About Us
Welcome to Michigan Citizens Education Fund
Michigan Citizens Education Fund (“MCEF”) advances a progressive agenda by 1) determining what issues make a difference in people’s daily lives, 2) using these issues to expand the electorate by mobilizing new and infrequent voters, and, 3) through all of our nonpartisan civic engagement activities, building a sustained activist base eager to remain involved day in and day out, after the election is over. This work does not stop with one election, rather it is cyclical, and MCEF staff are skilled at moving back and forth between elections, issue education, and organizing.
We serve as a bridge builder across diverse communities, and these efforts have never been more critical to the future of our neighborhoods, cities and state’s stability. In addition to bringing tangible benefits to the people and communities we serve, we also develop enduring habits of civic engagement and lasting appreciation of partners and perspectives. This strengthens our society, and advances public diplomacy objectives. The impact of our civic engagement activities results in individuals becoming empowered as agents of positive social change for a more democratic world. Civic engagement involves one or more of the following:
MCEF’s unique strength is that we typically engage and organize historically underrepresented populations – people of color, women on their own, youth and the LGBT community members who are occasional voters. Our strength is widely recognized by organizations statewide. We are a founding member of the Michigan Voice Table, and currently sit on the Leadership Committee of the organization. We were also selected to be the local table organizer for the city of Battle Creek in 2009. The constituencies with which we work are disproportionately affected by government spending decisions, increasing their participation in democracy gives them a critical stake in shaping their own futures. We believe that the best way to engage and mobilize underrepresented populations is to first build a compelling issue program that is based on the concerns they face each day. Next, we share these issues through voter-to-voter interactions. Through this process, we not only educate and mobilize infrequent voters, but we also build an activist base of people eager to remain involved after elections conclude. Year after year, election after election, MCEF continues to build our volunteer base and develop local leaders across the state. |
Below are brief descriptions of our civic engagement activities and outlines ways in which partners can be a part of them. MCEF conducts all of these activities on a nonpartisan basis, working in partnerships with local, state and national organizations.
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