- By pairing funding with resources and technical assistance, NeighborHUB empowers local leaders to shape their communities’ futures from within, rather than relying on outside solutions.
- Investing directly in locally owned small businesses empowers community members to lead sustainable, neighborhood-centered growth.
Key Takeaways
View the full session recording below.
NeighborHUB continues to demonstrate how intentional investment in small businesses can drive meaningful, community-led change across the Detroit region. Since its launch, the program has awarded nearly $2.7 million to 115 grantees, providing critical support to entrepreneurs and residents who are deeply rooted in, and committed to strengthening, their own neighborhoods.
Two 2025 NeighborHUB grantees, Jay Williams and Karlyta Williams, shared firsthand how NeighborHUB has helped expand their businesses while deepening their ties to the communities they serve.
Karlyta Williams, founder of Mockery Zero Proof, described NeighborHUB as a pivotal moment in both her business journey and leadership development. Mockery Zero Proof was built to redefine inclusive social spaces. Through the program, Mockery Zero Proof evolved from a product-based venture into a community-centered space that prioritizes wellness, connection, and belonging.
“Before NeighborHUB, like many small business owners, I was building Mockery purely on passion and personal grit, and that certainly came with a fair share of issues,” she said. “Being part of NeighborHUB helped advance my leadership and capability and allowed me to show up the way I wanted to. It also gave me the opportunity to widen what the experience could be.”
Jay shared a similar story of growth rooted in community investment, calling Next Chapter Books a “for-profit, but community-minded” business. He and his wife initially ran every aspect of the bookstore themselves. The grant enabled Next Chapter Books to hire its first employee and launch a book club for middle and high school students, reinforcing the bookstore’s role as a neighborhood hub and cultural anchor.
“We recognized that there is a faster, more convenient way to obtain a book, but is it the best way to have connection and understanding with people? A cornerstone of our business is to understand others’ experiences through their stories,” he said. “So, in that action of hiring that first employee, going through the process gave us a lot of experience and to be able to demonstrate how we could be leaders in that community.”
As NeighborHUB moves forward in 2026, its continued impact reinforces a powerful truth: lasting change is led by the people who call Detroit’s neighborhoods home — and NeighborHUB is helping ensure they have the resources to lead.