Over the last few months, CMF’s Government Relations and Public Policy Team hosted the first-ever in-person Foundations in Lansing (FIL) series of events to connect CMF members with our policymakers in the Michigan Legislature.
Over the last few months, CMF’s Government Relations and Public Policy Team hosted the first-ever in-person Foundations in Lansing (FIL) series of events to connect CMF members with our policymakers in the Michigan Legislature.
The FIL events were developed for CMF members and based on our community of philanthropy’s strong engagement in the national event, Foundations on the Hill.
In a series of four meetings focused on education, health, small business and housing as part of FIL, CMF members engaged with policymakers and worked to deepen relationships with their state legislators, discuss solutions and share more on philanthropy’s work.
Our CMF community of philanthropy engaged in economic development work and met with selected state legislators on small- and microbusiness issues earlier this summer as part of FIL.
“Engaging with policymakers provides an opportunity to talk about the challenges and think collaboratively about solutions,” Joshua Sledge, director, Impact Investment, Kalamazoo Community Foundation.
Through the FIL conversations with CMF members, policymakers were able to gain a deeper understanding of Michigan philanthropy's policies, programs and partnerships that address structural and systemic barriers to economic opportunity and ensure economic prosperity is accessible to all Michiganders.
“Entrepreneurs face a variety of barriers to building their businesses, some of which come from how they interact with local government. From understanding licensing requirements to accessing state programs, operating and growing a small business can be challenging for entrepreneurs,” Sledge said.
According to Ann LeWalk, director of Development at the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan, who attended the FIL conversation focused on health-related efforts, it is important for philanthropy to engage with and educate legislators to help serve as a resource.
“Individuals often assume legislators have an understanding of all the needs of their constituents... when in reality, they cannot possibly know and understand all. This is why it is so important for all of us to interact with our legislators and their staff to help them understand issues of particular importance to us and the groups we represent,” LeWalk said.
The health-focused FIL conversations served as an opportunity to highlight Michigan philanthropy’s work to improve social and environmental determinants of health through multiple approaches to contribute to better health outcomes for Michiganders.
“Partnerships between government entities and foundations and nonprofit organizations are essential to support the varying and ever-growing needs of Michigan’s citizens,” LeWalk said.
According to Sledge, the FIL conversations with policymakers gave him a deeper appreciation for how foundations and legislators can work together on issues important to the communities we serve.
“Policymakers were hungry for insights about what we saw happening in our communities and how they could help. I walked away excited about the potential for greater coordination with legislators in the future,” Sledge said.
“While our organization is not specifically focused on advocacy, I believe it is essential that all philanthropic staff members engage in advocacy training and legislative days. I had years of advocacy experience in my previous positions and plan to use my participation in FIL as a jumping-off point to encourage the rest of the staff at the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan to get involved,” LeWalk said.
Throughout August, several of Michigan’s state and federal legislators are hosting in-district events to support engagement and deepened relationships with constituents.
“I see an opportunity to build authentic partnerships with policymakers to address issues affecting our community. The more we can discuss what we are seeing with legislators and their teams, the better positioned they will be to create policy solutions that make a real difference,” Sledge said.
CMF’s Government Relations and Public Policy team is sharing the latest on upcoming opportunities to learn more about policy priorities, share the important work philanthropy is leading in and with community and build strong connections with your policymakers through CMF’s Policy Online Community.
Want more?
In September, join your Michigan philanthropy peers engaged in environmental work, hosted by CMF affinity group Green and Blue Network, and meet with state legislators on select committees whose work has a direct impact on the communities you work with and their relationship with the environment. This is an opportunity for lawmakers to hear from you about Michigan philanthropy’s work with and in communities to protect our environment through public-private partnerships and cross-sector collaborations. Learn more and register.
Stay connected with the latest updates and schedule of policymaker in-district meetings this summer by subscribing to CMF’s Policy Online Community.
