GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF FOUNDATION LIAISON

ABOUT

FORGING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Created in 2003 at the suggestion of Michigan philanthropic leaders, the Office of Foundation Liaison (OFL) currently operates with the support of Governor Gretchen Whitmer and is located in the governor's administrative offices. The Foundation Liaison is a cabinet-level position and helps to identify and broker innovative funding partnerships and strategic collaborations between the executive branch of state government and foundations to encourage programs or policy reforms that would improve the lives of all Michigan children, families and residents.  

At a glance:

• The Michigan OFL is the first cabinet-level position in the nation designed to help identify and broker innovative funding partnerships and strategic collaborations between the executive branch of state government and foundations.  

• The creation of this nonpartisan position marked the state's first formal partnership with the foundation community. 

• The executive office of the Governor, OFL, CMF and the OFL Advisory Committee work together to address statewide issues affecting Michigan. The OFL is the unifying piece that connects government and philanthropic partners in service of Michigan’s children and families. 

• The OFL was initiated and is supported by members of CMF and the state. 

• A loaned executive from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation serves as the foundation liaison where they work with the governor, the executive branch of state government, foundations and the nonprofit community to help bring about positive, effective change.  

• Since its inception in 2003, the OFL has brokered investments in initiatives to increase Michigan's economic competitiveness through reforms in early childhood development and education, K-12 education, college and career readiness, health and well-being and workforce development, with an emphasis on equity and safety net issues.

OFL FACT SHEET

COLLABORATION

In a recent case study, state officials and CMF members shared how the OFL is instrumental to the governor's office:

• The OFL's longevity and relative stability allow it to function as a "long-term policy advisor" for the new executive office personnel.
• The OFL's unique status as an outsider situated within the governor's office affords it the privilege of serving as an equity activist with insider status.
• OFL's immediate access to the governor's policy advisors and funders statewide opens a dialogue between the drivers of statewide initiatives and the organizations that can incubate those initiatives, evaluate them and promote them at the local level.

GOVERNANCE

The OFL is governed by an advisory committee that includes representatives from its funding foundations, the CMF president and CEO, Michigan Nonprofit Association's president and CEO and a senior representative from the governor's staff. The OFL Advisory Committee sets the OFL's responsibilities and objectives and helps guide its work. Priority issue areas for the OFL are aligned with both foundation and state government priorities and these currently include early childhood education and development, K-12 education, college and career readiness, health and well-being and workforce development, with an emphasis on equity and safety net issues.

Staff