BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation on Tuesday announced that it’s awarding millions of dollars in grants to the Cranbrook Institute of Science and the Motown Museum for its May grant cycle.
The foundation is giving a $1.3 million grant to the Cranbrook Institute of Science, and a $1 million grant to the Motown Museum, a May 30 news release reads. The new and ongoing grants are part of the foundation’s mission to advance “environmentally healthy and culturally vibrant communities in Metropolitan Detroit and a flourishing Great Lakes ecosystem.”
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The $1.3 million grant allow Cranbrook to redesign and update its freshwater exhibit. The grant will also be used to help visitors understand the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes, and how humans affect the water and watersheds around them.
“The updated exhibit will offer students and adults an engaging learning experience about the complex ecosystem of the Great Lakes watershed, while emphasizing environmental stewardship,” said John Erb, the president and chair of the Erb Family Foundation.
The $1 million grant given to the Motown Museum will go toward the construction of an expanded museum to better preserve Detroit’s music history. The expansion will reportedly grow the museum’s campus to nearly 50,000 square feet, and serve as a creative center for musicians, vocalists, producers and entrepreneurs.
Work has already been underway to expand Motown Museum in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. The massive $55 million development is expected to include “interactive exhibits, the Ford Motor Company Theatre, an expanded retail experience and more,” museum officials said.
More: Motown Museum expanding: See renderings of the massive space being built in Detroit
In its May grant cycle, the foundation also awarded funds to Oudolf Garden Detroit, the Michigan Environmental Council, the University of Michigan School of Public Health and more.