Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is happening at The Community House?
    The Community House will evolve to become the Birmingham Area Community Foundation, focused on strengthening and uplifting the community through grants and educational scholarships for local students pursuing education beyond high school.
  • What will the Birmingham Area Community Foundation do?
    The Birmingham Area Community Foundation will support established and emerging nonprofit organizations and scholarships for students located within a 10-mile radius of Birmingham. The Birmingham Area Community Foundation will focus on distributing grants to nonprofits that support education, wellness and cultural vitality as well as provide scholarships to high school students pursuing their next chapter of education.This evolution is about investing in the future and providing a platform to make a lasting and meaningful impact in the Birmingham area.
  • What about The Community House building?
    The Community House building located at 380 S. Bates in Birmingham will be sold to a new owner yet to be determined. Proceeds from that sale will help to support the Birmingham Area Community Foundation mission.
  • Why now?
    This evolution is an essential step in ensuring the long-term sustainability and viability of The Community House’s mission and contributions to the community. The Community House has supported the Birmingham area for more than a century – the creation of the Birmingham Area Community Foundation is about creating a lasting impact to support the community and adopting a model that will be able to help others even more, in alignment with Community House Founder Ruth Shain’s original intent for The Community House. The nonprofit landscape has changed – many nonprofit organizations are struggling to access funds to carry out their mission. The cost of education is soaring, and students need support to pursue the next stage of their educational journey. The Birmingham Area Community Foundation will have the opportunity to address these community needs through grantmaking and scholarships.
  • What about events already scheduled?
    The Community House will remain open for events until July 1, 2026. Any events scheduled during that time will be executed with the same high quality, service and precision that patrons have enjoyed and expect from The Community House.
  • What will happen to the Early Childhood Center?
    The Early Childhood Center will complete their current program year and remain open through May 2026. This will provide families with time to identify a new childcare solution as needed.
  • I made a recent gift to The Community House. How will my funds be used?
    Your donation to The Community House has provided essential, unrestricted support that has allowed us to run programs in 2025. These generous gifts were used where they’re needed most — from supporting our community programs that give back, events, to maintaining our historic building. The Community House will continue to operate and serve the community through June 30, 2026.
  • Early Childhood Center Families
    The Early Childhood Center will complete their current program year and remain open through May 2026. This will provide families with time to identify a new childcare solution as needed.  We know finding childcare options can be challenging for families, so we wanted to provide ample time to find alternative options.We have extended the opportunity to remain through the conclusion of this school year (May 2026) to all staff members. The Early Childhood Center will continue to maintain and abide by all State of Michigan childcare staffing guidelines and requirements.
  • Event Contacts (those with booked events at The Community House)
    • What about my event?
      If your event is booked prior to July 1, 2026, your event will proceed as planned. We will honor existing event contracts for events through June 2026. Hosts and guests will continue to enjoy the same level of exceptional service and experience that they expect from The Community House.
    • Will you waive cancellation fees or refund deposits?
      For those with events scheduled after June 30, 2026, deposits will be fully refunded. Refunds will be mailed via UPS  on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
  • What about classes?
    Classes and programs scheduled through June 30, 2026 will continue as planned. No new programs will be scheduled at The Community House past that date. If you have questions about a scheduled program, please contact Lindsey Eliason, 248-644-5832 or leliason@communityhousehelps.org.