Funding Insight Directly From Funders

February 23, 2010

Everyone is talking about the “new reality,” but what exactly is this, and what could it mean for nonprofits, funders and the relationship between the two?

How is this new reality affecting funding and grantseeking? How can nonprofits access insight directly from those who review grant applications and make funding decisions?

Drawing on its connections with grantmakers who account for nearly $900 million in grants each year in Minnesota, the Minnesota Council on Foundations has encapsulated grantmaker knowledge and insight into its Grantseeking for Beginners seminars to help nonprofits learn what makes a proposal rise to the top, get noticed and get funded in an era of intense competition for extremely tight resources.

A group of corporate grantmakers and family, private and community foundations recently shared these nuggets of advice for grantseekers:

  • “Those who are able to convey their message the best will win out in a tighter grant reality.  Poorly written applications will not get noticed, and grant funders may no longer be as accessible to work with groups to help them improve their application.”
  • “I would encourage collaboration and research to avoid duplication.  In a tighter funding reality, grantmakers will be looking closely at the amount of collaboration between organizations and seek to ensure that there is as little duplication of efforts as possible in the grants that they award.”
  • “Don’t assume ‘same as last year’ when it comes to a foundation’s contact information, focus or funding guidelines. Many foundations have made internal changes, tightened budgets and changed processes.”
  • “Prepare and educate yourselves on the funder. Visit websites first; don’t call with questions on information that can be found online.  Use that information to your benefit to show you have educated yourself. Organizations need to do homework.”

If you’d like to learn more directly from funders, attend one of MCF’s Grantseeking for Beginners one-day seminars – we’re offering four this year, including some in greater Minnesota.

First up is 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 3 in St. Paul. Sign up by February 25 to save $30 off the registration fee.

At this session, learn all the basics – from researching relevant funding sources to developing strong and effective grant applications. See the proposal review and decision-making process from grantmakers’ points of view during a grantmaker panel discussion featuring:

If you can’t make the seminar, but want to learn more about a resource that can help you do your grantseeking homework on funders, check out Minnesota Grantmakers Online, MCF’s searchable database of funders and grants.

Leave a Comment » | economy, education, fundraising, grantseekers, mcf, nonprofits, programs | Permalink
Posted by Chris Noonan

Media Roundup

December 15, 2009
Photo by Dan..

Ridin' the range and ropin' the headlines so you don't have to.

Your biweekly roundup of media coverage on the world of nonprofit and philanthropy (yee-ha).

Bush Foundation Invests In Teacher Prep Programs
(Minnesota Public Radio) This month the Bush Foundation announced a bold, $40 million, 10-year initiative to improve teacher preparation in 14 colleges in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Opinion: High Demand for Aid Exceeds Folks’ Supply of Empathy
(The Star Tribune) In this powerful and very personal article, columnist Jon Tevlin talks about his own experiences growing up in a family that relied on food stamps for a time to survive, and how he sees troubling stereotypes about the poor that he became familiar with then, playing out in the giving (or sometimes the lack there of) today.

Knight Foundation Grants $1 Million to United States Artists to Support Artists, Art Initiatives
(The Daily Tell) As a part of its ongoing commitment to support the arts, the Knight Foundation has announced a 5-year, $1 million commitment to the grantmaking and advocacy organization United States Artists.

The Minnesota Wild Launches Foundation
(Twin Cities Business Magazine) The Minnesota Wild has launched their own foundation which aims to support educational initiatives, children’s medical support and the advancement of youth hockey in the state of Minnesota.

Northwest Area Foundation Awards $500,000 to Native American Prosperity Building Efforts
(Press Release) The Northwest Area Foundation recently awarded three grants, totally $500,000 to Native American organizations. Intended to support the growth of financial and human assets, the awards are a part of the Foundation’s strategic plan to redress the inequalities and poverty that many Native communities and other minorities are confronted with.

United Way Launches WarmSafeFed.org for Families in Need
(MPP Southwest Journal) The Greater Twin Cities United Way has launched a new website and a new grant to help families in need. The website WarmSafeFed.org has detailed information about the struggle that many families are facing in current economy. The grant money is intended to support area shelters as they assist homeless families in their transition from shelter to stable housing.

Did we leave something out? Please email your Minnesota grantmaker and nonprofit news to Cary Lenore Walski, MCF web communications associate, at cwalski@mcf.org, or leave a comment to this entry below.

