Based in Royal Oak, Howard & Howard was established in 1869 and now has additional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas and Peoria, Ill.
By Tom Gantert
Legal News
Howard & Howard’s commitment to charitable giving began more than four decades ago with a simple idea: the law firm should give back to the communities that supported its growth.
That idea evolved into the Howard & Howard Community Reinvestment Fund, known as the CRF, a program launched in 1985 that has directed donations and volunteer support to nonprofits throughout Michigan and beyond.
“The CRF is based upon the concept of collective sharing by our employees who pledge up to 1 percent of their compensation to the CRF for distribution to charities,” said Tim Wittebort, chairman of the Community Reinvestment Fund.
Wittebort said the law firm created the fund after recognizing the benefits it received from the communities where its employees lived and worked.
“As a firm, we acknowledged that we receive many benefits from the communities where we live and work,” Wittebort said. “To show our collective appreciation, we decided to give back by reinvesting in our communities.”
Entirely funded by employee contributions, the firm’s Community Reinvestment Fund has donated more than $7 million to nonprofits nationwide since 1985.
And in 2025 alone, employees directed more than $180,000 in support of 40-plus organizations focused on education, community well-being, and essential public service needs — from housing and health care to social-service access.
The model relied heavily on participation from the firm’s attorneys and staff. Wittebort said participation rates have at times reached nearly the entire firm.
“From the start, we were optimistic that the CRF would grow as our firm grew,” Wittebort said. “At times, we have had up to 99 percent participation by our attorneys and a large number of staff also contribute.”
The effort expanded beyond financial donations, Wittebort said, with employees also volunteering their time to nonprofit organizations supported by the fund.
“In sum, we not only donate funds, but also time to worthwhile organizations,” he said.
Howard & Howard was established in 1869. It has offices in Royal Oak and other locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas and Peoria, Ill.
Over the years, the CRF has supported a wide range of causes, including homelessness services, veterans’ programs, addiction recovery organizations, and cancer support services.
Among the organizations receiving support were the South Oakland Coalition for the Homeless, North Oakland County Veterans Treatment Court, the Jamie Daniels Foundation, and Gilda’s Club of Metro Detroit.
One of the most memorable moments tied to the firm’s charitable efforts came through an indirect act of giving.
The law firm once purchased a full-page advertisement in Crain’s annual giving report on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club of Royal Oak. The advertisement ultimately inspired a major anonymous donation to the organization.
“Someone saw the ad and made an anonymous donation to the club of $1 million,” Wittebort said. “We received confirmation that the donation was made after reviewing the ad.”
One of the organizations that has benefited from the CRF in recent years is the Jamie Daniels Foundation, a Michigan-based nonprofit focused on addressing substance abuse among young people and families.
Christopher Perry, executive director of the Jamie Daniels Foundation, said support from Howard & Howard has helped fund multiple initiatives aimed at prevention, recovery, and early intervention.
“The Jamie Daniels Foundation has been very grateful to receive support through the Howard & Howard Community Reinvestment Fund, and those funds have helped advance our work to address substance use disorder among young people and families in Michigan,” Perry said.
Perry said the donations have supported school-based prevention programs, collegiate recovery efforts and family support resources.
“Their support has helped us fund initiatives across prevention, recovery, and stigma reduction — including school-based prevention programming that equips students with coping skills and resilience tools, support for collegiate recovery programs that help students stay on track academically while maintaining their recovery, and resources for families navigating a young person’s substance use,” Perry said.
The foundation was created in memory of Jamie Daniels, the son of Detroit Red Wings broadcaster Ken Daniels. Jamie died from an accidental overdose in 2016 at age 23.
Perry said one of the organization’s major areas of investment has been collegiate recovery programs in Michigan universities.
“One of our earliest investments in the recovery space was at Michigan State University — Jamie’s alma mater,” Perry said.
The foundation has helped provide 59 scholarships to students in recovery at Michigan State alone, Perry said.
