Starting in fall 2024, the Steelcase Foundation and W. K. Kellogg Foundation began convening a group to discuss issues that impact families and children in Michigan and find solutions to improve their lives. At the inaugural Michigan Children and Families Summit, advocates, organizational leaders, policy makers, and community members came together to consider the implications of maintaining the status quo and the importance of collaborating with new and established partners to pursue a world where we not only discuss felt differences for whole families, but also make them a reality. The summit boldly pledged: “to collaborate and lead in this space, by facilitating conversations between those who work in the child and family space and those who work in the policy space every day.” The summit convened again in 2025 and 2026 and now includes 130 individuals and 60 organizations connecting their ongoing work and advocacy toward that pledge.
Grounded in data and a two-generation approach, the summit has focused on enacting statewide policy changes that center the needs of families and addressing systemic barriers to whole family well-being. By fostering bipartisan dialogue and facilitating direct engagement opportunities with lawmakers in Lansing, the Michigan Children & Families Summit has served as a vital platform for community partners to learn together, share knowledge, strengthen the family support ecosystem, and actively join forces toward making Michigan a state in which all families can flourish.
The summit’s collective work has culminated in a five pillar, Families First Policy Framework that has been shaped by previous summit gatherings, small focus groups of summit attendees, and the communal survey done in the fall of 2025. The Families First Policy Framework also aligns with data from an EPIC-MRA poll conducted in April 2026 with 500 potential Michigan voters from diverse political affiliations. These voters consistently supported policies that strengthen family stability, opportunity, and economic security.
Taken together, the Families First Policy Framework and the messaging poll results can inform our collective voice as we work in coalition to move Michigan forward for children and families.
To join the Michigan Children & Families Coalition list and to receive future emails and updates, please email Mariam Robinson at mrobinson@bellwetherpr.com.