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Posted by MCF Webmaster

How is teacher preparation like cosmetic surgery? No, this isn’t a joke.

December 3, 2009

As someone who just had yet another birthday, I can’t believe I’m writing this: I can’t wait for the next 10 years to go by. And, the faster, the better.

Why? Today, the Bush Foundation, an MCF member, and 14 higher education institutions gathered in St. Paul to announce their partnership, guaranteeing the delivery of 25,000 new, highly effective teachers by 2020. This initiative is key to the foundation’s goal over the next decade of increasing by 50 percent the number of students in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, from pre-kindergarten through college who are on track to earn a degree after high school, and of eliminating the achievement gap among diverse student groups.

Peter C. Hutchinson, Bush Foundation president, described the launching point for this initiative:

“Research has shown that while many factors play a role in educational success, effective teaching makes a bigger difference than any other in-school variable. Research also shows that when students consistently experience effective teaching, there are no achievement gaps. By forming partnerships with institutions who are willing to ensure that children across these three states will have effective teachers, we believe that over the decade we can significantly raise the achievement of every student and reduce disparities among student groups.”

The Bush Foundation and its partners define an effective teacher as one who ensures that each child learns at least a year’s worth of knowledge for every year spent in the classroom. “That seems obvious, but that’s not happening,” said Susan Heegaard, Bush Foundation vice president and educational achievement team leader, in MCF’s summer issue of Giving Forum.

Of the 72,000 teachers currently working in the three states, 40 percent will leave the profession over the next 10 years; some will retire, others will enter another profession. Who will replace them? How will they be recruited, prepared, placed and supported? What difference will they make?

To answer these questions, the 14 partnering institutions have signed on to a partnership they described today as “transformative,” “innovative,” “rare,” “courageous,” “daunting,” and “moving us from good to great.” They stressed that the type and extent of the impact that will result from this initiative can only be achieved by way of working together – not only amongst themselves but with K-12 education institutions and others as well – and becoming a voice for change.

The 14 are: Augsburg College; Bethel University; Concordia University, St. Paul; Hamline University; Minnesota State University, Mankato; University of Minnesota; Minnesota State University, Moorhead; North Dakota State University; St. Catherine University; St. Cloud State University; University of St. Thomas; University of South Dakota; Valley City State University (North Dakota); Winona State University.

In addition to sharing knowledge and dialoguing, each partner will launch a unique strategy that plays to its strengths, while challenging the status quo to ensure the teachers they prepare will be highly effective. An overview of each partner’s plan is available through the Bush Foundation’s website.

One panelist at the announcement today summarized the proposals this way: In the area of recruitment, they move from not very intentional to very intentional; in preparation, they move from theoretical to more immediately hands on, in front of a class; in the area of placement, they move from “hope for the best placement” to “placed in only the best” – in schools that are prepared and able to support these newly trained teachers; in the area of support, they move from providing little to undertaking intensive, multi-year efforts.

For its part, the Bush Foundation is committing $40 million over the next decade, its largest investment in an initiative.

The headline of the media advisory for today’s announcement mentioned the goal of transforming teacher preparation programs and proclaimed “Effectiveness of Teachers Being Guaranteed.”

In a time when the word “uncertainty” is used and used again, the word “guarantee” is truly attention-grabbing. When questioned today about the “guarantee,” a representative of one of the partners equated his institution’s involvement in this initiative to cosmetic surgery: You wouldn’t agree to the surgery unless you were almost certain that all the pieces are in place for a successful outcome.

I would add that this undertaking is also like non-elective surgery: Whatever ailments and challenges you face will not go away on their own.

Can you imagine what our communities will be like in 10 years when the goals of the Bush Foundation and these educational partners are achieved? I can hardly wait.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

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Posted by Chris Noonan

Twin Cities Loved, but Still Room for Improvement

October 6, 2009

The John S. and James L.  Knight Foundation recently released findings from its Soul of the Community study, a Gallup Poll of the residents of 26 communities across the United States, including the Twin Cities and Duluth.

The study was undertaken to enable communities to have a clearer understanding of what citizens value, and to help identify gaps for improvements. It’s hoped that leaders will be able to use this data to improve communities and attract and retain productive and innovative citizens.

The polling of Twin Cities community members revealed that, overall:

  • 29% ranked themselves as “highly loyal” and “connected” to the community.
  • 43% described themselves as neutral. They “lack full loyalty and passion, but see some positive aspects of the community.”
  • 28% identified as unattached to the community.

