Statewide Equity Fund Strategic Support Pilot

Overview

The SEF Strategic Support Pilot is a $2 million CMF member-driven pooled fund aimed at providing the infrastructure needed to help shape incoming American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other federal dollars toward equity-centered approaches to advance economic prosperity in communities.

Through the pilot, five regional collaborative sites, led by CMF members, are working closely with their local units of government to help shape investments toward equitable outcomes within the focus area of economic prosperity.

Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, Community Foundation of Marquette County, Grand Rapids Community Foundation and the Pontiac Funders Collaborative are all serving as the regional collaborative site leads piloting this work in their respective geographic service areas.

The pilot is:

• Providing the regional collaboratives with information on state and federal funding policy as well as opportunities to shape federal funding and inventory philanthropy’s investments.
• Connecting regional collaboratives with technical assistance providers to share innovative approaches, metrics and tools to help inform investments.
• Creating spaces for shared learning across regions with peer-to-peer exchange and learning opportunities with similar models underway across the country.

The SEF has earmarked funding to seed innovations that emerge from the pilot. Innovation funding will be determined based on new and different ways in which philanthropy is working with the community and government that shape equity conversations and hold promise for accountability measures.

An evaluation of the overall pilot and the regional collaborative sites' work will be shared with our full CMF community in the coming months. The learning and insights that emerge from this work will inform long-term strategies for Michigan philanthropy to advance equity-centered approaches, collectively.