Support vital conversations and work around diversity’s role in democracy, the future of work, the aftermath of slavery, and water equity.

CENTER FOR SOCIAL SOLUTIONS STRATEGIC FUND - 332199

The Center for Social Solutions seeks to identify, develop, and implement scalable, data-driven solutions that address societal inequities. Our Academic Leadership Institute residential program, which aims to increase the representation of rising leaders committed to transformational leadership in a difficult climate, looks forward to deepening and broadening our sense of community and convene the first five cohorts and associated faculty in Summer 2026. This past summer, the Center continued its community-informed water monitoring efforts in collaboration with AIDD Labs at the U-M College of Engineering. The Resilient Infrastructure and Sensors for Everyone (RISE) project ramped up in 2025 with partners from the United States, Nepal, and Malaysia. The long-term goal with this project is to collaborate with local communities to discuss the impacts of flooding, understand their monitoring needs, and assist with building the best solutions for each situation. The Center also plans to publish findings from the Crafting Our Democratic Futures, a national and multi-site project on reparations. The Dignity of Fragile Essential Work in a Pandemic research project explores the experiences of southeastern Michigan-based African American essential workers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study’s preliminary findings show that while public gestures of appreciation were prevalent, they often lacked substantive support. The temporary nature of public appreciation failed to translate into long-term, systemic changes, highlighting a critical gap between the public praise for essential workers and the tangible, ongoing support required to truly value their contributions during challenging periods.

With your funds, we will continue to generate conversations and projects around Diversity and Democracy, Slavery and its Aftermath, the Future of Work, and Water, Equity, and Security, with the goal of achieving the equality necessary to advance as a prosperous democratic society.

The Regents of the University of Michigan has 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt status. Federal tax ID number: 38-6006309