About BUF

 
 
 

Mission

Black United Fund of Michigan (BUF) is committed to supporting, developing and implementing impactful youth empowerment programs through collaborative partnerships for the underserved and underrepresented in the community.

Vision

Be the leading organization facilitating social innovation through partnerships with corporations and other non-profit organizations to impact important economic and social change.

 
 

How does BUF help the community?

For over 54 years, BUF provided funding and support to community based non-profits, many of them start-ups groups that targeted the areas of education, community development, cultural enrichment and economic development. Many of these start-ups like the Sphinx, DAPCEP, and Jackets for Jobs, Charles H. Wright Museum, and Detroit Youth Choir are now thriving organizations leaving an indelible mark on the City of Detroit and state of Michigan. Over 1,000 community-based agencies received assistance.

BUF of Michigan shifted its emphasis in 2015 to address the growing needs of youth. The mission was updated to, “BUF is committed to implementing impactful youth empowerment programs through strategic collaborative partnerships for the underserved, underrepresented in the community.”

Through the E.Y.E.S. (Empowering Youth for Everyday Success) Initiative, BUF provides underserved, underrepresented youth with the necessary STEM tools to succeed academically, financially, socially and in wisely choosing a career.  Through partnerships, BUF implements this Initiative which serves children, youth and young adults and includes:

  • Aviation/Aerospace Experiential Academies 

  • Youth Scholars Program

  • Financial Literacy Programming and Training

  • Medical Careers Education Program

  • Tutorial Services 

  • Blue and White Collars Career Exploratory Academy

  • Entrepreneurial and Employment Trainings

  • Health & Wellness

BUF is able to enhance and expand services and programs to those in the community most in need. BUF’s slogan, “Partnerships for Impact” recognizes the importance of cooperation to address the problems of our community by drawing upon the strengths of our organization and other organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Annually, over 7,500 youth are served. Evaluation results show that the E.Y.E.S. programs offered have both short and long term impact especially as it relates to improving STEM-related skills (creativity, critical thinking, communication, confidence, and collaboration).

 

BUF Supported Organizations

Partial List – Click Here

  • Learning Institute of Family Education, Inc.

  • Sphinx Organization

  • Student Advocacy Center McKenzie High School

  • 100 Black Men of Greater Detroit

  • A Bone Marrow Wish

  • A.I.D.S. Prevention Family Counseling Clinic

  • Academic Enterprise

  • Alpha Kappa Alpha

  • Anspire

  • Applekids, LLC

  • Ark Non-Violence Program

  • Arts & Scrapes

  • Artspectrum

  • Ben Carson Lifetime

  • Benjamin E. Mays Male Academy

  • Black Alliance

  • Black Family Development

  • Bridge To The Future

  • C.O.A.C.H. M.A.C.

  • Campbell Academic Services

  • Caribbean  Cultural

  • Change Through Prayer

  • Charles H. Wright Museum

  • Child Care Coordinating Council

  • Children’s Aid Society

  • CHRIST CHILD HOUSE 

  • Christians United In Business  Endeavors (CUBE)

  • Church of New Covenant

  • Church of The Messiah

  • Church of the New Covenant

  • Citizen Advisory Committee

  • Coleman A. Young Foundation

  • Community Tree House

  • Community Volunteer Program

  • Confined Audiences Productions

  • Core City Neighborhood

  • Cornerstone Schools

  • Corporation for Artistic

  • Courville Concert Choir, Inc.

  • Covenant of Peace

  • Creative Expressions Dance Studio, Inc.

  • Crossroads of Michigan

  • DAPCEP

  • Deaf Community Advocacy

  • Delta SAC Foundation

  • Demond Park

  • Detroit  Impact

  • Detroit Athlete Foundation

  • Detroit Black Alliance

  • Detroit Black Writer’s Guild

  • Detroit Catholic Pastoral

  • Detroit Central City

  • Detroit Crusaders

  • Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute

  • Detroit Impact

  • Detroit Magic Child Development

  • Detroit Metro Bar Association

  • Detroit Music Academy

  • Detroit Parent Network

  • Detroit Police Law Enforcement Explorers Program

  • Detroit Urban League

  • Detroit Windsor Dance Academy

  • Detroit/ Windsor Dance Academy

  • Don Bosco Hall

  • Eagles in Flight

  • Efficacy of Detroit

  • Empowering People Inspiring Change

  • Empowerment  Zone Coalition

  • Ennis Center For Children

  • Essential Of Life

  • Evergreen Children’s Services

  • F.O.C.U.S. Inc.

  • Family Tree

  • Fitness For Life

  • Freedom Danz Xpressions

  • Friends of First Congregational 

  • Gate to Glory

  • Gateway to West Africa

  • Genesis Community Development Corporation

  • George Washington Carver Elementary School

  • Giving Our Girls Incentive For Real Life Situations (Go Girls)

  • Grace Episcopal

  • Grace Hospital

  • Gratiot McDougal

  • Gregg Memorial AME

  • Hanstein Elementary

  • Hartford Agape House

  • Health Services Technical

  • Heart of The City Caregivers

  • Helping Unite Mothers And Children

  • Henry Ford Community College

  • High Place Community

  • Homework Master Center

  • Hutchins Middle School

  • Hutchinson Middle School

  • Independent Living Housing

  • Inkster Christians In Action

  • Inkster Public Schools Retirees & Spouses

  • Isaiah New Testament Way

  • J & C Inc.