“That initial investment also helped shape a broader statewide strategy, and today the Jamie Daniels Foundation has provided collegiate recovery grant support to 11 colleges and universities across Michigan,” Perry said.
Another initiative supported by philanthropy is the Adolescent Addiction Recovery Center at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Troy.
“With our support, this program was launched as one of the few specialized resources in Michigan focused specifically on adolescents and families facing substance use challenges,” Perry said.
Perry said the program provides specialized care aimed at helping young people dealing with addiction and substance abuse issues.
“It has become an important point of access for young people who need age-appropriate, specialized care and support,” Perry said.
The foundation has also supported the ConCERN Project, a partnership involving researchers from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University designed to help parents identify and respond to substance abuse warning signs earlier.
“ConCERN is designed to give parents and caregivers practical tools, guidance, and support when they begin to worry a young person may be struggling with substance use,” Perry said.
Perry said the project focuses on prevention and early intervention before situations escalate into larger crises.
“It’s an example of how philanthropy can help families take action earlier — before a crisis deepens — by making trusted information and next steps easier to access,” Perry said. “Support from partners like Howard & Howard helps us fund work across prevention, recovery, and stigma reduction. These examples show how that philanthropy can directly create meaningful, lasting impact for young people and families.”
Howard & Howard’s charitable work reflects a broader trend among law firms and corporations that increasingly emphasize community engagement and philanthropy as part of their organizational culture. But the CRF’s longevity stands out, having operated continuously since the mid-1980s.
The fund’s structure — voluntary employee giving combined with direct community engagement — helped sustain the program through decades of growth and economic changes.
Wittebort said the program’s success has depended on the willingness of employees to contribute financially and personally to causes they believe in.
The CRF’s impact can be difficult to measure solely in dollar figures because many of the supported organizations provide long-term services to vulnerable populations, including homeless individuals, veterans, recovering addicts and cancer patients.
Still, Wittebort said the original mission remains unchanged from when the program was first established more than 40 years ago: reinvesting in the communities that helped the firm succeed.
Legal News
Howard & Howard’s commitment to charitable giving began more than four decades ago with a simple idea: the law firm should give back to the communities that supported its growth.
That idea evolved into the Howard & Howard Community Reinvestment Fund, known as the CRF, a program launched in 1985 that has directed donations and volunteer support to nonprofits throughout Michigan and beyond.
“The CRF is based upon the concept of collective sharing by our employees who pledge up to 1 percent of their compensation to the CRF for distribution to charities,” said Tim Wittebort, chairman of the Community Reinvestment Fund.
Wittebort said the law firm created the fund after recognizing the benefits it received from the communities where its employees lived and worked.
“As a firm, we acknowledged that we receive many benefits from the communities where we live and work,” Wittebort said. “To show our collective appreciation, we decided to give back by reinvesting in our communities.”
Entirely funded by employee contributions, the firm’s Community Reinvestment Fund has donated more than $7 million to nonprofits nationwide since 1985.
And in 2025 alone, employees directed more than $180,000 in support of 40-plus organizations focused on education, community well-being, and essential public service needs — from housing and health care to social-service access.
The model relied heavily on participation from the firm’s attorneys and staff. Wittebort said participation rates have at times reached nearly the entire firm.
“From the start, we were optimistic that the CRF would grow as our firm grew,” Wittebort said. “At times, we have had up to 99 percent participation by our attorneys and a large number of staff also contribute.”
The effort expanded beyond financial donations, Wittebort said, with employees also volunteering their time to nonprofit organizations supported by the fund.
“In sum, we not only donate funds, but also time to worthwhile organizations,” he said.
Howard & Howard was established in 1869. It has offices in Royal Oak and other locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas and Peoria, Ill.
Over the years, the CRF has supported a wide range of causes, including homelessness services, veterans’ programs, addiction recovery organizations, and cancer support services.
