November 20, 2008
Foundations and nonprofits alike are gathering information about the economic situation and how to respond. MCF, for example, is convening its member grantmakers this week and next to discuss the outlook and what funders can do to to help nonprofits weather the crisis, and has several other activities planned in the coming weeks and months.
One local funder is responding quickly. The Otto Bremer Foundation is joining with Bremer Bank to create an Emergency Fund. Available to communities served by Bremer Bank, grants of up to $100,000 will be awarded to nonprofit organizations that serve individuals and families in need:
This growing crisis is creating daunting financial challenges for families and individuals as many struggle to continue to provide food, warm and stable housing, health care, and reliable transportation in the face of increased unemployment and high prices. Timely financial assistance can sometimes make the difference between instability and security, enabling families to meet emergency needs and retain housing or jobs. (Read more…)
Join the conversation: How else can grantmakers help nonprofits during this economic downturn?
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economy, private foundations | 
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Posted by MCF Webmaster
October 27, 2008
The Blandin Foundation is accepting nominations for its first statewide recognition program for communities at the forefront of broadband technology use. All units of government, nonprofit, for-profit business and community organizations are eligible. Awards will be made in three population ranges for two categories:
- Broadband infrastructure and services, which recognizes the provision of high-speed broadband capacity and services to a community, area or region
- Broadband market and application development, which recognizes efforts to stimulate community demand for broadband services and/or to deploy advanced broadband applications in business, education, government and health care
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2008.
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awards, private foundations, technology | 
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Posted by MCF Webmaster
October 21, 2008
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing up to $25 million over five years in the Knight News Challenge, a worldwide competition that seeks “bold community news and social media experiments.” This is the third year of the contest that has, in the past, funded projects such as a database to allow users to access news via their phones, a social networking tool that will allow reporters to exchange resources and information, and projects that allow radio and TV stations to create and archive audio and video.
Winners will receive up to $5 million in 2009 for ideas that “push the digital edge.” Rules:
Winning entries must have three elements: 1) use of a digital media; 2) delivery of news or information on a shared basis to 3) a geographically defined community. Entries must be open-source and share the software and knowledge created.
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2008.
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communication, private foundations, technology | 
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Posted by MCF Webmaster
August 11, 2008
Whenever a major grantmaker in the state changes priorities, moves headquarters, or makes other news, there is a request for some historical information about the grantmaker. How is the grantmaker ranked based on grants paid, what types of organizations does it support, etc.? People want to know about the grantmaker’s past so they can gauge how the change will affect its presence in the community. MCF is a source for this information since we track the major movers and shakers of Minnesota’s philanthropic community.
For instance, here is some history on the Bush Foundation in light of their recent big changes:
- Bush has traditionally been the number-two private foundation based on grants paid, as well as in the top 5 based on asset size (source: Minnesota Grantmaker Rankings). Our rankings page contains top-25 and top-50 lists going back to 1995.
- The foundation has also been among the top five funders to several areas of interest, including arts, education, and environment/animals (source: Giving in Minnesota). Complete versions of the two most recent Giving in Minnesota reports are available online, as well as summaries since 2003.
So if you dig a little deeper into our Trends & Analysis pages, you can find a wealth of information on the top grantmakers here in Minnesota.
- Anne Graham, MCF’s information services and database assistant
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Posted by Anne Graham
August 8, 2008
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Kate Wolford, president of The McKnight Foundation, welcomed conference attendees.
Photo by Robin Bernstein, Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers |
Last week the annual conference of the Forum for Regional Associations of Grantmakers was held in Minneapolis. The Forum is an organization of regional grantmaker associations around the country, of which MCF is a member.
The McKnight Foundation hosted the opening reception at their offices in the old mill ruins in Minneapolis. Foundation president Kate Wolford welcomed attendees by sharing the history of the foundation, and of the space that houses their offices. First-time visitors to Minnesota were able to have a greater understanding of philanthropy in Minnesota through the lens of The McKnight Foundation and its history and traditions.
