Our History

The Porter Family Foundation was created by Tom Porter in 1998 in an effort to support the sustainability of the Great Lakes Basin for the benefit of the people of Michigan.  The foundation was also intended to support and grow the family’s values in giving back to its community, trying to make the world a better place, and helping those less fortunate than us.  

Shortly after the foundation's formation, the Porter Family Foundation began to see that the most critical part of the environment to focus on is global warming.  Until recently, few people in our state of Michigan and in our country were willing to talk about global warming and the horrific impact it is beginning to have on our environment and our people, particularly those in disadvantaged communities.  We believed that we needed to start talking about global warming and the extraordinary impact it is having on our planet and to make our priority support for projects that attempt to address this pressing issue.

As a small foundation, the family believes it can have the greatest impact by serving as a catalyst for positive change and focusing its efforts in one program area, the environment.  It works with environmental leaders to identify critical needs and to explore possible solutions. It emulates the best practices Tom Porter learned as a venture capitalist to identify great people to develop innovative ideas for positive change and then to provide help in accessing know how and capital to implement them. It seeks partners who add value to the work.  It works with its grantees as needed to help insure success and the greatest positive impact possible.  And, it seeks ways to leverage its work so others can benefit from its impact and it’s learning.

For more information please see the Michigan Environmental report here: https://www.environmentalcouncil.org/michigan_climate_action_network_helps_communities_take_action_against_climate_change