The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is celebrating a century of giving for good in its hometown of Flint and in communities around the world. The Foundation entered 2026 with a new 10-year strategic plan and a continued commitment to promoting a just, equitable and sustainable society.
Ridgway H. White, president and CEO of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
“The Mott Foundation is proud that we’ve been here for 100 years, working alongside our hometown of Flint and with communities around the world, and partnering with businesses and governments at all levels to make good things happen,” said Ridgway White, president and CEO. “To all who have been and will be part of that work, I offer the Foundation’s deepest thanks.”
Founded in 1926 by automotive pioneer C.S. Mott, the Foundation began with an initial endowment of $320,000 in General Motors stock. Mott, the longest-serving member of GM’s board of directors, established the Foundation with the foresight to adapt to changing times and needs while continuing to exist in perpetuity.
From 1926 through 2025, the Mott Foundation granted more than $4.4 billion to support charitable efforts. Adjusted for inflation, that total would exceed $9 billion in today’s dollars.
In the first decade of its second century, the Foundation will focus its work through four grantmaking programs: the Flint area, youth engagement, the environment and civil society. From 2026 through 2035, the Foundation intends to grant up to $2 billion to support charitable efforts.
Major priorities include significant investments in Flint, such as up to $370 million to support education from early childhood through postsecondary education, including up to $100 million for school facilities, and up to $100 million to reduce childhood poverty. Nationally, the Foundation plans to invest up to $200 million in youth engagement initiatives and up to $100 million to advance one-water solutions aimed at ensuring clean, safe and affordable water from source to tap, with a focus on both the Great Lakes region and the nation as a whole. Globally, the Foundation expects to commit up to $40 million over 10 years to expand access to justice.
Specific centennial grants and community events will be announced in the coming days, weeks and months.
“Through times of peace and prosperity—as well as world wars, natural disasters and manmade crises—the Mott Foundation has been able to provide support to help communities chart their paths forward,” White said. “We’ve provided grants for children’s hospitals, schools, afterschool programs, clean water, food banks, arts and cultural institutions, legal services and much more. And we intend to continue doing this work for centuries to come. At the Mott Foundation, we believe giving is here for good. And so are we.”
As part of its centennial celebration, the Foundation has launched the Mott Foundation “Youth Choice Awards,” inviting Flint students to help choose projects that benefit their community. Through the program, young people will compete for and help award 100 grants of $1,926 each. Flint kids and teens, with support from an educator or program organizer, are encouraged to apply and share how they would use the funds to help others.
“Flint kids are changemakers and future entrepreneurs,” White said. “I’m excited to see how they want to help their community and what projects they’ll propose.”
A total of 100 grants will be awarded during the centennial year, with application deadlines on Feb. 20, which has passed, and Oct. 9. More information is available at mott.org/100 and mott.org/youth-choice-awards.
Watch for more in-depth coverage of Mott Foundation’s 100 years in My City’s June issue.
