Project Profile:

State of Michigan, 65 Michigan community foundations serving all 83 counties

The Council of Michigan Foundations distributed tobacco settlement funds received from the state to 65 Michigan community foundations. The allocated funds came from interest earned on a portion of tobacco settlement revenue received by Michigan after a national tobacco settlement agreement. This partnership was the first effort in the country to involve community foundations in the distribution of tobacco settlement funds and served as a national model.

These funds were designated to support programs at the community and regional levels that contributed to healthy youth and healthy seniors. Each community foundation convened a local committee to help allocate the funds, which included at least two members of their local Youth Advisory Committee. The community foundations were to use half of the funds to create permanent endowments for healthy youth and seniors programming, and the other half for direct grantmaking to programs for the same purpose. Each foundation received a base grant of $10,000, with extra money depending on the size of the populations of youth under 18 and seniors over 65 in the area.

Overall, more than $10 million was distributed to 65 community foundations across Michigan during the first phase of the project. The other $10 million was used to create permanent Healthy Youth, Healthy Seniors endowments.

• $20 million

• $10 million in grants directed to healthy youth and senior programming
• $10 million in permanent endowments created for future programming for healthy youth and seniors
• First effort in the country to involve community foundations in the distribution of settlement funds and served as a national model