Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is led by a six-member board, four of whom support mostly Republican Party candidates and one who is a substantial Democratic Party supporter.  The 52-member board of trustees consists mostly of prominent business and community leaders, some of whom have ties to Republican Party and conservative causes, while others support mostly left-leaning causes and Democratic Party candidates. ²

The great majority of causes supported by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan are generally not considered politically controversial.  Some projects supported by the CFSE have a left-of-center lean, such as partnering with the American Civil Liberties Union to support adding sexual orientation as a protected status to state nondiscrimination laws, donations to organizations supporting expanded immigration, and support for environmentalist initiatives. The CFSE also supports government initiatives that promote tax breaks and subsidy programs for some businesses. ^{1 3}

History

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan was founded in 1984 and claims to have distributed more than $1 billion through more than 67,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the Detroit metropolitan area. ⁴

Funding

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan reported $124,891,125 in assets in 2018 from a mix of grants received, investments, and supporters. CFSE donated just under $69 million to various charities, scholarships, nonprofit institutions, and individuals in 2018. ¹

People

James B. Nicholson

James Nicholson chairs the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan board. Nicholson is chair and president of a Detroit-based chemical company. ⁵ He is a self-described Republican who donates to many Republican Party candidates⁶ and ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 1996,⁵ but stated in 2016 that he did not support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. ⁷

Penny B. Blumenstein

Penny Blumenstein is one of three vice chairs of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan board. Blumenstein donates to a mix both Republican Party and Democratic Party candidates, as well as to pro-abortion organizations. ⁸ She is active in Jewish community organizations⁹ and is married to commercial real estate developer Harold Blumenstein, who supports mostly Republican Party candidates. ¹⁰

David M. Hempstead

David Hempstead is one of three vice chairs of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan board. He is an attorney, and donates mostly to Republican Party candidates. ^{11 12}

Reginald M. Turner

Reginald Turner is one of three vice chairs of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan board. Turner is a very prominent attorney who is president of the American Bar Association¹³ and sits on the corporate boards of Masco Corporation and Comerica Bank. ¹⁴

Turner donates tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic Party candidates. ¹⁵

Mary H. Weiser

Mary Weiser is secretary of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan board. She is a major donor to the University of Michigan Food Allergy Center, which is named after her. ¹⁶ Her husband, Ron Weiser, is a regent for the University of Michigan and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and a major donor to Republican Party candidates.. ¹⁷ Mary Weiser contributes almost exclusively to Republican candidates. ¹⁸

Michael T. Monahan

Michael Monahan is treasurer of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan board. He is a career commercial banker and chairs a venture capital fund. ¹⁹  He donates exclusively to Republican Party candidates. ²⁰