Precious Johnson

Precious Johnson is an accomplished grants and fundraising professional with expertise in securing support from foundations, corporations, and government entities. Prior to joining the City of Detroit's Office of Development and Grants, she served as a Grants Officer at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), where she raised funds for operations, exhibitions, capital projects, and a range of Asian arts and educational programs. Her previous experience includes research and compliance roles at nationally recognized organizations such as Georgetown University Medical Center, the Erikson Institute, and Friends of the Children. In these roles, she excelled at coordinating agile, cross-departmental efforts to enhance the safety and well-being of families, youth, patients, and vulnerable state wards. Precious strives to foster partnerships that create meaningful, long-term investments in education, arts and culture, environmental initiatives, and neighborhood development. Her work is focused on improving the quality of life, infrastructure, and services in underinvested communities while expanding our capacity for understanding and diversity.

Since relocating to Detroit, Precious has pursued her passion for environmental and spatial justice by establishing and managing a community orchard. In addition, she has completed several training programs, including the Michigan Conservation Stewardship Program, Urban Roots Community Garden Leadership Program, and currently, an advanced training certificate in ecopsychology. She is a proud alumna of the James Kanada Fellowship with Strategic Community Partners and serves as chair of the fund development subcommittee for the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). Additionally, she is an avid ultramarathoner and trail runner.