Stability in 2012 Giving – Learn More at a Webinar

January 9, 2012

MCF today reported that the state’s grantmakers expect relatively stable giving in 2012. According to MCF’s 2012 Outlook Report, foundations and corporations believe their grantmaking will remain flat or possibly increase about one percent from 2011.

Seventy percent of grantmakers anticipate that their funding priorities will remain constant in 2012, which is almost a 10-point increase over what they predicted for 2011.

MCF’s 2012 Outlook Report is based on an October/November 2011 survey of 100 foundations and corporate giving programs that represent 76 percent (or about $1 billion) of all Minnesota annual grantmaking.

Subject-Area Funding
For the first time in its annual Outlook survey, MCF asked grantmakers to estimate changes in giving to the specific subject areas they support. While most respondents plan no changes to 2012 subject-area giving, one third of education funders forecast giving more to education in 2012.

Arts, culture, and humanities is the only subject area to which more grantmakers said they expect to decrease rather than increase funding. Although the respondents represent a small part of the Outlook survey sample, this finding appears to be consistent with a trend toward less arts funding as reported in MCF’s latest Giving in Minnesota report.

Learn More
To learn more about what the report findings mean for Minnesota’s nonprofit and philanthropic communities, check out the full report online and register today for one or all four of the subject-specific webinars hosted by MCF.

Webinar topics and dates are:

At each webinar, in addition to a broad overview of 2012’s giving outlook, a panel of funders will dive more deeply into subject-specific funding and answer questions like the following:

  • What are the current trends in funding for education, human services, health or arts?
  • Will funding for the area be up or down in 2012?
  • What should nonprofits be aware of as they prepare to seek funds in 2012?

We promise you’ll come away from them more knowledgeable and informed about 2012’s funding landscape in Minnesota!

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Investing in Every Resident of our State

December 22, 2011

Last week Minnesota learned it was among nine states to win a “Race to the Top” education grant.

Minnesota will receive $45 million – $20 million of which is targeted to high-poverty areas in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Itasca County and on the White Earth Reservation. The rest is designated for oversight and accountability, including a new ratings system to help parents find quality child care providers.

In recent (and not so recent) years, Minnesota seems to have had more bad than good education news. And this grant is GREAT news! I say that because it will put money toward what we know works.

When kids enter school ready to learn, learn to read in 1st and 2nd grade, and read to learn by 3rd, they have a much better shot at success in school and life.

And we know how to get kids ready to learn. According to The Minneapolis Foundation, an MCF member, the Minneapolis Public Schools have seen a 13 percent increase in the number of children entering kindergarten ready to learn after just 3 years of funding. There are lots of other examples out there too.

Art Rolnick summarized it quite nicely in his post yesterday on mpr.org:

While many of us think of Minnesota as the education state, roughly half of our children do not start school healthy and ready to learn. And research shows that when kids start school far behind they don’t catch up. Many of those kids drop out of high school and are much more likely to struggle in our society. Indeed, criminologists claim that they can predict the need for prisons in the future by the number of children who are not proficient in reading by the third grade.

That last sentence astounds me!

So Minnesota, let’s match the federal money. Let’s really start investing in every resident of our state and fund early education sufficiently, so every child has access to preschool and all-day kindergarten. And every child truly has the opportunity to become a productive citizen.

Would anyone out there really rather fund prisons?

- Susan Stehling, communications associate

Photo: cc woodleywonderworks

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The End of an Era for Catholic Philanthropy in Minnesota

December 16, 2011

This December saw the disbanding of the Guild of Catholic Women (GCW), a philanthropic organization that since 1906 engaged Catholic women in providing care and support for St. Paul’s needy.  The legacy of GCW will continue to influence the community through the organizations they helped establish, and in two endowment funds designated to help local community organizations.

GCW  founded Guild, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals with mental illness lead quality lives, that will continue to operate and currently serves over 1600 individuals. GWC was also a major contributor in establishing the Bureau of Catholic Charities, a forerunner Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis; the umbrella group of social services provided by the Archdioceses of St. Paul and Minneapolis; and Our Lady of Peace Home for adults with incurable Cancer.

