As a philanthropy with its roots in Shiawassee County, the Cook Family Foundation supports local efforts to improve our community. Vital to this work are locally-based, locally-governed nonprofit organizations. Far from here, our nation is overhauling its policy and programs that help those in need, provide our healthcare, protect the environment, and promote arts and culture. We don’t yet know how these changes will play out in our community, but those of us who work locally to address these issues are committed to our mission to serve.
Nonprofit Partner Executive Directors at a Finances Workshop.
Local private funding makes up the majority, if not the entirety, of the budgets of most Shiawassee nonprofits. However, all nonprofits depend on the state and federal government for their legal designation as charitable organizations. Many of them receive small government grants for specific programs, new facilities, or added staff. A few of them receive a large amount of public funds to operate programs on behalf of governmental agencies because they are better able to serve specific community needs. Some of these organizations have recently lost funding, or are worried about their future; many have been criticized for their work.
The Cook Family Foundation stands in solidarity with our nonprofit partners and continues our long-standing support of Shiawassee organizations. Recently we joined other funders in the philanthropic sector in signing the Commitment for Trust-Based Action through the National Center for Family Philanthropy and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. We also signed on to the Council on Foundations’ commitment to protect philanthropic freedom, with an emphasis on maintaining the freedom to direct our resources to a wide variety of important services, issues, and places without fear of retribution at a national level.
Signing these commitments is not a one-time action and our commitment is deeper than a signature on a line. Rather, these actions display our unwavering support for nonprofits, and a commitment to respond to nonprofit needs in creative, trust-based ways. The Foundation cannot fill the gaps that loom for some of our partners who receive large percentages of federal dollars. However, the Foundation does want to make clear our support for the many missions of local groups and their critical contributions to the quality of life for all Shiawassee residents.
The Cook Family Foundation is nonpartisan, both by choice and federal law. None of our nonprofit partners are political organizations; all work to improve the local community. In these times, we feel it important to focus attention on the policy components of actions by the Executive Branch and Congress and their ramifications on local providers of services. State and federal policy changes frequently; our goal is to help ensure local nonprofits can adapt to those changes and meet their mission.
As the charitable sector enters a new, but yet unknown, era, our nonprofit organizations need to re-affirm their mission, refine their programs, and strengthen their capacity. From access to food to mental health services, Shiawassee nonprofits provide vital resources to support our community. For more than two decades, the Cook Family Foundation has provided technical assistance and financial support to our local nonprofits because we believe that they offer the most effective way to serve our community.
Historically, the Cook Family Foundation supports our nonprofit partners during good and bad times. Meeting our nonprofits where they are, based on their needs during times of emergencies, is something we pride ourselves on. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the landscapes for nonprofits shifted; they had to answer different needs, find different resources, and literally adjust to save lives. Many lessons were learned, which we captured in a 2021 report.
During the COVID timeframe funding for nonprofits shifted, and the Foundation modified how we issued funds to our partners. Funding was offered in a variety of formats to our nonprofit partners, and they could request consulting support to help navigate operational support. As in the past, we maintain our trust in local nonprofits and plan to continue to adjust to meet our partners’ needs.
We trust our nonprofits to do good work, and rely on their input to decide on our grants. Trust-based philanthropy is not a new concept. It is not new to the Foundation, and it is not new to many individual donors. Now is the time to commit more to unrestricted funding, and to commit more funding in general to those nonprofits on the front line of dealing with change. The Cook Family Foundation pledges to increase our emphasis on trust-based, community philanthropy across Shiawassee County. Please join us.
