We empower Detroiters to be critically engaged in civic life in order to shape public policies that impact the City of Detroit.

Our History

CitizenDetroit was founded in 2012 to prepare citizens to take a seat in the forefront of public policy debate, discussion and decision-making. At the time it was apparent that information about Detroit’s impending bankruptcy and state financial oversight was not targeted for the understanding of, or input from Detroit residents.

CitizenDetroit began with events designed to help residents understand and evaluate possible solutions to the city’s financial crisis, with the assumption that informed citizens make informed decisions and support a healthy democracy.

After four years spent providing information and critical thinking exercises about budgeting, finance, bankruptcy, public safety and public schools issues, CitizenDetroit evolved its programming to provide individuals with opportunities to strengthen their engagement in the electoral process including the evaluation of candidate qualifications; scrutiny of political speech; and town hall forums where candidates could engage face-to-face with community members. That work continues today along with the continued work of policy research and community education.

We envision Detroit as one of the most civically engaged cities in the nation.

Our Values

Respect All Voices 

We cultivate space for listening to and engaging with diverse thoughts and challenging conversations. 

Excellence 

We persist until we have confidently developed high quality products. 

Facts Matter 

We use accuracy to build trust and support informed decision-making. 

Responsiveness 

We are dedicated to addressing the issues most relevant to our community. 

Feed People 

We connect over meals to satisfy our hunger for a shared and informed community. 

Creativity 

We integrate new perspectives and tools to inspire people’s imaginations and encourage their exploration.