It’s interesting to note that although only 29% described themselves as “highly loyal,” this is still higher than the 26-community average.

Other notable tidbits from the poll include:

  • Although 9 in 10 say that the Twin Cities is a tough place to find a job right now, the state of the economy was not rated as a highly important factor in determining attachment to the area.
  • Factors rated highly included the quality of the local green spaces, which 50% rated well, and the education system, which was also highly regarded.
  • Crime and violence was identified as the most important problem facing the area.

There were also marked differences among demographic groups who took the poll. Generally speaking, highly educated individuals, those over 55, and suburbanites rated the metro area more favorably. In contrast, rural dwellers, unemployed participants, and young, talented college graduates gave the area poorer marks.

Perhaps notable for the last group is the overall feeling that the quality of the area’s nightlife has declined since the same survey was taken the year before.

It will be interesting to see if and how civic leaders use this data to try to improve the sense of affiliation that Twin Cities’ residents have for the community.

Join the Conversation:

  • What findings from the poll, which you can view in its entirety on the Soul of the Community website, do you find most notable?
  • Do you have any recommendations for improving the sense of emotional connectedness that citizens feel towards the community?
  • Do you feel that studies like this that attempt to quantify “warm-fuzzies” are reliable in determining human behavior? Or do you feel more objective measures like economic growth are better predictors?

-Cary Lenore Walski, MCF web communications associate

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Posted by MCF Webmaster

How Did We Get Here? Asking the “So What?” Question.

October 5, 2009

The back-to-school honeymoon phase is over at our house. We’re now diving head first into the myriad of multi-month projects that will takeover the remainder of the school year.

Our middle and high schools participate in the National History Day (NHD) competition, using the annual NHD themes as springboard for students’ development of research papers, displays, drama and media presentations and websites. With Project Outline Step One due to the teacher this week, we spent our weekend brainstorming on possible topics to fit this year’s theme – “Innovation in History: Impact and Change” (pdf.)

NHD always does a great job of provoking students’ thinking about historic, cultural and social aspects related to the theme.  Here are a few nuggets related to innovation:

  • Innovation involves some sort of change, but not all changes are innovations.
  • With innovation, you should be able to say what previous ideas, objects, actions or institutions were replaced.
  • Innovation is the result of human ideas or actions.
  • The short term is the impact of the innovation, and the long term is the change over time brought about by the innovation.
  • To help put the innovation in historical context and discern its legacy, ask “why?” and “so what?”

It was this nugget that got me thinking about innovation in philanthropy: Innovation suggests creative new approaches to any facet of life. Innovation is creative individuals who set out to solve a problem, take advantage of opportunities, or build on the development of other innovators.

I thought that some sort of link to philanthropy would be a great take on the NHD theme, but this didn’t fly with my child, so she’s pursuing another topic.

But, you and I can keep the conversation going via this blog.

If we were to look back at the history of philanthropy, what innovations have most impacted and changed our field?

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

Leave a Comment » | children, education, promotion of philanthropy, youth | Permalink
Posted by Chris Noonan

Education Entrepreneurs and the Transformation of Public Education

September 18, 2009

The Tenth Annual NewSchools Summit, “Innovating Toward Excellence: Education Entrepreneurs and the Transformation of Public Education,” must have been a fascinating learning experience for the nearly 500 people who attended!

Since its founding in 1998, the NewSchools Venture Fund has been dedicated to improving public education. They have provided funding not only to many charter management organizations (including Mastery Charter High School in Philadelphia, Aspire Public Schools in California, the Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago, Green Dot Schools in Los Angeles, and KIPP DC), but also to organizations that are developing and providing talented professionals for district public schools (including New Leaders for New Schools, the New Teacher Project, and Teach for America).

The report on the Tenth Annual NewSchools Summit provides in-depth coverage of the day’s program, which included presentations by:

  • Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, and Ted Mitchell, CEO, New Schools Venture Fund
    • Ted Mitchell described how innovation is typically not a “cool stroke of genius” but rather occurs along a four-stage path, which includes clarifying the problem, generating ideas to tackle the problem, testing and refining the ideas in a “small space”, and continuously improving and sharing the ideas that work.
  • David Kelley, Chairman of IDEO, a prominent and leading design firm, who delivered the Keynote Address.
    • David Kelley’s remarks focused on “design thinking,” how design thinkers approach a problem, and the critical importance of “creative confidence” in design thinking.
  • Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, who joined the Summit by videoconference.

