Rocket Mortgage Classic raised $1.61 million for Detroit nonprofits

METRO DETROIT — On Dec. 14, The Rocket Giving Fund announced that the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic raised $1.61 million to support local Detroit nonprofits.

Since 2019, the Rocket Mortgage Classic has provided more than $8.4 million to local charitable organizations, including $4.3 million in contributions to the “Changing the Course” initiative which connects Detroit residents to high-speed internet, digital devices and digital training.

Connect 313, a collaborative partnership focused on bridging Detroit’s digital divide that was founded at the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic, will receive $581,400 of the proceeds.

Additionally, $280,000 was dispersed equally to Midnight Golf, Detroit Police Athletic League and First Tee Greater Detroit. $75,000 also went to the Greater Palmer Park Community and $888,105 went to Golf & Give, as well as other charitable giving and non-cash donations.

“Connect 313 starts with the premise that an internet connection is no longer a luxury but a needed utility for success in the 21st century,” Connect 313’s director Vittoria Katanski said in a press release. “Detroit residents deserve access to affordable high-speed internet, appropriate digital devices and the opportunity to learn critical digital skills. With the support of our partners, we have strategically placed neighborhood tech hubs across the city to provide these services free of charge within a short walking distance for any resident.”

In the same press release, Connect 313’s Board Chair, Laura Grannemann, who is also a member of the Rocket Giving Fund board and serves as the Executive Director of the Rocket Community Fund, agreed.

“With the support of the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s ‘Changing the Course’ initiative, more than 141,000 Detroit households have enrolled in the ACP. But that’s just the beginning,” she wrote. “Through our partnership with Connect 313, we are working hard to provide every Detroit resident the resources they need to connect and thrive.”

Connect 313 representatives said that one key element of their strategy is the Affordable Connectivity Program, which is a federal initiative that provides $30 in monthly support for internet access and a one-time $100 subsidy for the purchase of a device.

“It is hard to believe that we have already celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and the one thing that we are most proud of, as we look back at everything we have achieved so far, is the incredible impact this event has made on Detroit,” Jason Langwell, the executive director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, said in a press release.