Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF)

Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF)

Founded in 1973 by 77 Michigan foundations, the Council of Michigan Foundations emerged from a recognition that the state's philanthropic capital needed a coordinating body. Founding members included the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation — three of the most enduring names in American institutional giving. Kyle Caldwell serves as President and CEO, overseeing an organization whose governance draws directly from the leadership of its member institutions. Trustees include Ridgway White of the Mott Foundation, Mary Culler of the Ford Motor Company Fund, and David Egner of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, embedding operational decision-making within the very foundations CMF represents. CMF's investment-related activity centers on field-building rather than direct asset management. The organization convenes members around impact investing through its partnership with Mission Investors Exchange, and it operates the Statewide Equity Fund (SEF), a vehicle designed to deploy philanthropic capital toward equitable outcomes across Michigan. Its Office of Foundation Liaison in Lansing connects foundation leaders with state government, translating philanthropic priorities into public-policy engagement. CMF also runs Learning to Give, an initiative that teaches K-12 students about philanthropy and community engagement, reflecting a long-term orientation toward building the next generation of donors and trustees. Beyond its core membership services, CMF maintains a direct institutional footprint through its own endowment portfolio and physical offices in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Grand Haven, and Lansing. The organization partners with national networks including the Council on Foundations, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), and the D5 Coalition, which focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in philanthropy. Through Midwest Community Foundation Ventures (MCFV), CMF supports community foundations across the region in developing their investment strategies and operational capabilities. CMF's structure distinguishes it from a conventional foundation or endowment in one critical respect: it functions as a membership association whose board is dominated by senior leaders of the very foundations it serves. This creates a governance model where strategic direction and sector stewardship are inseparable — trustees simultaneously set CMF's agenda and run the state's largest private foundations. The result is an organization that acts as both a policy intermediary and an operational platform, a rare hybrid in institutional philanthropy.