Their legacy began when St. Paul was less than half a century old. Caroline Beaumont and several other well-off women at St. Luke’s Parish, now the Catholic Community of St. Thomas More, founded the organization to help relieve the poverty of members in the community, especially the cities growing immigrant population. They would go on to set up temporary housing for poor immigrant women, establish a church for Mexican Immigrants now known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, assist in the reintegration of soldiers during World War I and II, and most recently began focusing on mental health issues, especially in children and young adults.

The decision to dissolve the organization was cited as due to its aging membership and declining membership numbers, down to less than 100 active members from over 1,000 in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Many factors influenced the decline in member numbers, including the changing role of women in philanthropy and society, changes in volunteering trends, and the closure and consolidation of parishes.

The first endowment totaling $630,000 was given to the Guild, Inc. to continue their work with the mentally ill. The second endowment was created from the sale of the GCW’s real estate holding, totaling over $200,000, and will be given to organizations throughout St. Paul that promote “wellness in the community,” administered by MCF member Catholic Community Foundation.

For more information, the Guild, Inc.  has a list of articles regarding the GWC’s dissolution.

-Kaitlin Ostlie, MCF administrative assistant

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We All Do Better When We All Do Better

December 1, 2011

Earlier this week I received a press release with a pleasingly optimistic headline: Minnesota Ranks Second in the Nation in Groundbreaking New Measure of Opportunity in America.

It continued: Minnesota outperformed almost every other state in the union, earning an Opportunity Score of 81.2 out of 100. Sounds good, but based on other information I’ve read recently, I’m not sure it tells a complete story.

The achievement gap, based on race and socioeconomics, persists in Minnesota. Things are above average for some state residents and far below average for others.

Excelling in Education:

  • Good News: Minnesota has one of the highest on-time high school graduation rates (87%) in the country.
  • Bad News: According to an analysis of 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress results by MinnCAN, African American students remain more than three grade levels behind white students in math and more than two grade levels behind in reading. Low-income students are more than two grade levels behind wealthier peers. Only the District of Columbia has consistently had a larger gap.

Weathering the Economic Downturn:

  • Good News: Minnesota’s unemployment rate is significantly lower than the national unemployment rate (7.4% vs. 9.1%, respectfully).
  • Bad News: An Economic Policy Institute study recently found that the rate of unemployed African Americans in Minneapolis is three-times that of whites, the highest disparity in the country. State Demographer Tom Gillaspy said the findings are similar to U.S. Census data for all of Minnesota.

So, to my mind, the news just isn’t good enough for all of our state’s residents. Paul Wellstone put it simply, “We all do better when we all do better.”

Watch for the Winter issue of Giving Forum to learn how Minnesota grantmakers are addressing these and related issues.

- Susan Stehling, communications associate

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Six Reasons We’re Thankful This Week

November 23, 2011

The week of Thanksgiving is a great time for all of us to pause and reflect on the good things happening in our lives and our community. With that in mind, we thought we’d share some things that crossed our desks this week here at MCF, that give us reason to say thanks:

  • The Nonprofit Research Collaborative has released its Summer/Early Fall 2011 fundraising survey. It found that 44 percent of responding charities reported increases in funds raised. Fifty percent of human service organizations saw an increase in funds raised.
  • Giving USA found total estimated charitable giving in the United States rose 3.8% in 2010. Total charitable giving for 2010 is estimated to be $290.89 billion. This was the first increase since 2007.
  • Giving in Numbers 2011 Edition, produced by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, found that the 183 responding companies gave an average of $22.1 million in 2010. 94% of these companies offered at least one matching gift program.
  • Preparing our children for school success is possible. According to MCF member The Minneapolis Foundation, Minneapolis has seen a 13% increase in the number of children entering kindergarten ready to learn in the past three years.
  • In the Annie E. Casey Foundation 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book, Minnesota ranked second in the country in child well-being, after only New Hampshire.
  • A report from another member, The McKnight Foundation, found that since 2004, public-private partnership Heading Home Minnesota has obtained funding for 3,146 new housing opportunities for families and individuals. That’s an increase of 79 percent in the past four years.