The Summit also included a panel discussion on “Innovation as Driver for Reform” and break-out sessions on:

  • “Turning around Failing Schools: Opportunity and Challenge”
  • “Design Thinking Workshop: Cultures of Innovation and Systems Challenges”
  • “EdTech Debate”
  • “National Standards and 21st Century Assessments”

I found the report on this Summit very informative, inspiring, and thought-provoking. Now I am thinking about its relevance here in Minnesota.

Join the Conversation: Are you inspired by any of the ideas discussed in this report? Have you used design thinking in your work? Do you disagree with any of the ideas shared in this report?

- Cindy Moeller, MCF director of professional development and member services

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In the Media

September 16, 2009
Photo by Dan..

Ridin' the range and ropin' the headlines so you don't have to.

Your biweekly roundup of media coverage on the world of nonprofit and philanthropy (yee-ha.)

Ecology-minded Kids are Working to Gather 1 Million (Noncontroversial) Acorns
(MinnPost) Sick of the scandal over nonprofit ACORN? Here’s something to brighten your day.  Local youth participating in the Million Acorn Challenge are learning about ecology as they collect acorns for planting around the state of Minnesota.

Foundation Center Launches National Education Stimulus Initiative
(PND) New York based Foundation Center has announced the launch of a new national educational initiative to engage foundations and education leaders across the country in a unified, strategic drive to improve public education. The centerpiece of the initiative will be a web portal designed to help education funders align their grantmaking with funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

How Foundations Can Do the Most to Advance the Needs of Minorities
(The Chronicle of Philanthropy) Black philanthropist Robert K. Ross reflects on the soul-searching inspired by the recently proposed law to require the disclosure of the race and ethnicity of grantees in his home state of California.

In New York City, Poverty Defined In New Terms
(NPR) In response to the inadequacy of the current federal measure of poverty, New York City policy makers have created their own metrics for calculating poverty and determining support.

Stressing Results, Charity Retools Grant-giving
(The Boston Globe) The biggest charity in New England is changing how they award grants, leaving many nonprofits worried about funding. The new strategy will favor larger, less-restricted grants to fewer grantees.

United Ways 2009: A Confusing Mix of Missed and Missing Goals
(The Nonprofit Quarterly) A sign of the time, United Ways across the nation are changing how they set goals for their annual campaigns. Many UWs will focus on increasing the number of donors, not the total amount of donations. But in these trying times, skeptics wonder where these new donors will be found.

Leave a Comment » | diversity, education, environment, in the news, philanthropy in the media | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

Philanthropy Isn’t a Verb?

September 8, 2009

Labor Day has come and gone. Summer’s over and the kids are back in school. The daily rigor of math tables and spelling and vocabulary lists has begun.

When those vocab lists start coming home, I wonder if “philanthropy” will ever be on the list. And if it is, how many of us would be able to spell it or pronounce it, and what would be the definition the teacher would expect students to memorize?

MCF co-produced a video in 2004 titled “Philanthropy Is.” Through “person-on-the-street” encounters, it becomes clear in the piece that some people have never heard the funny-sounding word before or thought about its meaning. Through interviews with donors, it also becomes clear that what philanthropy means to each donor is as individual as the donor.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines philanthropy as “goodwill to fellowmen; active effort to promote human welfare.”

Wikipedia states: “Philanthropy derives from Ancient Greek, meaning ‘to love people.’ Philanthropy is the act of donating money, goods, services, time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause, with a defined objective and with no financial or material reward to the donor.”

Neither of these definitions resonated with me. They lacked the passion, earnestness and commitment that I’ve come to associate with philanthropy.

What is most striking to me, though, is that philanthropy is not a verb. Aren’t verbs action words, and isn’t the very nature of philanthropy “action?” I’ve yet to meet a philanthropist or someone working in philanthropy who wasn’t all about “doing.”

Imagine using “philanthropy” as a verb.

Did you ever think you’d see the day when the more common usage of “friend” was as a verb? That must be wreaking havoc with teachers who have “friend” as a vocabulary word in their lesson plans!

Now that those funny-sounding words “google” and “bing” have become verbs too, how much action would it take by all of us to turn the tongue-twisting word – “philanthropy” – into a commonly used verb?

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

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Posted by Chris Noonan

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