We at CAAP love that our grantmaking extends across the nation (from Massachusetts to California), but it’s also important for us to develop strong connections within the Great Lakes region. This year’s annual Council of Michigan Foundations conference was held in Kalamazoo on Oct. 10-11, and CAAP staff Jamie Kim, Katy Hanway, and Jeanette Mansour (program consultant from the C.S. Mott Foundation) were in attendance.
At the conference, CAAP staff networked with over 500 colleagues and partners from foundations across the state of Michigan. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder gave the opening plenary discussion, kicking off a dynamic and all-encompassing event meant to enrich and enlighten dialogue between community, family, corporate, independent, and public foundation professionals. In addition, the conference gave CAAP staff the opportunity to raise awareness among others in the foundation field about CAAP’s mission and Arab American giving in general.
CAAP attended various sessions covering the best in foundation governance, leadership, grantmaking issues and strategies, communications, and finance. Of particular interest was the session “Engaging the Next Generation in Philanthropy,” which focused on getting youth involved as donors, volunteers and advocates. This session will prove useful as CAAP continues to develop our Teen Grantmaking Initiative throughout the coming months.
Some highlights of the conference included the networking event at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. The auditorium showcased powerful performances from Kinetic Affect and others that highlighted the importance of the arts for society. CAAP staff also thoroughly enjoyed the closing plenary session, which focused on education and featured Kevin Clash and Elmo from Sesame Street.
The 39th CMF conference proved a great success, and we can’t wait to attend next year’s gathering (in Dearborn – CAAP’s hometown)!