Events Calendar

There is a growing recognition across the philanthropic sector that to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, it must approach its work through a disability lens.

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.

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 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?