About the Council of Michigan Foundations
View a timeline of the CMF organization.
Founded in 1972, the Council of Michigan Foundations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization whose members are composed of organizations providing financial philanthropic support for charitable purposes in Michigan. Ultimately, CMF’s mission is to grow the impact of Michigan philanthropy, as well as to increase private, community foundation and corporate grantmaking resources and advocate for giving in general.
Over its 42 year history, CMF has grown to become the nation’s largest regional association of grantmakers, serving more than 330 organizational members – family foundations, corporate foundations and giving programs, independent and community foundations, and public charities of all sizes. CMF members represent 85% of the organized philanthropic assets in the State of Michigan (CMF, n.d.).
CMF, with its role as not only a membership association, but also as an incubator for a common state philanthropic agenda, launched a series of significant joint philanthropic ventures, including Learning to Give (LTG) and the Michigan Community Foundations’ Youth Project (MCFYP). LTG and MCFYP created worldwide movements to educate children to be generous and to provide young people with opportunities to become practicing philanthropists; both are supported by sustained permanent resources through endowed funds.
CMF has two supporting organizations: Learning to Give, and Midwest Community Foundation Ventures (MCFV). MCFV is a collaboration of community foundations from the Midwest states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio representing the majority of the community foundations in the nation.
CMF is one of four infrastructure organizations that launched a series of path breaking programmatic initiatives, mostly around the broad themes of improving the effectiveness of the civil society sector and preparing the next generation to carry on this critical tradition of giving and serving. These efforts resulted in leveraging substantial new resources for Michigan communities.
Video: Leaders discuss the Council of Michigan Foundations:
