The report, “The State of Diversity in Environmental Organizations: Mainstream NGOs, Foundations & Government Agencies,” is the most comprehensive report on diversity in the environmental movement. It surveyed 191 environmental non-profits, 74 government environmental agencies, and 28 leading environmental grant-making foundations to investigate their gender and racial diversity composition, the majority of which state diversification as a “value.” The study included confidential interviews of 21 environmental leaders from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The result was an overwhelmingly white "Green Insider's Club."

The crises affecting our nation and the world have prompted philanthropists to become more organized, focused, and, perhaps above all, "strategic" in their efforts. The movement toward "strategic philanthropy" has already contributed to greater philanthropic effectiveness. Yet, despite important contributions to education, health, the arts, and the environment, it is clear that philanthropy's ultimate impact is still limited. Great disparities along the lines of race, gender, class, and other identity markers persist and, in some cases, are even exacerbated.  NCRP researchers Jagpal and Laskowski draw on common themes seen in a series of reports to demonstrate how a social justice approach produces concrete results and society-wide benefits regardless of issue focus.

With support from The C.S. Mott Foundation, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) investigated and documented pathways into postsecondary education and the workforce for older, vulnerable youth in Michigan with the goal of providing information to create a more robust dialogue amongst key state-level stakeholders.

It is imperative that Michigan’s advocates, policymakers, and leaders continue to build and sustain a robust pipeline to long-term success that includes a range of on-ramps for the Opportunity Youth population.

Nonprofit organizations face a long list of challenges that start with fundraising and can include everything from meeting increasing demands for services to utilizing technology most effectively. Who do they turn to for assistance as they grapple with these issues? One source of assistance and support can be foundations, which have a vested interest in nonprofits’ success—and the resources to help.

To help foundations understand whether nonprofits feel their challenges are well-understood and to raise awareness of the areas in which more foundation assistance could be beneficial, The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) surveyed a panel of 296 nonprofit executives directors. CEP asked these leaders to reflect on how challenging each of the 25 issues is to their organizations. For issues not related to contributed revenue, they were asked to indicate whether or not they believe foundations are in a position to help, and whether they are looking for more help from foundations. The data clearly show that nonprofits are not looking to foundations to solve all their problems. But in some crucial areas, they are looking for more help and do not believe foundations are doing all they could. 

The Michigan nonprofit sector has a rich tradition of creating change in local communities.  Despite the historical successes of influencing public policy at all governmental levels, many nonprofits are hesitant to engage in advocacy.  This primer, now in its third edition and produced jointly by the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) and the Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA), provides an explanation of simple advocacy tactics that will empower your nonprofit to take action and further the mission of your organization.  The intended audience for this handbook is 501(c)(3) nonprofits – both public charities and private foundations.

This publication will examine the common elements of the state and federal religious exemption laws, review the national landscape of religious exemption legislation and litigation, demonstrate how religious exemption laws have had serious unintended consequences, and examine the impact of broad religious exemption laws on the LGBT community.

This report is part of an ongoing series that will provide in-depth analyses of laws and policies tracked at the Movement Advancement Project’s “Equality Maps,” found at http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps. The information in this report is current as of the date of publication, but the online maps are updated daily.

This fourth and latest report from the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) shares the learning journey and organizational change efforts underway in eight CMF community, family, and independent foundations that participate in the Peer Action Learning Network (PALN) and provides important lessons learned to guide other foundations interested in following this path.  Related case studies on changes underway in three of those foundations -- Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation – provide valuable insights and lessons for interested foundations and nonprofits.  

This study assesses the initial impact of the 2011 repeal of the Community Foundation Tax Credit in Michigan. The Council of Michigan Foundations commissioned the study with the hope of using the data to better understand the role of incentives in charitable giving and to leverage legislative support for community foundations.

In a Comprehensive Fiscal Sponsorship Relationship, the fiscally sponsored project becomes a program of the fiscal sponsor and is a fully integrated part of the fiscal sponsor who maintains all legal and fiduciary responsibility for the sponsored project, its employees, and activities. Any work product is available to the public or to the charitable sector. The fiscal sponsor assures funders that the purposes and any restrictions of all grants and/or contributions will be met.  This document outlines guidelines for comprehensive fiscal sponsorship.

Recent elections and the level of polarization that seem to prevail today suggest that Michigan residents see themselves living different lives based on their urban or rural geography. The statistics compiled for this report illustrate the many ways in which Michigan’s urban and rural areas are alike and different. 

Amid a polarizing political climate, this report aims to provide a deeper understanding of what’s happening in our rural and urban areas, particularly how issues and topics affect the perspectives of Michiganders when it comes to immigration, housing, education, health care, and more. The report examines data to highlight how our perspectives may be shaped by our environment and how we should work together for a greater understanding of all communities to build a prosperous Michigan for all.