Health Grantmakers Address Disparities, Focus on Impact

February 1, 2012

MCF’s third webinar in our 2012 grantmaking outlook series focused on funding for health. We reviewed recent trends in health giving and the subject area outlook for 2012. Then Bill King, MCF president, discussed health grantmaking with Jacob Gayle, vice president and executive director, Medtronic Foundation, and Joan Oswald, grants specialist, Miller-Dwan Foundation.

These health philanthropy leaders emphasized the importance of addressing disparities in health access and outcomes. Gayle described Medtronic’s focus: “We are trying to enable greater access to healthcare for populations that otherwise have been left out.”

He added, “We always have to keep diversity in the fore of our minds as we do funding. If we find we are missing some segment of the population, we will reach out to partners for recommendations on how to address that.”

Both grantmakers expressed strongly that philanthropy’s role should not be to fill gaps in public sector funding. Oswald noted, “There is just no way one philanthropic organization or even a partnership could tackle healthcare costs covered by the public sector.”

Gayle commented, “Philanthropy is able to go into areas that are unproven. We can make longer-term and sustained commitments to grantees. And philanthropy has the flexibility to make mistakes and learn from them. It’s not the role of philanthropy to step in where others have grown weary of funding. It’s to play the innovative, out-of-the-box partner.”

Both Gayle and Oswald see grantmakers becoming even more strategic as they seek to leverage grant dollars for meaningful results. As funding stays flat, Oswald said, it’s important to stick to goals. “We are working diligently to assure our funding is very targeted and a really clear match for our priorities.”

Gayle noted that Medtronic Foundation is focused on developing and strengthening health systems. “Much of our funding is going toward overall policy articulation and advocacy, development of the health infrastructure, and strengthening of healthcare deliverers, as opposed to direct services,” he explained.

Nonprofits that find the current fundraising environment challenging can look for creative ways to finance their programs. Gayle suggested: “Think about nontraditional sources of funding — local companies, other service organizations, fraternities and sororities, or professional organizations can provide as much – or even more – support than local philanthropies.” He added that sometimes health causes are perceived as social services. So see if what you’re trying to fund is defined differently by different organizations.

When approaching grantmakers, nonprofits should do their homework, but be ready to have an open conversation. Oswald noted, “Be at your very best. Really clearly explain what you’re looking for and how that fits with our priorities. When the pieces all fall into place, we are absolutely willing to work with you, even if you are completely unfamiliar with the grantmaking process.”

And Gayle encouraged nonprofits, “Take a chance. Don’t let a ‘no’ ever stop you.”

Last Outlook Webinar to Focus on Arts, Culture and Humanities

The final Outlook webinar, taking place on February 7, will delve deeply into arts funding.  It will feature conversations with grantmakers from Minnesota Philanthropy Partners and The McKnight Foundation.

Register today to learn more about Minnesota’s funding landscape in 2012!

-Anne Bauers, MCF research manager




Make the Most of 2012 with Impact and Shared Learning

January 24, 2012

Today in the second in our series of webinars on the 2012 grantmaking outlook, we focused on human services funding. Upcoming sessions include health and arts.

We reviewed recent trends in human services giving and the subject area outlook for 2012. Then Bill King, MCF president, talked with Neal Cuthbert, vice president of program, The McKnight Foundation, and Randi Roth, executive director, Otto Bremer Foundation.

These leading grantmakers acknowledged the difficult funding landscape. Roth explained, “Needs are dramatically outstripping resources. In the communities, the economic conditions are more difficult than you could remedy with the amount of money that’s available. Last year’s donors are this year’s recipients.”

Added Cuthbert, “The human services arena has really been challenging not only because of the recession but because of what’s been going on in the public sector. There’s political stasis and an inability for the public sector to move forward.”

These challenges aside, Roth and Cuthbert offered some perspective and insight for grantseekers in 2012:

  • Everyone’s focused on greater impact. “These communities need help. You only have so many dollars and you want them to go as far as possible. Impact is really just a way of being cost effective,” noted Roth. Both panelists agreed that defining and measuring impact is difficult. Cuthbert said, “We try to really focus on and articulate the two or three areas where we want to see change.”
  • To achieve more impact, grantmakers and nonprofits are creating opportunities for shared learning and collaboration. As Roth described, “Is one model proven to be effective and can this information be shared between grant applicants? Can a program that’s doing a good job share those best practices?” Cuthbert explained, “We expect ourselves to be constantly learning and we expect it of the people we work with.”

So how can nonprofits more successfully partner with grantmakers in 2012? Roth summarized, “Tell us how your work will move this community forward, tell us how you’ll know you’re successful, and tell us where you fit into the network of service providers.” She added, “As a grantmaker you don’t expect the same level of sophistication in answering these questions from a very small organization as from a very large one. But I think you still have the conversation on the same topics. Even the smallest organization in the most remote place does need to be thinking about these things.”

Cuthbert summed up, “You have to be brutally pragmatic, as nimble as you can possibly be, flexible and opportunistic.”

Other Grantmakers to Share Advice

Two more upcoming webinars will delve deeply into health and arts funding.  They will feature conversations with grantmakers from Medtronic Foundation, Miller-Dwan Foundation, Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, and The McKnight Foundation.

Register today to learn more about Minnesota’s funding landscape in 2012!

-Anne Bauers, MCF research manager


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!



Transformational Funding Opportunity Available at Minnesota Community Foundation

December 2, 2011

A new large grant opportunity just became available at the Minnesota Community Foundation, an MCF member.

Their Transformational Fund will provide one-time major funding of up to $500,000 for nonprofits that help economically disadvantaged people become self-sufficient, and that are ready for organization-wide, long-term sustainable change.

A few of the things they’re looking for:

  • Organizations that primarily serve Hennepin County
  • Organizations with proven program effectiveness
  • Organizational leadership with pioneering vision and the ability to bring that vision into action
  • Organizations with business models that include a strong revenue mix and a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their current infrastructure
  • Consensus between the board of directors and key staff on the next steps needed for the organization to move to the next level

Visit the Minnesota Community Foundation website to learn more and to complete their online submission form. Interested nonprofits should start planning their applications now! The submission window closes January 31, 2012.


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