In the midst of busy summer days, the Foundation’s Arts & Culture grant partners are hard at work delivering world-class arts education. One program in particular, the 2025 Summer Youth Conservatory at Shakespeare in Detroit (SiD), featured a unique student experience overlapping two Foundation portfolios.
On July 16, SiD students visited the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC), a social impact organization in Detroit and a partner in the Foundation’s Impact Investing portfolio. Students toured the ISAIC facility and learned about real-world career opportunities in the manufacturing and fashion industries.
“It’s rare for us to have overlap between our Arts and Impact Investing portfolios,” said Meredith Freeman, Director of Impact Investing at M&MFF. “This field trip demonstrates how impactful work can be when our impact areas intersect.”
The visit to ISAIC is just one example of SiD’s multifaceted summer program. The Summer Youth Conservatory invites a small group of 14–18-year-old students to produce a Shakespearean production, complete STEAM-focused workshops and attend robust field trips, like the one to ISAIC. All students in the Conservatory must contribute to the successful completion of the production, whether by performing on stage or contributing to the production team. At the end of the summer, students are awarded scholarships for their future educational goals.
“Shakespeare in Detroit’s Summer Youth Conservatory is an exemplary program,” according to Chelsea Landry, Program Partner at M&MFF. “These young people experience so much more than a traditional summer camp. SiD’s Summer Youth Conservatory is rigorous and artistically demanding, but also enables space for collaboration, teamwork, creativity and exploration.”
Learn more about Shakespeare in Detroit’s youth programs.
