The Community Foundation Energy Initiative was the first public-private partnership between the State of Michigan and community foundations as a way to handle the distribution of Exxon payout.

Through the Great Lakes Environmental Collaborative, a group of community foundations created environmental funds to protect the Great Lakes.

Healthy Youth, Healthy Seniors distributed tobacco settlement funds given to the Council of Michigan Foundations, establishing permanent endowments for health-related programs.

The Michigan Community Foundations’ Youth Project was launched as a challenge grant program between the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and CMF to increase community foundation capacity and engage youth grantmakers.