Events Calendar

Midwest Partnership states – Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio – have more community members living in rural communities than the national average (26% vs. 20%). These 9 million people living in rural communities generally experience 1-3% higher rates of poverty and fewer opportunities for upward economic mobility. Despite this demonstrated need, nationally, we see  less than 7% of philanthropic spending in rural communities (when Missouri dug deeper, the finding was a shocking less than 1%). Through convening, funding, and advocacy, grantmakers have an opportunity to strengthen rural ecosystems by supporting alignment of local efforts and resources, championing scalable pilot programs, and promoting an asset-based approach.

Are you heading to the island for this year's Mackinac Policy Conference hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber? If so, join us for a conversation on ways to underscore that Michigan’s charitable sector is a catalyst in Michigan’s equation for impact. We hope to connect with others on the island to build the understanding that a stronger nonprofit sector strengthens communities, and that philanthropy has a long track record of demonstrated efficiency and effectiveness in addressing community needs with public and private resources. We will also share key policy priorities to highlight while engaging with policymakers and peers on the Island and ways that CMF can support your Mackinac Policy Conference experience. We hope you can join us for this philanthropy-focused Mackinac Policy Conference preview.

Join us throughout 2025 for a multi-part series on impact investing fundamentals. Each session will focus on different aspects of this practice, growing your knowledge and your network all year. All programs will be recorded and available to CMF members on demand; live participants will benefit from live Q&A with CMF Impact Investing Expert in Residence Jennifer Oertel and guest speakers, as well as peer discussion time. 

Join your Michigan philanthropy peers engaged in career and technical education access and opportunities. Conversations and storytelling will focus on, but not be limited to, career and technical education program support, training, and access to programs supported by Michigan philanthropy. Stories can come from work in the K-12 space and beyond. We will meet with selected state legislators engaged in these policy-making areas, so a broader range of discussion is welcome. Career and technical education opportunities are shaping up to be an important discussion in Lansing for this legislative session.

Join your Michigan peers for a timely, informative and engaging in-person gathering in Lansing. This event will be an opportunity for family foundation executives and staff across roles to discuss emerging practices, explore trends in the sector, crowdsource ideas and problem solve challenges. We are also designing this convening to help grow your network so you can build connections with those who are similar in size, region and issue areas of focus, while also learning from the diversity of Michigan's family foundations.

How can funders reduce the burden on grantees when requesting demographic data? What information are funders collecting from their nonprofit partners, and what information is needed to make informed decisions and build trusting relationships?

join youth philanthropists and adult allies from around the state for the 2025 Youth Grantmakers Summer Leadership Conference! Youth who are involved in grantmaking activities at foundations are welcome to attend with their adult advisors.

Please join CMF's Government Relations Public Policy Team and your Michigan philanthropy peers for our Quarterly Policy Update. In this meeting, we will brief everyone on executive orders, ongoing tax changes and budget discussions in Washington, D.C., all of which could seriously impact the nonprofit sector. We anticipate an engaging discussion about these learnings, implications for philanthropy, and how members can engage.

Leaders from the Michigan Department of Treasury, State Budget Office and Senate and House Fiscal Agencies meet to forecast the U.S. and Michigan economies and state government revenues during the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC). Amid rapid changes and vast uncertainty at the federal level, join us for this special funder conversation to hear from State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks and State Budget Director Jen Flood as they walk us through the highlights from the May 2025 CREC, share the economic outlook for the state and provide estimates for the current state budget and revenues for future years.

Join your philanthropy peers for a Michigan Forum for African Americans in Philanthropy (MFAAP) in Kalamazoo! This event is sponsored by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, and light fare and two drinks will be included. This event is open to all current and prospective members of CMF's MFAAP affinity group. Please feel free to come anytime between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. Please note that the event ends at 6:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you!

Back in 2024, before the elections, Marguerite Casey Foundation engaged in scenario planning exercises with their stakeholders to envision various future administrations. The result was, among other things, clarity, agility, and steadiness in responding to today’s attacks on communities and philanthropy, with a continued focus on the organization’s values and impact in facing the current crises. Join us for a conversation on how foundations can prepare to be courageous now and in the future, and what that looks like in terms of supporting nonprofit partners working on community organizing and advancing a vibrant multiracial democracy.

Join us for a virtual gathering to discuss technology and software, share what you’re seeing in your own work and crowdsource ideas from your fellow peers across the state. This will be an open space for discussion so please bring your questions, concerns and highlights from your own work to share with the group. As we continue our collective equity journey, we invite you to bring forward equity-related topics to our roundtables throughout the year. This conversation is open to all CMF members whether your work touches technology, you have a dedicated technology role or you just want to pick up a few tips from our technology experts.