Back in the 1990s, I was a sociology major at St. Olaf College in Northfield. One of the sociological concepts that I learned about was the “Historical Perspective.” The historical perspective looks at social issues from the point of view of historical attitudes, values, practices and contexts and believes that it is easier to make sense of the complex issues of society when examining roles that such issues have played in history.
The historical perspective wove its way into my thoughts last Friday afternoon as our president, Bill King, was interviewed by an international publication to talk about the history of philanthropy in Minnesota, among other things. During the course of the interview the reporter cited an interview that Bill had done with the New York Times in December about philanthropy in Minnesota and the interconnectedness of philanthropy and community. Some background on Minnesota’s historical philanthropy from the article:
Ask anybody in the world of corporate philanthropy and they’ll tell you: Minneapolis-St. Paul is like no place else, a bastion of giving in an age when most companies are cutting back. “It is an unusual city in regards to corporate giving,” said former Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich. In the 1970s, John D. Rockefeller III said in a speech to the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce that he had heard so much about “the public spirit of its business community, about your remarkable Five Percent Club that I feel a bit like Dorothy in the Land of Oz. I had to come to the Emerald City myself to see if it really exists.”
The article mentioned Northwest Area Foundation, which was created by the Great Northern Railway founder James J. Hill’s son in 1934; Target and General Mills, two long-time members of the Keystone Club; and many more Minneapolis-based companies and foundations with long traditions of giving to the community.
I believe that in order to fully understand philanthropy today in Minnesota, and to understand where it’s going, you have to understand where it’s been and why it’s so important to this community.
- Megan Sullivan, MCF’s communications associate
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Posted by Megan Sullivan
July 31, 2008
Did you sit in on Tuesday’s Bush Foundation webcast — “Courageous Leaders - Vibrant Communities” — about the organization’s new strategic direction? Everybody’s been writing and commenting on the content of the online session (see the In the Media post for links), but I want to applaud the organization for its top-notch use of new media to reach out to and interact with nonprofit partners and the larger community.
Not only did the webcast technology work well (view the archived event here), but the event was well-publicized in advance, the written and oral presentation was clear and concise, and questions were handled smoothly. Of course, it sure helped for Bush to have two dream spokespeople for the webinar gig: board president Kathy Tunheim is one of the premier p.r. people in the Cities and, as a former gubernatorial candidate, foundation president Peter Hutchinson knows how to handle himself in front of a camera.
The foundation also has plenty of information on its website, from a letter from the president describing what’s happening, to a deeper explanation about each of the three new funding areas, to how the foundation’s current programs are changing, and more.
I’ll be intrigued to see how Bush handles the next phase of its electronic communications strategy. During the webcast Hutchinson and Tunheim invited viewers to use a new e-mail address — newdirection@bushfoundation.org — to send in their ideas and examples of how Bush can flesh out the details of its new strategy. The promise was made to respond to every e-mail within 24 hours. Will they be able to live up to their promise and the public’s expectations?
Let’s hope so. And, in the meantime, congratulations to Bush for successfully using technology to build relationships and communicate transparently with its constituents.
Join the conversation: How are you fostering two-way communication with your constituents? What are you policies for responding quickly to clients, customers and the public?
- Wendy Wehr, MCF VP of communications and information services
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Posted by Wendy Wehr
July 28, 2008
Two years ago, the Bush Foundation began looking carefully at its past and future; after much learning, it is ready to share the outcomes of this exploration. Ask your questions in a webcast conversation with foundation president Peter C. Hutchinson and board chair Kathy Tunheim on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. central. Pre-registration is suggested, but not required.
Update: MinnPost published an article Monday afternoon on the foundation’s three new funding priorities.
Update 2: The Pioneer Press published an article Tuesday: Major State Funding Group Alters Grant Focus.
No Comments » | grantseekers, private foundations | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster
MCF members Kate Wolford (president of 
