Birmingham's Community House Foundation board was scheduled to cover governance, building plans and fundraising at its Tuesday, Aug. 4 meeting, according to the meeting agenda, with City Attorney Mary Kucharek set to deliver her first formal remarks to the body and board members set to present building improvement plans for the century-old landmark at 380 S. Bates St.

The meeting, the foundation's third since the City Commission appointed the board June 22, was also slated to include formation of an Executive Committee or Committee on House Management, a fundraising update covering actor Tim Allen's $100,000 matching pledge, and a letter from City Commissioner Brad Host.

Minutes have not been posted. Outcomes of the board's discussions are unconfirmed.

City attorney's remarks on the agenda

Kucharek, who serves as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the foundation board, was listed on the meeting agenda to deliver "brief remarks," her first formal address since the foundation was established in June. The content of her remarks has not been made public.

The foundation is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the City of Birmingham as its sole member, meaning the building will always belong to the city. That legal framework makes the city attorney's guidance central to how the board operates.

Building updates and fundraising

Board members Sam Surnow, a developer and Birmingham Shopping District board member, and Kevin Denha, an entrepreneur and executive vice chairman of the Chaldean Community Foundation, were scheduled to present building updates. The scope and cost of any proposed improvements were not detailed in the agenda.

Eva Kirkman, assistant vice president at CCS Fundraising, was set to update the board on donation receipts and a formal letter of confirmation from Tim Allen. The Birmingham native pledged in July to match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 before the end of 2026, according to Oakland County Times.

"This extraordinary purchase marks the end of one era, and the beginning of another," Mayor Clinton Baller said in a statement when the purchase was announced July 7, Oakland County Times reported. "For more than 100 years, residents of Birmingham considered the house their home, and this purchase assures that it will remain so."

Governance taking shape

The agenda's most significant structural item was the proposed formation of an Executive Committee or Committee on House Management. At its July 23 meeting, the board had already drafted charters for four committees — Special Events, Development and Communications, Finance & Audit, and Programming — and discussed adopting Givebutter as its fundraising platform, according to the board's July 23 meeting agenda.

The Aug. 4 agenda also listed committee applications from all board members, suggesting the foundation is moving to populate those bodies.

Under communications, the board was scheduled to take up a letter from Commissioner Host and emails written in response. The content of Host's letter was not included in the posted agenda.

What's next

The $5.2 million purchase in July included an endowment worth approximately $800,000 and two Marshall Fredericks sculptures, according to Oakland County Times. The previous Community House organization filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2026 and closed at the end of June, according to WXYZ.

The foundation's July 23 agenda referenced a fund request to the Birmingham City Commission, with follow-up scheduled for the Monday, Aug. 10 Commission meeting.

Meeting minutes and the next board meeting date will be posted at bhamgov.org/communityhousefoundation. Residents can mail donations to City of Birmingham Community House Foundation, 151 Martin St., Birmingham, MI 48009, Attn: Mark Clemence.