· More than $581,000 allocated from 2024 event to Connect 313, Black Tech Saturdays and Human I-T as part of event's “Changing the Course” initiative to bridge Detroit’s digital divide
· Black Tech Saturdays, the newest beneficiary of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, strategically empowers Black tech communities to drive economic growth, close the wealth gap and diversify the tech industry
DETROIT (December 18, 2024) – The Rocket Giving Fund today announced that the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic raised nearly $1.5 million to support local Detroit nonprofits, pushing the tournament’s total charitable contributions since its inception in 2019 to nearly $10 million.
The event’s 2024 charitable contributions totaled $1,491,399. As part of the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s landmark “Changing the Course” initiative to end Detroit’s digital divide, $581,400 of that total will go toward digital inclusion grants to support Connect 313, Black Tech Saturdays and Human I-T.
Since 2019, the Rocket Mortgage Classic has invested $9,922,107 into local charitable organizations, including $5,966,078 in contributions toward Changing the Course.
“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,” said Rocket Companies President and Rocket Giving Fund Board President Bill Emerson. “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.”
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.
2024 Disbursements:
Through the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Rocket Giving Fund made the following donations in support of its “Changing the Course” initiative:
Digital Inclusion Grants
· $350,000 to Black Tech Saturdays to support digital empowerment programs and create digital skill building programs
· $200,000 to Connect 313 to support 22 Neighborhood Technology Hubs across Detroit’s seven districts and drive public awareness campaigns about access to technology to end the digital divide
· $31,400 to Human I-T to conduct digital navigation and provide tech support for Detroit residents
Ongoing Community Grants
· $30,000 to Midnight Golf
· $30,000 to Detroit Police Athletic League
· $10,000 to First Tee – Greater Detroit
The Rocket Giving Fund also announced the following disbursements:
· $75,000 to the Greater Palmer Park Community
· $764,999 to other charitable giving and non-cash donations, including the Golf & Give program
Of the money allocated for digital inclusion grants, Rocket Mortgage invested $207,500 through the tournament’s AREA 313 – which is lauded as the most charitable three holes in golf. This friendly three-hole competition generates donations for Changing the Course when celebrity scramble golfers or PGA TOUR professionals score a 3 on Hole 14 (an eagle) or a 3 on Hole 16 (a birdie) to trigger a $2,500 donation. Players who score a 1 on Hole 15 (a hole-in-one) generate a $10,000 donation.
“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.”
Black Tech Saturdays (BTS) is the newest beneficiary of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Co-founded by Detroit entrepreneurs Alexa and Johnnie Turnage, BTS aims to drive economic growth, close the racial wealth gap and diversify the tech industry by empowering Black tech communities nationwide. BTS offers a wide range of tech-focused meetups, trainings, workshops and other community events.
“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.”
Detroit’s annual PGA TOUR tournament will be held for the seventh consecutive year at Detroit Golf Club from June 24-29, 2025.
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About the Rocket Mortgage Classic
The Rocket Mortgage Classic made history in 2019 as the first PGA TOUR event ever held in the city of Detroit, and has continued to make a positive and lasting impact on the city and its residents through its multi-year “Changing the Course” campaign, established in 2020 to end the digital divide in Detroit and ensure digital accessibility for all city residents. The Rocket Mortgage Classic was the most awarded event during the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season, being recognized for “Best Special Event” (then known as the AREA 313 Celebrity Challenge) and “Best Tournament Sales” as well as being honored with the first “Fair Way Award” for its diversity and inclusion initiatives. The Fair Way Award was bestowed upon the Rocket Mortgage Classic again in 2023 and for a third time in 2024. More information is available at RocketMortgageClassic.com and on Facebook, X and Instagram (@RocketClassic).
About Rocket Mortgage
Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage is the largest retail mortgage lender and is a part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT).
The lender enables the American Dream of homeownership and financial freedom through its obsession with an industry-leading, digital-driven client experience. In late 2015, it introduced the first fully digital, completely online mortgage experience. Since its founding in 1985, Rocket Mortgage has closed more than $1.7 trillion of mortgage volume across all 50 states.
J.D. Power has ranked Rocket Mortgage #1 in client satisfaction for both primary mortgage origination and servicing 21 times – the most of any mortgage lender. Rocket Companies, Rocket Mortgage’s parent company, has placed in the top third of Fortune’s list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” the list for 21 consecutive years.
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