The 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic tournament raised nearly $1.5 million for local nonprofits, the Rocket Giving Fund announced on Wednesday.
According to the Rocket Giving Fund, $581,400 will go toward digital inclusion grants that support Connect 313, Black Tech Saturdays and Human I-T.
Since the tournament began in 2019, it has raised nearly $10 million, including nearly $6 million that have gone toward its Changing the Course Initiative, which aims to end Detroit's digital divide.
“The investments that Rocket Mortgage and the Rocket Mortgage Classic have made to support the Detroit community have truly changed the course for thousands of residents by connecting them to vital technology and digital resources,” Rocket Companies President and Rocket Giving Fund Board President Bill Emerson said in a statement. “While the Rocket Mortgage Classic brings the PGA TOUR’s best golfers to Detroit every summer, the event is about so much more than golf, and every year it serves as a vehicle to create positive change throughout our city.”
The grant breakdown is:
- $350,000 to Black Tech Saturdays
- $200,000 to Connect 313
- $31,400 to Human I-T
- $30,000 to Midnight Golf
- $30,000 to Detroit PAL
- $10,000 to First Tee - Greater Detroit
- $75,000 to the Greater Palmer Park Community
- $764,999 to other charitable giving and non-cash donations
Rocket Mortgage invested $207,500 through the tournament's AREA 313, which raises money depending on how many players get birdies, eagles or holes-in-one on certain holes during the tournament weekend. An eagle on hole 14 or a birdie on hole 16 triggers a $2,500 donation and a hole-in-one on 15 is a $10,000 donation.
As part of the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s ongoing efforts to bridge Detroit’s digital divide, the Changing the Course initiative will continue to focus on digital inclusion by connecting residents to the internet and devices while also adding an emphasis on digital empowerment, ensuring that Detroiters have the skills needed to participate fully in the digital world and achieve their goals.
“The Changing the Course initiative has had a transformational impact on Detroit over the past five years,” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director of Rocket Community Fund and a member of the Rocket Giving Fund board. “Together, we have built a stronger foundation of digital inclusion by distributing more than 75,000 devices and connecting more than 150,000 families to low-cost internet options. Now we take the next step into digital empowerment to ensure more Detroit residents have the confidence and skills to leverage the digital world in every aspect of their lives.”
“We are honored and grateful to the Rocket Mortgage Classic for selecting us to be part of this transformative family,” said Johnnie Turnage, co-founder of Black Tech Saturdays. “This partnership is more than a grant — it’s a declaration of belief in the boundless potential of Detroit’s Black tech community. Together, we are not just bridging the digital divide; we are building bridges to opportunity, innovation and generational change. This moment is a testament to what we can achieve when vision meets action and a city rises together.”