Join the conversation: What pieces of good news are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo cc Robleto

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Supporting Entrepreneurship in Northfield

November 21, 2011

A new fund for entrepreneurs in Northfield is providing technical assistance and micro-loans for women and youth interested in starting or expanding their own businesses.

It’s called the WINGS Entrepreneurial Fund, a partnership between WINGS (Women In Northfield Giving Support) and MCF member Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF). Their first loan went out just this month, to freelance journalist Azna Amira and her business Azna Writes A to Z.

“With the help of SMIF and WINGS, I was able to grow my business,” Azna said. “I appreciate the support and funding both organizations provided.”

Diversity in philanthropy takes many forms. In this case, it means supporting the efforts of women and young people, so that the businesses community in the area is more reflective of the citizens it serves.

Cheers to the WINGS Entrepreneurial Fund, and to the dreams of enterprising women and youth that it will help realize!

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North Minneapolis Recovery Fund to be Honored

November 17, 2011

National Philanthropy Day is being celebrated in Minnesota this Friday, Nov. 18.

I’m thrilled to see that Minnesota Helps – North Minneapolis Recovery Fund will be awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Philanthropy” award. It’s a well-deserved honor that comes just six months after a tornado slammed into the north side of our city. Thus far, the fund has provided $1,337,160 to assist the residents of North Minneapolis.

Shortly after the tornado hit, local foundations and the Greater Twin Cities United Way joined together to create the fund to quickly assist those directly impacted by the storm.

The effort has been led by the following partners, almost all of them members of MCF (marked with an asterisk).

  • The Minneapolis Foundation*
  • Greater Twin Cities United Way*
  • GiveMN.org
  • Best Buy Corporation*
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation*
  • CenturyTel, Inc.
  • Comcast*
  • Cummins Foundation
  • Faegre & Benson Foundation*
  • George Family Foundation*
  • The Grotto Foundation*
  • James R. Thorpe Foundation*
  • Land O’Lakes, Inc.*
  • Lunds and Byerly’s
  • McKnight Foundation*
  • North Star Fund
  • Park Nicollet Foundation*
  • Pohlad Family Foundation
  • The Saint Paul Foundation*
  • TCF Foundation*
  • US Bank – Private Client & Trust Services*
  • Wells Fargo Foundation*

Many of these partners made large donations and also matched contributions from city residents and others who answered the call for assistance. GiveMN.org waived credit card fees on donations, so 100% of every donation went to help those in need.

Thanks to all of the funding partners and to those who contributed to the fund. We all make Minnesota a better place to live.

Funds Still Available
And, funds are still available for nonprofits, faith based organizations and public entities providing support and financial assistance to those most affected by this disaster. Learn more about how to apply for funds.

-Susan Stehling, communications associate

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Yes, We DO Know: Minnesotans Are Generous!

November 16, 2011

Give to the Max Day seems like the perfect time for the Star Tribune’s Guide to Giving Back to hit the streets. This special feature includes MCF research on where Minnesota’s charitable giving comes from. It also features highlights from our donor toolkit on ways to give, whether that means giving directly, through the workplace, through a community foundation, or though planned giving.

And don’t miss the What Gives, Minnesota? feature, reflecting on why Minnesotans rank near the top of national charts on giving their time and money. Reporter Jean Hopfensperger reflects that a reputation for giving goes back to some of the early pioneering Minnesotans, like William McKnight, an early leader of 3M who went on to found The McKnight Foundation, and George Dayton, who founded what would become Target Corporation and the Target Foundation. The McKnight Foundation and Target Foundation, both MCF members, are now two of the largest foundations in the state.

Be sure to look for the section on giving in today’s edition of the Star Tribune! You can also find all of the articles on their website.

-Chris Oien, web communications associate

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