While lead was officially discovered in Flint’s drinking water in September 2015, Flint’s children and families had been drinking
lead-poisoned water since April 2014. Although the damage was done, a solid nutrition foundation could still be created that could help mitigate the effects of future lead exposure and give Flint’s children the best chance for a healthy future.

Founded in 2003 as a collaboration between the State of Michigan and philanthropic organizations, the Governor’s Office of Foundation Liaison (OFL) — the first of its kind in the nation — serves as an executive branch-level nonpartisan connector between Michigan’s public and philanthropic sectors.

The state has released its first-ever Statewide Housing Plan (SHP) to address the many challenges and acute disparities in accessing safe and affordable housing in Michigan. Hear from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority on the goals, strategies and outcoming measures outlined in the SHP and how philanthropy can engage in the implementation of the plan. 

Named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People," Fortune's "50 Greatest Leaders" and Foreign Policy's "100 Leading Global Thinkers", Dr Katharine Hayhoe is helping us prepare for the ways climate change affects all of us.

With the influx of federal resources and state surplus, there is a tremendous opportunity for Michigan philanthropy to strengthen partnerships with government and community members to shape the allocation of public dollars. In this conversation, CMF and the Statewide Equity Fund Working Group connect with Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder in Residence at PolicyLink, to discuss insights gained from her work as a policy advocate, activist and social justice leader, learn more about PolicyLink's partnership with the Urban Institute in measuring equity impacts in federal policy and philanthropy's role in shaping the equitable outcome of public dollars.

"A Case Study of Michigan During Crisis" documents the experience of the Office of Foundation Liaison in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic through a compilation of a dozen interviews with state officials and foundation leaders conducted from December 2020 to February 2021.

This new publication honors the innovative leadership of CMF members, and the many unique ways philanthropy peers are working together and with their communities to make Michigan a place where all can thrive.