Elmwood Receives Tremendous Support from Local Grantors
Terry Book, president of the Historic Elmwood Foundation and trustee of Elmwood Cemetery, commented that, "the metro Detroit community has been tremendously supportive of the Historic Elmwood Foundation." This support as well as the contributions from our individual and corporate donors permits the Historic Elmwood Foundation to move forward with a number of key initiatives at Elmwood Cemetery. Some of the foundation's grants are noted below:

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Sandy McMillan commented, “The Trustees of Elmwood Cemetery and the Directors of the Historic Elmwood Foundation are overwhelmed by the profound generosity of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.” Ralph Wilson and his wife Mary M. Wilson have been significant supporters of Elmwood since the inception of the Historic Elmwood Foundation. The Wilsons have demonstrated repeatedly their commitment to Elmwood's restoration and advancement of our community and educational programs.

Following Mr. Wilson’s death, a new foundation was established in his name with the proceeds from the sale of the Wilsons’ beloved Buffalo Bills. Elmwood was asked to apply for a legacy grant through the new foundation. Mrs. Wilson asked the Historic Elmwood Foundation to identify our greatest needs. She and the Wilson Trustees responded generously with a $1 million grant. The legacy grant enabled resurfacing of the majority of Elmwood's roadways and the painting of northern fence-line.

“We are pleased to continue our support for the Historic Elmwood Foundation and the ongoing efforts to restore such a significant part of our community’s history and legacy,” said Mary Wilson. “It is truly a treasure in the Detroit community and it is important to see its beauty and history preserved for generations to come.”

Mr. Wilson had previously supported many different initiatives at Elmwood including the interior chapel restoration, pond restoration, gatehouse restoration, and the community events and educational programming.

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Audio Tours Grant

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan provided important support to further Elmwood’s education and community outreach programs in metro Detroit. The Community Foundation generously supported our efforts to develop and produce three audio tours at Elmwood through a grant of $34,500.

“The Community Foundation is pleased to support the creation of audio tours for the Historic Elmwood Cemetery,” said Mariam Noland, president of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. “These tours are a creative way to teach Detroit’s history and a unique contribution to the city’s revitalization.”

Terry Book said, "We are thrilled to have the support of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. We have worked diligently to develop three self-guided tours concentrating on individuals of historical significance who are buried in Elmwood Cemetery: 1) African American Heritage; 2) Business Visionaries; and 3) Political Leadership Legacies. This grant has helped us take our educational programming to the next level by providing audio tours in each of these areas of interest.”

The tours are downloadable via a smart phone or smart device and may be used with an accompanying map available in the office free of charge, or through our website as a foldable pdf.

The Elizabeth, Allan, & Warren Shelden Fund

The Shelden Fund responds year after year with generous support to the continuing care and preservation of Elmwood Cemetery and education and community outreach programs offered through the Historic Elmwood Foundation. This year's $25,000 is significant to our programming as well as continued growth of the Historic Elmwood Foundation Endowment Fund.

The Shelden Fund had previously supported many different initiatives at Elmwood including the interior chapel restoration, pond restoration, gatehouse restoration, grounds restoration, community events, and educational programming. The Shelden Fund also has supported ongoing operations.

Mary Thompson Foundation

We would like to express our gratitude to the trustees of Mary Thompson Foundation who have once again generously supported Elmwood with a $5,000 endowment grant to help with ongoing costs associated with past past grants including the benches at Elmwood and the transportation cart used to help transport the aged and disabled around the cemetery grounds. Mr. and Mrs.Thompson are buried at Elmwood.

DTE Reforestation Grant

One of the first grants the foundation received was $1,500 from DTE for reforestation on the grounds. 28 trees were planted and cared for at Elmwood with these funds.