City of Detroit to receive 2025 Audrey Nelson Award for role in bringing one-of-a-kind food co-op to life

2025

The City of Detroit will receive the 2025 Audrey Nelson Award from the National Community Development Association (NCDA) for its role in providing funding the Detroit Food Commons, a brand-new development that includes a community-owned grocery store, an incubator kitchen available for local food businesses to rent, and community spaces for families and neighbors to gather.

The Detroit Food Commons is a community development project on 8324 Woodward, in Detroit’s historic North End Neighborhood. launched by the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN), and its partner Develop Detroit, Incorporated. The two-story, 31,000 square foot building opened in May 2024.  The first floor of the building is home to the black-led Detroit People’s Food Co-op. The second floor of the Food Commons is home to the Kujichagulia Kitchens, four shared-use kitchens where culinary professionals can create unique cuisine. Along with the kitchens, the Mama Imani Humphrey Banquet Hall can host a range of events, from community meetings to film presentations.

The Food Commons is a critical step in ensuring every Detroit family has access to fresh, healthy food.

“We were concerned about the lack of access to good, high-quality food,” said DBCFSN Executive Director Malik Yakini. “Equally as important, we were concerned about the lack of self-determination and the economic extraction from black communities.”  

Large-scale need

According to the Detroit Food Policy Council, nearly 69% of Detroit households are considered food insecure. Many residents lack access to a full-service grocery store, forcing many to travel outside their neighborhoods to purchase groceries. Detroit has lost close to a dozen grocery stores in the last decade, exacerbating its food insecurity issues. The Detroit Food Commons is working to reverse this trend by eliminating food insecurity and creating community empowerment.

"Develop Detroit is honored to have co-led the development of the Detroit Food Commons building, which, through (the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network’s) stewardship, will address multiple pressing issues Detroiters face such as food access and security, community empowerment, and neighborhood livability,” said Oren Brandvain, Director of Community Investment Develop Detroit Inc. “The Detroit Food Commons project builds on Develop Detroit’s $65 million investment in the North End neighborhood, where we remain committed to using the power of real estate to unlock quality affordable housing and greater access to opportunities for Detroiters.”

A celebration of collaboration

This local project was a collaborative funding effort between public and private entities, including:

  • National Cooperative Bank
  • S. Bank
  • Broadstreet Impact
  • Michigan Community Capital
  • The Kresge Foundation
  • Knight Foundation
  • K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Ford Foundation
  • Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
  • McGregor Fund
  • General Motors
  • Michigan Economic Development Corporation
  • Detroit Economic Development Corporation

The city invested $2m through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) program allows communities to provide not only quality housing to residents but expand economic opportunities for moderate to low-income residents.

About the National Community Development Association

The National Community Development Association (NCDA) is a non-partisan national nonprofit association comprised of more than 500 local governments across the country that administer federally – supported community development, affordable housing, and economic development programs through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). NCDA members administer HUD Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) programs – CDBG, HOME, Homeless Assistance Grants, and HOPWA.

In 1987, the National Community Development Association established the Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Awards to recognize exemplary uses of CDBG funds which address the needs of families, homes and neighborhoods.

On February 7, the City of Detroit’s Housing and Revitalization Department will attend the NCDA’s conference to accept the award on the City’s behalf and give a presentation on the project.