Our History
The Kappa Detroit Foundation (KDF) was established in 1975 under the administration of Polemarch James Trent and Vice-Polemarch, Eugene Polk of the Detroit Alumni Chapter. Brothers Charles C. Smith and Judge Harold Hood led the nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) Articles of Incorporation. They filed the documents with the State of Michigan as Kappa Detroit Foundation, a (Michigan Nonprofit Corporation) making them the first foundation within Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc.
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The Kappa Detroit Foundation was established to support the Detroit Alumni Chapter and assist alumni and undergraduate chapters with scholarships, after-school programs, and related initiatives. The primary goal expressed early on was to purchase a building and property. Local chapters could not purchase property without the permission of the National Chapter.
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During the 1970s and 1980s, attempts were made to save and redevelop the severely blighted and crime-ridden Historic Brush Park neighborhood. The community had fallen into a state of “nearly total abandonment and disintegration.” It gained a poor reputation as one of Detroit’s most derelict areas, where abandoned buildings became targets for vandals, drugs, and arsonists. As a result, the City of Detroit, for security reasons, demolished dozens of structures. Under these circumstances, the brothers expressed a desire to move from the Kappa House.
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From the inception of the Kappa Detroit Foundation, emphasis was placed on being a separate tax-exempt nonprofit charitable organization from the Detroit Alumni Chapter, with an independent board, membership dues, and bylaws.
Since its inception, the Foundation has focused on providing scholarships, academic enrichment, leadership development, and community-based programming while operating independently with its own board and governance.
For decades, the Kappa Detroit Foundation has played an active role in Detroit’s revitalization efforts, including long-standing involvement in the historic Brush Park community. In 2019, the Foundation reached a major milestone with the purchase of its Development Center on Detroit’s east side—made possible through collective giving and commitment from its members.
Today, the Kappa Detroit Foundation continues to invest in education, leadership, and sustainable community impact, building on a legacy of service that spans nearly five decades.