  • Jackets For Jobs

  • Just Foundation

  • Keith Anthony Baker

  • Kim Logan Communications

  • DTE Foundation Summer

  • Latin Americans For Social & Economic Development (LASED) 

  • Learning Institute of Family Education

  • Lewis College of Business

  • Life Organization of Detroit

  • Light of the World

  • Living Arts

  • Looking For My Sister, Inc.

  • Mack Alive

  • Making it to the Finish Line

  • MANHOOD, INC

  • Manna of Detroit 

  • Mariners Inn

  • Martha W. Roberts Center

  • Marygrove Community Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers

  • Matrix Human Service

  • McNeal Community Development Corp

  • Meditation Outreach To The Blind

  • Melton Community Services

  • Mercy Hospital and Health Services Of Detroit

  • Michigan Association For Leadership Development, Inc.  (MALD)

  • Michigan Bach Festival

  • Michigan Coalition For Human Rights

  • Michigan Council on Crime & Delinquency

  • Michigan Lupus Foundation

  • Moses

  • Mother Rosalind Foundation

  • Motown Historical Museum

  • Murray Wright High School

  • Museum Of African American History 

  • NAACP

  • NANBPW

  • National Black Child Development Institute

  • National Black United Fund

  • Neighborhood Service Organization

  • New Day Multi-Purpose Center & Shelter 

  • New Detroit

  • New Metropolitan Detroit Club

  • Northwest Community Neighborhood

  • Northwestern High School

  • Northwestern High School Summer Project

  • Olagbegi Foundation

  • Operation Get Down

  • Operation L.I.N.C.

  • Orchard’s Children Service

  • Payne Pulliam School

  • People Makers Project

  • People’s Creative Ensemble

  • People’s Ialac Community Center

  • People’s United Methodist Church

  • Perfecting Community Development

  • Perry Outreach Center

  • Peter Claver Training Program

  • Plymouth Educational Center

  • Project A.R.T.

  • Project Transition

  • Public Benefit Corporation

  • Real Life 101 Scholarship Program

  • Real Life. My Music

  • Reggie McKenzie Foundation

  • Renaissance West

  • Repertory Theatre of Hope

  • Respond Inc.

  • Restoration House, Inc.

  • Resurrection Community Services 

  • Rising Star Missionary Baptist

  • S.A.F.E. Center

  • Save Our Children, Inc.

  • Temple of God COGIC

  • Semi-Quois Neighborhood Improvement & Employment Project

  • Shares Inc.

  • Simon House

  • SOS Community Crisis Center

  • Southeastern Village

  • Spaulding For Children

  • Spill The Honey

  • Spivey Community Redevelopment

  • St. Patrick Senior Center, Inc.

  • St. Rose Senior Citizens Center

  • St. Stephen AME

  • St. Timothy Lutheran

  • Strategic Technology & Resource

  • Taylor Starr Foundation

  • Temple of God-Cogic

  • The Ball Foundation

  • The Boulevard Harambee 

  • The Chauncy Glover Project

  • The Circle

  • The Mainstream Center For Child Development

  • The Master’s Commission

  • The McKinney Foundation

  • The Olagbegi Foundation

  • The Storyteller

  • The United Communities of America

  • Thomara Latimer Cancer

  • Tiger Shark Swim Team of Detroit

  • Train Up A Child

  • Tuskegee Airmen Museum

  • U of M Communicative Disorders

  • United Black Artists

  • United Generation Council

  • United Neighbors

  • United Youth Sports Org.

  • Urban League of Flint

  • Vinnie Johnson Foundation

  • Virginia Park Citizens Services Corporation

  • Warren/Conner Dev. Coalition

  • Wayne State University

  • WCCCD Scholarship Program

  • Wellspring

  • Western International High School

  • Westside Cultural & Athletic Club

  • William Booth Legal Aid Clinic

  • William Robinson Elementary

  • Winston Institute of Arts

  • Wolverine Human Services

  • Women’s Resource Center (LIFT)

  • Word First Community

  • WSU School of Medicine

  • Y.W.C.A. Western Wayne County

  • Yes Academy

  • YMCA of Lansing

  • YWCA Northern Branch

  • YWCA Western Wayne County

  • Zeta Storks’ Nest Foundation

The future of BUF

In 2013, BUF of MI made the ground-breaking move to improve the viability of local emerging professional philanthropists and ensure the organizations intergenerational legacy of giving continues when they activated the young professionals and influencer arm of the organization now known as BUF Connect (Connect), a collective of Detroit’s finest professionals on a mission to:

  • Increase Mission Awareness and Raise funds for BUF of Michigan

  • Demonstrate and cultivate a culture of giving and volunteerism amongst young professionals

  • Connect Detroit professionals across generations