Government Affairs

New:  CMF Position Statement - Government & Nonprofit Sector Partnership

RESOLVED that the Council of Michigan Foundations supports a strong partnership between government and the nonprofit sector and calls upon the Governor, Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader to support this partnership through both legislation and other steps to promote charitable contributions to and volunteerism that will help the nonprofit sector fulfill its charitable roles. - CMF Board of Trustees, October 2011

Click here to read the position statement commentary.

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CMF defines Government Affairs in two ways:

1. Government relations related to legislation and regulations affecting the work of charitable foundations; and
2. Public policy engagement to support the achievement of charitable foundations’ grantmaking goals

Government Relations

One of CMF’s goals is to advocate for a legislative and regulatory environment conducive to organized philanthropy. This work is led by our Government Relations Committee and is designed to achieve the goals of our Legislative Goals Statement. The Committee’s key strategies are to:

• Advocate for goals in the Legislative Statement with policymakers in Lansing and Washington, D.C.;
• Represent the work and interests of Michigan foundations with state and federal officials; and
• Educate policymakers about the work of foundations.

CMF’s work in this area includes the annual Foundations on the Hill event where a delegation of foundations leaders from across Michigan join us in Washington, D.C. for meetings with each member of our state’s Congressional Delegation.

Public Policy

Another of CMF’s goals is to lead and support collaborative philanthropic responses to critical needs such as K-16 education, early childhood development and economic development. This work is led by our Public Policy Committee and is achieved through issue-based affinity groups and educational briefings. The Committee’s key strategies are to:

• Encourage and support foundation engagement in the public policy process; and
• Connect foundation leaders with each other, policymakers and other concerned stakeholders to advance specific policy reforms.

CMF’s work in this area is done in partnership with the Office of the Foundation Liaison to the Governor of Michigan. The Foundation Liaison is a nonpartisan, cabinet level position that works to identify and broker strategic partnerships between the state and foundations.

William C. Richardson Fellowship in Government Affairs & Philanthropy

The William C. Richardson Fellow in Government Affairs & Philanthropy – the nation’s only such fellowship – supports CMF’s work in Government Affairs. The Fellowship, named after the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s former president and CEO, introduces future policymakers to the philanthropic sector and the ways it influences and partners with the public sector.