2024 Annual Report
A Message from CMF’s Board Chair and CMF's President and CEO
“We encourage you to listen to diverse voices — including those of people who have been overlooked, forgotten, and excluded, and who are facing persistent threats to their lives and livelihoods. We call on you to repair our tattered social fabric and help our democracy live up to its ideals. And we stand ready to work with you to move our country forward and increase opportunity for all who call it home.”
CMF members, their nonprofit partners, and donors all play important roles in our civil society and are vital to ensuring the quality of life in Michigan. Priorities, investments, and even values like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are being challenged today at a level not seen in decades. Philanthropic freedom is enshrined in our First Amendment rights of speech and assembly. This right is ours, if we can keep it.
This is a time to unite. These challenges and opportunities invite us to lead boldly to meet this moment together. Like other challenging moments we have experienced, one thing is clear: We are built for this.
All that we have learned through our long history of engagement in policy, advocacy and centering our work in equity, especially what we learned about responsive grantmaking during the pandemic, is foundational to how philanthropy can respond now and in the future. Those learnings are similarly informing how CMF is responding, supporting you and your team with strong advocacy, timely resources and guidance, and using the power of convening to build a highly connected network of philanthropy in Michigan. We are shining a light on the ways philanthropy is helping to create new, equity-centered paths forward in the wake of complex challenges and urgent community needs.
In this Annual Report, we share powerful stories of philanthropy in action across our vibrant state. These stories feature foundations of varied types and sizes working through the lens of their unique missions to foster belonging, build trust and ensure those closest to the issues are engaged in shaping the solutions.
We hope you find inspiration from your philanthropy peers who are:
- Evolving their policies and practices in support of nonprofit partners, creating space for active community engagement and honoring local leaders’ expertise.
- Taking a leadership role in managing and navigating federal funding to support the development of community parks and recreation areas.
- Centering community voices in exploring the emerging strategies and evolving needs of a group of mothers over time to reshape systems and policies to better serve Michigan families.
- Empowering youth and their agency through opportunities to make decisions that support the well-being of their communities.
CMF remains your champion and partner, connecting you with a broad and diverse network of philanthropy staff and trustees with whom you can share challenges, engage in shared learning and advance collective action. We are deeply grateful for your engagement in our CMF community and for your enduring leadership in Michigan philanthropy.
Sincerely,
Dave Mengebier
CMF Board Chair
President & CEO
Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation
