Mercy Education Project
A learning community that promotes access to boundless opportunities for women and girls.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The women and girls MEP serves are among Detroit's most diverse, neediest and most poorly educated. They are 41% Hispanic, 40% Black, and 16% Arabic speakers. None of our women students have completed their high school education. 90% are from families with less than $45,000 annual income. Southwest Detroit, the community we primarily serve, is a historically important community that has been home to immigrants for decades. It is a younger, poor, minimally educated community that lags in education and income beyond other Detroit neighborhoods and the rest of the state. Education is the key to lifting women and girls out of poverty. To date, MEP has served over 3,700 females. Over 200 trained community volunteers serve as tutors or on special group projects. There is endless potential and intellect in all students here in Detroit. MEP students graduate from high school or earn GEDs, attend college or job training, and find meaningful, well-paying jobs to support their families.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Women's Educational and College and Career Development Services
MEP’s Women’s Program provides highly individualized educational services dedicated to helping every woman pass the GED test. The Women’s Program also offers college, career, and job readiness preparation, designed to support women as they transition into higher education, the workforce, and/or specialized training.
• 60% GED graduates report they have gone on to college, employment or job training.
• Many MEP students are the first person in their families to finish high school or attend college.
• All women make significant yearly progress, most improve by at least two (2) grade levels.
• All MEP test scores exceed State of Michigan published benchmarks by 20-80%* *ranges by test and EFL Level
• By helping approximately 130 women each year move from dependency to self-sufficiency, MEP is helping to build a stronger community, reduce reliance on public assistance programs, foster a more educated workforce, and increase literacy in Detroit.
Girls' After-School Tutoring Program
MEP seeks to empower girls grades 2-12 through education, leadership development and cultural enrichment. Girls’ Programs include one-to-one, after-school tutoring in reading or math. MEP provides girls with STEAM and leadership experiences in the summer Emerging Leaders Program. Younger students can take the first steps into robotics by participating on our Lego League robotics team, the Teeny Tiny Tigers.
• 100% of girls in grades 2-12 who receive tutoring in reading or math over the program period demonstrate progress.
• All 8th grade students in the tutoring program advance to high-school.
• 100% of our high school seniors are accepted into one or more colleges of their choosing.
Emerging Leaders Summer Camp
Emerging Leaders provides middle school age girls an introduction to college and careers, academic enrichment, and leadership development through a two-week summer program. The program includes weekly field trips to area colleges and career sites.
Where we work
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our work is very important to the success and future of Detroit. Studies have shown that it takes three generations to lift families out of poverty. We know that women are the glue that holds Detroit families together. These women and their educational accomplishments will improve the lives of their children, grandchildren, parents, extended families and community. For nearly 30 years, Mercy Education Project has been supporting multiple generations of women and girls in southwest Detroit by providing them a free, nurturing environment to learn and grow, accomplishing what they could not until they reached the doors of MEP: gain their GED certification. With this GED, many more doors are opened for our women: further education in job training programs, community college, university, apprenticeships, better paying jobs or starting their own businesses. All of these doors of opportunity begin only after these women obtain their GED and believe in themselves and find their purpose. We are affecting the change Detroit needs – through the education of its women and girls.
MEP supports girls, grades 2-12 by providing after school tutoring, enrichment, a warm embracing environment to learn and be nurtured, and we provide examples of what their future lives can be as they meet professionals who volunteer at MEP each week. In high school, MEP is very focused on giving our students the support required to apply and attend college. We sponsor college tours for schools throughout Michigan, we have experts help with SAT preparation, we help and encourage them through the college application and FAFSA process, until all of our high school seniors each year, are accepted and attend college!
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
MEP the only agency in the area that provides gender-specific, one-to-one after school programs for girls grades 2-12 and is the only Adult Basic Education (ABE), GED-preparation, and remedial education program exclusively for women. We are committed to nurturing the whole student to achieve success. All our services are free.
Our Girls’ program consists of one-to-one after-school tutoring for girls grades 2-12 who are below grade level in math and/or reading, book clubs, Saturday enrichment, College and Career Readiness Program (this includes SAT/ACT courses, college tours, college prep workshops, career speaker series from Detroit area businesses, etc.), STEM robotics teams, and Emerging Leaders Summer Camp (for middle school girls filled with field trips to local institutions and STEM enrichment activities). MEP’s bus picks girls up from their school within our SW Detroit service area, provides a meal, enriching activity time, provides tutoring and takes them home safely. Since 2015, 100% of our high school seniors were accepted into one or more colleges!
Our Women’s program provides highly individualized and specialized GED exam-based courses dedicated to helping all women pass every portion of the GED test, job readiness training (designed to support women as they transition into higher education, the workforce, and/or specialized training), and Workforce Development Workshops. 60% of women who graduate with their GED report pursuing high education or steady employment.
We meet students where they are—we also offer online curriculum for our women and girls (complementing our successful in building services).
MEP focuses on addressing the diversity, inclusion and equity challenges that face the city of Detroit and its female residents who are often primary breadwinners for their families. We hope to continue providing support to women and girls for the next 30 years, moving the needle one woman, one family at a time.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Founded in 1992, Mercy Education Project is a small but mighty organization. With a paid staff of only 18 (only seven are full-time), we serve over 230 women and girls each year. We are highly skilled in utilizing our resources in creative and conservative ways. MEP staff is augmented by a trained volunteer corp of over 200 community supporters, from individual, one-on-one tutors to small groups supporting special projects. These volunteers contributed 6,895 volunteer hours last year, with the equivalent of $175,335 in donated time and talents.
MEP's budgets range from $990,000 to $1,000,000 with individuals, corporate supporters, events and foundation grants contributing the majority of the needed revenue. MEP will be celebrating their 30th Anniversary next year. We are doing important work and have grown significantly our humble beginnings as a volunteer project of the Sisters of Mercy. We are anxious to push forward into the next 30 years as a changemaker, thought leader, and collaborator in our community in women's and girls' education modes.
MEP is a founding member of the Reading Works consortium of 26 metro Detroit based adult education and workforce development agencies. The Reading Works umbrella organization raises awareness of adult learning skills challenges and solutions, identifies the most effective adult literacy practices and collaborates with local training programs and employers to turn foundational skills into real workforce opportunities. MEP's partners support more than 4,000 learners every year, providing equitable access to world-class programming and learning opportunities.
In 2020, MEP received a grant from the Verizon Foundation to create the MEP/Verizon Digital Opportunity Program and Learning Lab. MEP is now able to offer digital education and literacy to students, their families residing in their homes, and the greater Detroit community of residents. Digital education is a key 21st Century workforce and employability skill needed to meet the demands of today's employers.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
MEP key outcomes are summarized below:
MEP
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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.
Mercy Education Project
Board of directorsas of 06/09/2022
David Spivey
St. Mary Mercy Hospital Livonia
Mary Ellen Howard
St. Frances Cabrini Clinic
David Spivey
St. Mary Mercy Hospital Livonia
Sandra Tatum
United Road
Douglas Bohrer
Plante Moran
Toni Hubbard
Trinity Health
Mayra Bravo-Campos
DTE Energy
Hanan Fadlallah
Henry Ford College
Ryan Weldon
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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 -
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