Refined Mission

Our Refreshed Mission, Vision, and Values

Over the course of more than a year, we undertook a deep and intentional process to revisit and reimagine our mission, vision, and values. While still honoring the legacy and inspiration of our founder, we knew it was time to reflect the urgency and complexity of today’s challenges, explicitly naming inclusion, equity, and justice as central to our work. Through one-on-one interviews and collective discussions internally and with community, we emerged with a renewed set of guiding statements and a deeper understanding of our role.

The Process

Core Team: Board of trustees, executive staff, consultants

Key Learnings

Legacy is Not a Limitation

While there was much discussion about whether to revise our guiding statements, we decided that staying true to legacy does not mean standing still. Instead, we remain inspired by our donor’s intent and values while learning and working alongside the community and evolving with integrity. Because our process was informed by the ethos of Ruth Rawlings Mott — generosity, care for others, nurturing of the human spirit, and desire to help wherever there is need — we had the flexibility, if not obligation, to ensure our mission, vision, and values address the realities of our community today.

Community and Place are Central

Through this process, we uncovered recurring themes that reinforce the importance of community-driven priorities. We were reminded again and again that Flint residents and partners know what they need and that community innovation leads to solutions that are relevant, effective, and sustainable. When we listen to community, we ensure our direction reflects what matters most to those we aim to support. Naming in our mission that we do our work “with the community,” not “to,” was critical to us as a place-based philanthropy.

Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Cannot Be Implied

Racial equity has been an objective of our strategic plan from its inception, and explicitly including it in our vision affirmed that aspiration. Our work is driven by the belief that every person deserves the opportunity to thrive, regardless of background or circumstance, and an understanding that people may require different kinds of support to overcome historical disadvantages. Recognizing equity alone isn’t enough, we also explicitly named justice as a value — and we are still growing into what living this value looks like in our everyday work. Equity, inclusion, and justice must be embedded into everything we do, from how we make grants to our programs at Applewood to how we show up in partnerships. This is also a form of ongoing accountability; we recognize that we must intentionally act to break down barriers and create equitable opportunities, not just through the work we fund but also in how we approach our work and operate internally, in our hiring practices, and in our partnerships.

Reflection with Community Yields Clarity

One of the most profound learnings was the importance of ensuring that the Foundation’s refreshed mission, vision, and values are interpreted by the voices of our community. Alongside a community engagement committee of Flint residents, we learned with them that some of the language could be explained in a variety of ways. With the committee’s guidance, we included clarifying questions and activities during our 2025 community forums to help us ensure we are living our values in ways that resonate with Flint residents.

The Need for Continuous Reflection and Adaptation

An important takeaway was that we must continually reflect on whether our actions align with these new mission, vision, and values and the way they were interpreted by our community. We do this by listening with intention, learning alongside Flint residents and partners, and adapting our work to reflect what we hear. This shared practice of reflection and adaptation helps us stay grounded in our values while honoring the long view that guides all we do. We strive for our learning to be not just an internal process but a community-centered one, where insights are shared, accountability is mutual, and progress is defined collectively.

By the end of this year-long process, we emerged with a clearer and more purposeful understanding of how to move forward with a mission that is grounded in community, a vision that sees the possible, and values that honor our founder and respond to today’s need for equity and justice at the heart of our work.