At CMF we know you and your nonprofit partners and those they serve may be feeling fear, confusion and concern about what the recent uncertainties and disruptions of the federal administration may signal for the future of our sector and our communities. Know that you are not alone. The Executive Orders and the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) memos have sent shockwaves throughout Michigan philanthropy and for our nonprofit partners, and across the country. Analysis of the directives point to challenges to public sector support of immigrants and refugees, the LGBTQ+ community and on an array of efforts and commitments to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). We have also seen significant disruptions for leaders on the ground addressing essential needs across housing, health care, food assistance, early childhood education and much more. While the federal grant freeze was rescinded and other issues are being litigated, the EOs remain and the situation is highly fluid. Michigan’s foundations have significant investments in these areas and others potentially impacted by disruptions in federal funding.

As leaders working alongside your communities, you are well-poised to engage in deep listening with your community members and partners and lift up pressing issues. As funders you can provide the clarity and calm to meet this moment, leveraging all that we have learned throughout the pandemic – relationships built, practices shifted, collaborations strengthened – to be more effective and even more committed to the equity-centered approaches that can create a truly thriving Michigan.

I encourage you to lean into your convening power, centering community voices in understanding what is needed and how you can be of support. This might include flexible and less restrictive funding, capacity building, connections to technical assistance, information sharing and beyond. Without a doubt, the key support we can all offer is to center humanity in times like these, check in with your nonprofit partners as well as your colleagues, and create space for your own self-care. CMF is here to support you.

What can you do?

• Communicate: Maintain communication lines with your nonprofit partners; open opportunities for them to share challenges and innovations.
• Convene: Re-establish the funder and nonprofit tables developed during the pandemic and share intelligence. Support nonprofit organizations to hold briefings for policymakers’ staff on the issues and impact of your nonprofit partners.
• Inform: Work with your nonprofit partners to gather data and stories to communicate the value of the work and its impact, particularly in areas that depend on public sector funding. Keep your trustees informed with those insights.
• Invest: Explore and plan for the full suite of options available to your organization (general purpose grants, pooled funds, loans, impact investments, PRIs, MRIs, bridge grants) to deploy when needed to create timely solutions. 
• Breathe: Remember the airplane safety practice of putting on your own oxygen mask first, creating space for self-care for you and your team. Our sector is only as healthy as its practitioners. 

CMF is here for you.
Through your membership, you are part of a vital, vibrant network of peers. CMF will continue to help ensure you’re connected, equipped, and engaged in navigating these uncertain times with leading-edge practices, legal insights, policy updates, advocacy opportunities and curated resources you know and trust. More immediately, our team is staying closely connected with Michigan sector partners, including the Michigan Nonprofit Association and policy teams, to explore opportunities for collective action. We also continue to collaborate with national sector partners, federal and state policy advisors, and legal counsel to stay current on what is happening and anticipate what may be coming next. You can count on CMF to amplify news and resources from the field, and keep you updated on the latest developments.

We are collecting stories of the impact of the recent disruptions and actions via this form. We invite you to share any insights from your organization and community that might help inform policymaker conversations, programming and resource development.

Here are additional supports and resources for you:

• Connect with our Ask CMF team of experts, who can provide tailored insights on governance, equity-centered grantmaking, legal requirements in your operations and more.
• Connect with your CMF peer communities to pose questions and share timely resources with your colleagues.
• Sign-on to this letter from the National Council of Nonprofits to ensure our policymakers understand the importance and impact of our sector.
• Join today’s webinar hosted by our national partners: Executive Order on DEI: What Nonprofits and Philanthropies Need to Know, happening at 1 pm today.
• Watch this on-demand webinar Exploring the New Policy Landscape in Washington, D.C. hosted by CMF earlier this week.
• Stay engaged in other CMF-supported events, including the state budget briefings with the Governor’s Office of Foundation Liaison (OFL).
• Our ability to communicate with a unified voice on the value and importance of a healthy philanthropic sector to meet community needs is vitally important. CMF members and our team will be talking with members of Congress and our senators during Foundations on the Hill in late February; we invite you to join us as we advocate for the communities we work alongside and for our sector.

In the meantime, if you have questions or need any support, please contact our team. Thank you for your enduring leadership and commitment to a thriving and more equitable Michigan.

Best,
Kyle Caldwell
President & CEO
CMF