At its 2026 Detroit Policy Conference, the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced the eighth cohort of NeighborHUB grant awardees. This year’s cohort comprises eight innovative small businesses from across Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. The grant recipients are:
- Autism in the D
- City Bird, LLC
- Come Play Detroit
- Hamtramck Bazaar
- Evelyn’s Midtown Kitchen
- Hidden in Plain Sight
- Systems Unlimited, LLC
- Webdroid, LLC
“This year’s diverse, innovative NeighborHUB grant recipients are already playing important roles in enhancing their communities and economies, and I look forward to seeing their impact grow with the help of this transformational funding,” said Dorian Grey, the Chamber’s Senior Director, Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “The Detroit Region’s legacy is built on its entrepreneurial spirit, and the small business community carrying that legacy forward is a critical sector of the economy to support. The Detroit Regional Chamber and Michigan Economic Development Corporation are proud to continue this program and offer accessible funding to help these businesses take their missions to the next level.”
“The Detroit Regional Chamber has a proven track record of delivering real, on-the-ground support to small businesses in underinvested commercial corridors,” said Amy Rencher, Senior Vice President of Small Business at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “NeighborHUB has demonstrated how targeted, enhancement-focused grants can strengthen existing businesses and create a ripple effect of neighborhood revitalization in communities like Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. The MEDC is proud to invest through the Trusted Connector Grant to help the Chamber build on this success and continue driving inclusive economic growth across the Region.”
Grant recipients were selected to each receive $15,000 in funding along with hands-on consulting and technical support, empowering them to design and implement projects that directly respond to their communities’ needs and priorities. NeighborHUB remains focused on driving activity and investment in the cohort businesses’ neighborhoods, recognizing the essential role that small businesses play in stabilizing and revitalizing historically underinvested corridors.
NeighborHUB will collaborate with community partners and business resources to provide grantees with workshops, classes, and mentorship opportunities that strengthen organizational capacity and long-term sustainability. A majority of this year’s awardees are minority-owned or minority-led businesses, reflecting the program’s ongoing commitment to equitable investment, as reflected in the 80% of recipients identifying their businesses as Black-, indigenous-, or people of color-owned.
NeighborHUB has now supported over 110 organizations totaling over $2.6 million in grant funding and consulting services. Recipients are selected based on proposals that create or enhance neighborhood spaces through collaboration, creativity, and community leadership.
NeighborHUB is designed to empower residents of Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park to shape the future of their neighborhoods through physical improvements and innovative programming. This year’s cycle drew hundreds of applications and underwent a highly competitive review process led by an advisory committee of past grantees, nonprofit leaders, and small business support organizations. Get to know the winners at www.detroitchamber.com/neighborhub.