Supporting Michigan K-12 public school education foundations through networking, collaboration, and professional development

The Michigan Education Foundation (MEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization built by and for people passionate about quality public K-12 education in Michigan. Its mission is to be a catalyst for the creation and growth of local education foundations in communities across our state.

The MEF hosts five meetings a year. Each meeting focuses on a topic relevant to education foundations and includes time for idea sharing and Q&A among attendees

Upcoming Meetings

Meetings are located (unless otherwise noted) in the Okemos Public Schools Administration Building / 4406 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864 (** virtual meetings as of May 2020)

All persons associated with an education foundation are welcome.
MEF membership is not required for meeting attendance for new foundations.
to attend a meeting, send us a message and we'll add you to our email list.

2020-21 MEF Meetings

August 10, 2020: Current issues facing education foundations -- via Zoom
October 5, 2020: Fundraising Part 1 (events) -- via Zoom
January 11, 2021: Fundraising, Part 2 (private donor meetings, corporate partners) --via Zoom
March 8, 2021: Education foundation / District partnerships: various models
May 3, 2021: Classroom Grants (and annual meeting)

**Due to the uncertainty of our times, the MEF board may change the scheduled meeting topics to address the current needs of our members.

Previous Meeting Topics

Mondays in May (2020) Virtual Discussion Series: How can education foundations stay relevant today? Spring fundraising events: what's next? Education foundation finances: how to bridge the gap in fundraising
Donor Retention (at The Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Grand Rapids)
Annual Appeals
Tax law changes and the implications for fundraising
Technology challenges and opportunities
Endowment campaigns
Transitioning from all-volunteer board to paid staff
Public school funding in Michigan
Board engagement
Website solutions for nonprofits; ADA compliance
Board best practices
Fundraising events
Starting or re-starting a K-12 education foundation
Social media marketing
Email marketing
Outreach strategies for major gifts

MEF Membership

Meet our Members

MEF membership supports the continuation of the organization and offers these benefits to member foundations:

Annual MEF Membership Benefits

5 meetings per year, featuring both outside and inside speakers
Document sharing via a Google intranet site
Networking/idea sharing with other state foundation leaders
Learning opportunities on topics relevant to running an education foundation
Link from the MEF website to your foundation; use of the MEF logo on your foundation's site
Notes and documents from each meeting
10% membership discount with the National School Foundation Association (NSFA) To access the NSFA discount, use this link.