Supporting Nonprofit Partner Rest, Well-Being & Liberation
The McGregor Fund aims to always center the voices of our grant partners. We also recognize the power of using our individual and collective platforms and relationships to amplify our partners’ missions.
This fall, McGregor Fund staff have been on the road, attending and presenting at national and regional convenings to share insights and strengthen connections across our field.
Read on to see what the Fund’s been up to in Michigan, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Virginia.
We’re also proud to announce the appointment of Heidi Alcock, our Vice President for Strategy & Grants Portfolio, to the board of the Michigan State Bar Foundation.
McGregor Fund Co-Hosts Session at CMF Conference
At the 53rd Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) Annual Conference in Kalamazoo, we were honored to co-host a session, along with Monica Marie Jones, on Supporting Nonprofit Partner Rest, Well-Being & Liberation.
Special thanks to Yodit Mesfin Johnson, Executive in Residence, Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) & Independent Consultant; and Suma Karaman Rosen, Executive Director, InsideOut Literary Arts; who joined Monica and Vanessa Samuelson, McGregor Fund Director of Learning & Insight, to share their learnings from their sabbatical experiences via the McGregor Fund Miller Fellowship.
Our session built on conversations we began at last year’s conference and in our most recent biennial report, in which we explored philanthropy’s responsibility to shift practices in response to the needs and realities of our nonprofit partners. We believe today, as we did then, that “Rest is Justice,” the practice of which begins to make space for healing and liberation.
This year, we went deeper, inviting CMF participants to learn from the panel, connect with peers, and reflect on ways to pursue remedy through relationship.
From Yodit Mesfin Johnson: “Well-being and liberation are systemic.”
This is particularly important at this time, as the nonprofit sector is functioning under a constant cloud of uncertainty. With a focus on survival and service to those whose safety and well-being is at great risk, the need for rest is often even less of a priority for our partners. However, it is more important than ever, and the inability to access rest is threatening our collective ability to sustain meaningful work.
From Suma Karaman Rosen: “If you’re working with a partner and they say they are okay, they are not. That’s a performance. We are all struggling. We are all struggling.”
The session was framed around the following question:
“In the current moment of the nonprofit sector, there is a sense that there is no time to rest. At the same time, nonprofits are facing a burnout crisis that threatens the sector’s effectiveness. How can philanthropy balance these two dynamics simultaneously?”
Together with Monica Marie Jones, a wellness coach supporting nonprofit leaders, including our own McGregor Fund Miller Fellows, we explored this tension through experiential learning activities designed to give participants:
- An experience of rest through grounding in practices of well-being
- Connection with peers who share experiences and aspirations.
- Perspective on the experience of leading a nonprofit in today’s environment
- Space to reflect on what rest, well-being and liberation can look like in our work and partnerships
We are grateful to CMF for the opportunity to center the voices of nonprofit leaders and create space for honest connection, and to all our peers supporting our partners in prioritizing rest, well-being and liberation.
Fund Contributes to Discussion on Protecting Inclusive Policies and Practices
Also at the 53rd CMF Annual Conference, Heidi Alcock, McGregor Fund Vice President of Strategy & Grants Portfolio, had the privilege of joining the Michigan Forum for African Americans in Philanthropy’s panel: Philanthropic Approaches to Defending Inclusive Policies and Practices.
Panelists discussed strategies for protecting and defending inclusive policies and practices in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, including “CMF’s work to protect philanthropic freedom, national philanthropic partnerships like READI (Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative), and community-based approaches ranging from nonprofit capacity building to supporting grantee mental wellness in an evolving context,” such as the McGregor Fund Miller Fellowship Program.
Special thanks to a powerhouse group of leaders for the invitation to join a discussion centered on care for our partners:
- Regina Bell, Council of Michigan Foundations
- Meredith Freeman, Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
- Bomani Johnson, ABFE
- Camarrah Morgan, Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
- Dr. Alana White, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Daphnée Woodley, The Campbell Law Firm (TCLF)
McGregor Fund Team on the Move
PEAK Grantmaking Midwest Regional Summit (Milwaukee)
- Marcia Gardner, Grants Manager & Executive and Board Administrator
- Nikia Washington, Director of Engagement & Communications
PEAK’s Mighty Midwest chapter continues to feel like a warm landing place for the McGregor Team year after year. At this year’s PEAK Grantmaking Mighty Midwest Fall Gathering, Marcia, who volunteers on the program team, shared her wisdom on navigating career growth. Nikia joined a panel discussion on operationalizing grantmaking.
Key takeaway: Coming back home, they’re sitting with this question: “What creative operational improvements can we make internally to create more ease for our grant partners?”
National Symposium on Solutions to End Youth Homelessness (Baltimore)
- Kate Levin Markel, President
Detroit was well represented in Baltimore at the 2025 National Symposium on Solutions to End Youth Homelessness, sponsored by Point Source Youth. Azaria Terrell, Detroit Phoenix Center Youth Action Board (YAB) President, galvanized the 500+ gathered in the opening plenary, cheered on by friends from the YAB and Detroit Phoenix Center. Kate added McGregor’s voice to the closing plenary, “Resourcing Our Movement Amid Growing Resistance.”
Key takeaway: Young people experiencing or at high risk of homelessness can best solve the challenges they face if they are given funds and trusted. As direct cash programs spring up across the U.S., evaluations are building a clear evidence base that cash plus trust is what works.
Workforce Matters Funders Network’s Further Together Conference (Arlington, VA)
- Jonathan Pulley, Director of Grant Development
Workforce Matters is a national convening space for funders and foundations who are thinking creatively about the future of work and how to strengthen the systems, supports and partnerships that make opportunity possible. Jonathan sat in on sessions that elevated worker voice, addressed barriers to access, and showcased solutions working across the country.
Key takeaways: First, anyone seeking to center workers must understand that every issue affecting workers is workforce development. Quality childcare, reliable transportation and accessible healthcare are all essential to a thriving workforce. Second, the broader policy landscape, from immigration and social safety net funding to the lack of robust state and federal data infrastructure, makes it harder to tackle these challenges in isolation.
Tech Forward Annual Conference (Nashville)
- Taylor Fisher, Senior Accountant
Tech Forward brings together nonprofit technology leaders, decision makers, and staff from organizations throughout the country to explore innovative technologies that can change the way we work as nonprofits. Taylor’s experience was shaped by speakers and sessions focused on creating actionable dashboards, improving website security, approaching AI with responsibility and awareness of bias, and leveraging AI to simplify processes and better understand complex data.
Key takeaway: Nonprofits aren’t “behind” when it comes to AI. It’s really about shifting from curiosity to action. Even small steps, like educating your team on safe practices or teaching them to spot bias, make a big difference.
