The Apple Foundation Program at CCS will welcome its first cohort in October 2025, offering a free introductory app development course with access to laptops and additional devices.

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is excited to launch the Apple Foundation Program, a free app development program coming to the College’s A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education in collaboration with Apple. This technology lab and educational program will be available in October 2025 at no cost to students and community members. Additional details are available here.

This cutting-edge program offers a series of one-month courses, with daytime and evening classes to accommodate diverse schedules. Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of Swift, Apple’s programming language, and the principles of app design and development, helping them to expand their technology skills and foster creativity. Apple devices will be provided to participants for the duration of the program, at no additional cost.

Registration is first-come, first-served. The first cohort will welcome 15-30 participants with a minimum of eight sessions over the year. Participants must be 18 years or older, and registration is open to metro Detroit residents, no prior coding or technology experience is required to participate.

“At CCS, we’re excited to welcome the Apple Foundation Program to our campus and provide cutting-edge learning opportunities for our students and for metro-Detroiters looking to continue their education,” said Don Tuski, President of CCS. “We are always looking for new ways to activate our local community and provide them with valuable resources. Detroit is the perfect place to pilot this excellent program.”

ABOUT THE COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and authorized by the Michigan Education Department to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. CCS, located in midtown Detroit, strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society. The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.

Each year two students will be selected to be awarded $50,000, to be dispersed over 4 years. Gilbert Family Foundation also announced scholarship support for pre-college summer workshops and completion scholarships aimed at retaining students.

Gilbert Family Foundation and College for Creative Studies (CCS) today announced a new $1 million grant to expand the Gilbert Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship. This new funding is in addition to the $1 million committed by the Foundation in 2023, bringing the total endowment to $2 million.

In Fall 2024, the Gilbert Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship provided support for one CCS undergraduate student. Moving forward, the fund will provide two scholarships each year, covering four years of tuition for two selected students from Detroit. To qualify, recipients must reside in Detroit, be a graduate of a Detroit-area high school and demonstrate financial need, as determined by the CCS Office of Financial Aid.

“Detroit has a long history of leading the world through art, design and innovation,” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director of the Gilbert Family Foundation. “Expanding this scholarship offers more talented students in Detroit access to the resources and opportunities needed to pursue an artistic career. These students are the next generation of creative leaders who will shape the future of Detroit’s art and design community.”

This scholarship does more than cover educational costs; it gives students the stability they need to focus on their education and artistic growth. Without financial stress, they can develop their skills, explore new creative opportunities and contribute to Detroit’s vibrant arts scene.

“This scholarship means a lot to me. It’s given me a chance to get out there in the art world and continue creating,” said Chris Romero Hernandez, GFF Scholar ’25. “It’s been my heart’s desire to work as an artist. I don’t know how to express my genuine gratitude and thanks to Gilbert Family Foundation. This scholarship means I have the chance to study and train in my craft to one day make my dreams come true.”

In addition to the endowed scholarships, Gilbert Family Foundation has also committed $50,000 for 12 pre-college scholarships in the summer of 2025, as well as $25,000 for completion scholarships to support the retention of enrolled juniors and seniors from Detroit. This comprehensive support aims to address the specific barriers Detroit students face when pursuing careers in the arts, particularly concerning financial access and early exposure.

Gilbert Family Foundation’s continued support aligns with CCS’s mission to create accessible and transformative educational experiences for students from our community.