The Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) has created a new statewide coalition of nonprofit organizations to ensure their communities’ voices are heard in the redistricting process. 

Through the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting (MICRC) Initiative, MNA is mobilizing nonprofits to achieve fair and impartial district maps for Michigan, specifically to promote racial equity so the voices of communities are lifted up and included in the important decision-making that occurs at the local, state and federal levels.

This work is supported by philanthropy with initial funding from CMF members the Joyce Foundation and Ford Foundation. As a result, funding has already been deployed as mini grants to nonprofit organizations working on the front lines of this work. 

The goal of MICRC is to educate communities to be engaged with the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC). 

To ensure fair and equitable redistricting, Michigan voters approved the creation of the ICRC in 2018. Prior to the vote, CMF’s Board of Trustees voted to support the ballot proposal, at the recommendation of CMF’s Public Policy Committee as it supported fair, accessible and equitable civic engagement for all.

As the commission’s work is underway, MNA’s coalition which includes a cohort of nearly 20 nonprofit organizations will lead extensive outreach to the communities they serve. 

“We’re working to reach historically underrepresented communities and that is communities of color, immigrants and low-income populations,” Mariana Martinez, director of civic engagement initiatives at MNA, told CMF. “The nonprofit organizations are on the front lines and know best how to reach their communities. We are arming them with resources and education so that they themselves can disseminate that information to their communities.” 

The coalition is also working closely with New Michigan Media which is a network of diverse media, supported by several CMF members. The coalition’s communications will be multi-pronged and offer multilingual resources. 

“Explaining redistricting can be difficult to communities that are usually left out of the process, expanding funding to ensure we cover more languages and expand our communications outreach is essential,” Martinez said. 

Martinez shared that it is essential for underrepresented communities to be included in the redistricting process. 

"The consequences of not involving underrepresented communities can be negative and profound," Martinez told CMF. "We need to invest in this opportunity, and because it is short term, we need to be very strategic and allocate resources to ensure our communities participate in the process.” 

The coalition is currently working in Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids and according to Martinez, they are hoping to expand to other parts of the state. 

“During the application process for the mini-grants, we received an overwhelming amount of interest from all over the state, we know that communities are very interested in getting involved and educating their communities,” Martinez said. 

This coalition led by MNA is similar to the structure of Michigan’s Nonprofits Complete Count Campaign, which was led by MNA in partnership with CMF and supported by 20 CMF members. The campaign worked to mobilize statewide, regional and community-based participation in support of the census, especially in historically hard-to-count communities.

“The work done on the census illustrated the powerful way we can partner with nonprofits and reach out so all voices in our community are heard. The Learning Community has transitioned to apply these same principles to the redistributing process,” Sharon Mortensen, president and CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation and Civic Engagement Learning Community co-chair shared. 
 

CMF’s Civic Engagement Learning Community focuses on fair and equitable redistricting, as well as on amplifying community voice, improving civic infrastructure and strengthening democratic institutions.

We invite our CMF community to join the learning community this Wednesday, April 7 for a virtual event: Redistricting Roundtable, which will include several key organizations involved in this work including MNA. During the conversation, we will discuss Michigan’s citizen-led redistricting process and the roles philanthropy can play in to empower community voices. 

Want more?

Learn more about MNA’s Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Initiative.

CMF’s Civic Engagement Learning Community serves as a convening body for CMF members interested and involved in efforts around redistricting, voter education and other forms of civic participation. If you’re interested in joining the learning community, please contact Kyra Hudson, CMF’s public policy fellow.