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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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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Thoughts on Effective Foundations & Nonprofits

November 15, 2011

Jim Hoolihan

In the fall issue of Giving Forum, Jim Hoolihan, outgoing CEO of Blandin Foundation, shares his thoughts on what he believes makes foundations and nonprofits effective.

It’s a revealing read written as he sifted through 19 years of files, memos and other materials from his years of involvement at the foundation.

Look for his thoughts on these topics and more:

  • What matters most in an effective organization are the people. When the right people are in place, the rest falls into place.
  • Money, by itself, is useless.
  • Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  • Relationships and persistence are needed to make verifiable progress.

Read his Commentary online or in the printed version of Giving Forum which is likely in your mailbox now!

- Susan Stehling, communications associate

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Funding Women’s Independence

November 9, 2011

Read the fall issue of Giving Forum if your nonprofit helps women achieve independence. The issue contains a Giving Story on the WCA Foundation, an MCF member, which funds programs designed to benefit economically disadvantaged persons, especially women.

The WCA Foundation, founded by 20 women in 1866, is Minnesota’s oldest benevolent nonprofit organization.

Today WCA Foundation is a private independent foundation, run by female volunteers who disburse human services grants of more than $500,000 annually throughout Minnesota. Two-thirds of their grants go to programs that help women achieve and sustain independence.

The group’s first project was soliciting clothing for freed slaves. By the 1920s, residences owned and operated by the organization housed approximately 1,000 of Minneapolis’s 18,000 female boarders. Then in the 1970s, they decided they could be more effective if they used their assets to support existing programs rather than run their own. Their residences were sold and proceeds were invested in three endowment funds from which grants are made today.

In this picture, WCA board members (left and right) hear from MicroGrants founder, Joe Selvaggio, and MicroGrants business owner, Mai’sah Blanton. In May 2011, WCA Foundation awarded $12,000 to MicroGrants.

- Susan Stehling, communications associate

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New Annual Rankings of Top Grantmakers in Minnesota

November 7, 2011

MCF today released its annual rankings of the top grantmakers in Minnesota based on cash grants paid in 2010.

Greater Twin Cities United Way Tops Community/Public List
Revising its methodology this year, MCF added public charity grantmakers that make competitive grants to the annual rankings. Included for the first time, Greater Twin Cities United Way ranked fourth overall and first on the list of Community/Public Foundations and Public Charity Grantmakers by grants paid in 2010.

“Including the United Way creates a more inclusive picture of giving in Minnesota,” says Bill King, MCF President. “United Ways and other public charities that give competitive grants, like community foundations, receive individual and corporate contributions and make gifts to nonprofits from the funds.”

The top five Minnesota grantmakers by grants paid in 2010 are: Target Foundation and Corporation ($131.2 million); The McKnight Foundation ($96.7 million); General Mills Foundation and Corporation ($87.7 million); Greater Twin Cities United Way ($65.7 million); and Cargill and The Cargill Foundation ($61.1 million).

Of the 50 top grantmakers by grants paid in 2010, 45 also appeared on the 2009 list. Overall, grant dollars from these 45 decreased 2 percent in 2010 from 2009, but the amount given to Minnesota-based organizations increased by 1 percent. Overall assets for the 45 increased 5 percent.

“Cash giving by Minnesota’s top 50 grantmakers still totals more than $1 billion,” says King. “And the slight increase in dollars staying within our state demonstrates the stability of philanthropic support for Minnesota nonprofits.”

“Looking ahead we’re encouraged by the improvement in top grantmakers’ asset values,” he continues. “This bodes well for grantmaking levels in 2011 and beyond, as grantmakers tend to base grants paid on multi-year averages of past asset levels.”

MCF’s annual rankings are based on the amount of cash grants paid by funders with fiscal years ending June 1, 2010, through May 31, 2011. In order to ensure that grantmakers are compared consistently, in-kind or other noncash contributions are not included.

Corporations Give More than Cash
For corporate giving programs, noncash contributions such as in-kind donations of products, services or volunteer time can be a substantial part of their overall community support. Again this year, MCF invited large corporate grantmakers to self-report information about in-kind donations and other noncash contributions. This information is assembled in the Noncash Charitable Contributions by Minnesota Corporate Grantmakers list.

- Susan Stehling, communications associate

Photo cc Teosaurio

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