The Moss Foundation

Motivate...Encourage...Inspire

Detroit, MI   |  moss-foundation.org

Mission

The Moss Foundation's mission is to Motivate, Encourage, and Inspire children in Detroit in three ways: Housing, Education and Residential Treatment Facilities. Motivate (Housing): We want to MOTIVATE current and prospective residents to become homeowners so that our children have stable environments to learn and play in. Encourage (Education): We want to ENCOURAGE our children to become EDUCATED ENTREPRENEURS. We provide annual scholarships to Detroit children who are majoring in business with an interest in entrepreneurship. Inspire (Residential Treatment Facilities): We believe that every Detroit child should have access to mental health Children are truly an Inspiration and we support our children with residential treatment facilities.

Ruling year info

2015

Principal Officer

Mr. Melvin A Moss

Co Principal Officer

Mrs. Kandice L Moss

Main address

P.O. Box 24771

Detroit, MI 48224 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

32-0373693

NTEE code info

Other Housing Support Services (L80)

Children's and Youth Services (P30)

Community Improvement, Capacity Building N.E.C. (S99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Our Focus Areas for 2019 are providing College Scholarships to first year college students, purchase more residential properties in the city of Detroit and adding providing special event opportunities for Detroit families. Since 2012 The Moss Foundation has offered college scholarships to many. In 2014, The Moss Foundation was awarded to become a participant in the Wells Fargo Community Urban Stabilization Program (CUSP). Along with small businesses and Wells Fargo renovated the home and gifted the home to a homeless veteran and his adopted grandchildren. Our mission is to continue to acquire distressed properties and create affordable housing for Detroit residents. Ideal student athletes for The Moss Foundation's college scholarship are Detroit high school student athletes majoring in business. The second objective is the purchase of another home in Detroit. We would like to purchase the home and make any renovations to meet our residential treatment facility needs.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Summer Camp

DAY CAMP Registration is now open!

The Moss Foundation's Day Camp will be located on the shores of Fish Lake in Holly, Michigan. Now in our 7th year, we will offer our first day camp for children ages 4-16 from southeast Michigan and beyond. We are currently registering for the 2019 Day Camp session which will take place on June 27, 2019.

WHERE EACH DAY COMES TO LIFE

​Day Camp is a great introduction to the benefits and activities of a Moss Foundation Day Camp experience in an action-packed day. For boys and girls grades K-8 there is no better way to spend a day participating in safe, fun, quality programs in a convenient location. Our caring, responsible staff is trained in a variety of areas including child development, activity leadership, behavior management, sports, and swim instruction. In addition to the exciting activities and new friendships, breakfast and lunch are included daily. In the morning campers travel with their counselors and age group to a variety of activities that change throughout the day. Each group’s schedule is designed for their age. In the afternoon, we offer specialty options when campers can choose which activity they’d like to try. All of our activities are ‘Challenge by Choice;’ we create an environment to encourage campers to push themselves to try each activity, but we never make anyone try something they don’t want to. Day campers become part of one of the camp’s four Legends: Jolee, Casper, Alastair, or Royale. Each Legend is named after a camper of the past. The youngest campers (entering grades K-2nd) become Jolee campers, then move on to Casper (3rd, 4th), then Alastair (5th, 6th), and finally become Royale Legend campers (7th, 8th). The different Legends will share some offerings but also experience things unique to the age group. For example, both Jolee campers and Royale campers will get a chance to zip line, but Jolee campers might play parachute games or party in the bounce house while Royale campers might take on team climbing tasks at the Alpine Tower. ​

The Moss Foundation Day Camp Schedule
Though there are variations, a typical day camp schedule looks like this:
7:30 a.m. Early morning care
8:30 a.m. Check-in & buses arrive
9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony
9:30 a.m. Activity Period #1
10:30 a.m. Activity Period #2
11:30 a.m. Activity Period #3
12:20 p.m. Round Up
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. Activity Period #4
2:45 p.m. Swimming, Waterslide and Beach Fun
4:00 p.m. Snack and Closing Ceremony. Buses depart
4:30-5:30 p.m. Check-out & Afternoon care

Activity Periods:​
Campers travel with their counselor and trail group to a variety of activities that change each day. Each trail group’s schedule is designed for their age-group. Activities may include archery, canoeing, arts and crafts, giant swing, climbing tower, zip line, bounce village, team challenge course, and more!

Waterfront Time:​
​An opportunity to swim is offered daily, weather permitting. Campers of all swim levels can enjoy the waterslide because everyone wears a life jacket. Counselors have alternative activities available on the beach or elsewhere in camp for campers who do not wish to swim.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
People of African descent

Food Distribution Program is a monthly food pantry initiative that distributes groceries to those in need. The groceries are purchased by The Moss Foundation from local food banks and pantries. The event requires 35 volunteers to purchase, register participants and organize the boxes

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Neighborhood Stabilization Program is aimed at securing single-family homes for families with children. The Moss Foundation purchases homes in distressed neighborhoods at reduced rates and allows families with children to purchased or in some instances occupy these homes free of charge.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Adults

The Video Game Club (VGC) was created to offer a constructive way for children who are interested in video games to learn more about them and the gaming industry as a whole. The goal of the program is to expose students to what it takes to create the games that they love, what career options they have in gaming and ultimately how they can change from being strictly consumers to active partcipants in this multi-billion dollar industry. We also teach them skills to combat online bullying as well as coding basics. As a final project for the year each class will have on display different and unique levels they have created on their own game. All students who have participated in the program thus far have shown a 100% increase in knowledge growth over the course of each semester from their pre-test to post-test.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of free participants on field trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total number of fields trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of competition winners declared

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of businesses developed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Young adults

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Establishing Affordable Housing for Homeless Youth

Our Focus Areas for 2019 are providing College Scholarships to first year college students, purchase more residential properties in the city of Detroit and adding providing special event opportunities for Detroit families. Since 2012 The Moss Foundation has offered college scholarships to many. In 2014, The Moss Foundation was awarded to become a participant in the Wells Fargo Community Urban Stabilization Program (CUSP). Along with small businesses and Wells Fargo renovated the home and gifted the home to a homeless veteran and his adopted grandchildren.

Our mission is to continue to acquire distressed properties and create affordable housing for Detroit residents. Ideal student athletes for The Moss Foundation's college scholarship are Detroit high school student athletes majoring in business. The second objective is the purchase of another home in Detroit. We would like to purchase the home and make any renovations to meet our residential treatment facility needs.

We have had success in the Community Urban Stabilization Program

We have purchased a home in Detroit
We have established a dance movement therapy and other mental health programs
We have a mobile food and clothing pantry

Financials

The Moss Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

The Moss Foundation

Board of directors
as of 07/05/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Mr. Melvin Moss


Board co-chair

Mrs. Kandice Moss

Kenneth Davis

Treasurer

Christopher Moss

Director

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/23/2020
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Gender identity
Male

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/23/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.