The first fellowship year officially launched in 2012 and continued to bring together approximately 30-young leaders annually. During a program year, Fellows spent four days a week accelerating their professional careers with host company employer partners. They took a day out of the office each Friday to bring strategic, social impact projects to life.

Those “challenge projects” were the heart of the program, affording Fellows the opportunity to work in multi-disciplinary teams and collaborate with local nonprofit partners. While partners and project topics changed each year, one thing remained consistent—the projects were designed to help the nonprofits by addressing our city’s greatest needs and opportunities, and ultimately contributing to Detroit’s diverse and vibrant communities. Through these human-centered, strategic, intellectually-based, community-focused projects, Fellows learned by doing while also making a positive, tangible contribution.

Over 14-years, Challenge Detroit served 185+ nonprofit organizations through the challenge projects and over 400 Fellows worked at 149 diverse host companies. Through each element of the program, Fellows embodied the belief that, to move the city forward, positive change starts with an individual and is ignited by a community of leaders bringing innovative perspectives to their work, and most importantly, the nonprofits already making an impact within Detroit communities. Learn more about the Fellows, host company partners, nonprofit project partners, and community of supporters in the annual reports for each program year below.