here. You can also view a list of all BridgeDetroit donors who give more than $5,000 or more per year by clicking here.
IRS Form 990’s