Among the organizations receiving support were the South Oakland Coalition for the Homeless, North Oakland County Veterans Treatment Court, the Jamie Daniels Foundation, and Gilda’s Club of Metro Detroit.
One of the most memorable moments tied to the firm’s charitable efforts came through an indirect act of giving.
The law firm once purchased a full-page advertisement in Crain’s annual giving report on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club of Royal Oak. The advertisement ultimately inspired a major anonymous donation to the organization.
“Someone saw the ad and made an anonymous donation to the club of $1 million,” Wittebort said. “We received confirmation that the donation was made after reviewing the ad.”
One of the organizations that has benefited from the CRF in recent years is the Jamie Daniels Foundation, a Michigan-based nonprofit focused on addressing substance abuse among young people and families.
Christopher Perry, executive director of the Jamie Daniels Foundation, said support from Howard & Howard has helped fund multiple initiatives aimed at prevention, recovery, and early intervention.
“The Jamie Daniels Foundation has been very grateful to receive support through the Howard & Howard Community Reinvestment Fund, and those funds have helped advance our work to address substance use disorder among young people and families in Michigan,” Perry said.
Perry said the donations have supported school-based prevention programs, collegiate recovery efforts and family support resources.
“Their support has helped us fund initiatives across prevention, recovery, and stigma reduction — including school-based prevention programming that equips students with coping skills and resilience tools, support for collegiate recovery programs that help students stay on track academically while maintaining their recovery, and resources for families navigating a young person’s substance use,” Perry said.
The foundation was created in memory of Jamie Daniels, the son of Detroit Red Wings broadcaster Ken Daniels. Jamie died from an accidental overdose in 2016 at age 23.
Perry said one of the organization’s major areas of investment has been collegiate recovery programs in Michigan universities.
“One of our earliest investments in the recovery space was at Michigan State University — Jamie’s alma mater,” Perry said.
The foundation has helped provide 59 scholarships to students in recovery at Michigan State alone, Perry said.
“That initial investment also helped shape a broader statewide strategy, and today the Jamie Daniels Foundation has provided collegiate recovery grant support to 11 colleges and universities across Michigan,” Perry said.
Another initiative supported by philanthropy is the Adolescent Addiction Recovery Center at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Troy.
“With our support, this program was launched as one of the few specialized resources in Michigan focused specifically on adolescents and families facing substance use challenges,” Perry said.
Perry said the program provides specialized care aimed at helping young people dealing with addiction and substance abuse issues.
“It has become an important point of access for young people who need age-appropriate, specialized care and support,” Perry said.
The foundation has also supported the ConCERN Project, a partnership involving researchers from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University designed to help parents identify and respond to substance abuse warning signs earlier.
“ConCERN is designed to give parents and caregivers practical tools, guidance, and support when they begin to worry a young person may be struggling with substance use,” Perry said.
Perry said the project focuses on prevention and early intervention before situations escalate into larger crises.
“It’s an example of how philanthropy can help families take action earlier — before a crisis deepens — by making trusted information and next steps easier to access,” Perry said. “Support from partners like Howard & Howard helps us fund work across prevention, recovery, and stigma reduction. These examples show how that philanthropy can directly create meaningful, lasting impact for young people and families.”
Howard & Howard’s charitable work reflects a broader trend among law firms and corporations that increasingly emphasize community engagement and philanthropy as part of their organizational culture. But the CRF’s longevity stands out, having operated continuously since the mid-1980s.
The fund’s structure — voluntary employee giving combined with direct community engagement — helped sustain the program through decades of growth and economic changes.
Wittebort said the program’s success has depended on the willingness of employees to contribute financially and personally to causes they believe in.
The CRF’s impact can be difficult to measure solely in dollar figures because many of the supported organizations provide long-term services to vulnerable populations, including homeless individuals, veterans, recovering addicts and cancer patients.
Still, Wittebort said the original mission remains unchanged from when the program was first established more than 40 years ago: reinvesting in the communities that helped the firm succeed.
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