Resources from FREC Conference “Overcoming Racism: Why IS It So Hard?”

December 16, 2009

Resources from the recent conference held by the Facilitating Racial Equality Collaborative (FREC) are now online! The conference, entitled Overcoming Racism Why IS it So Hard, was held on November 6th and 7th in St. Paul and featured prominent speakers from the field including Zeus Leonardo, Victor Lewis and Heather Hackman.

Many of the speakers and presenters have made their PowerPoint slides, handouts and other resources from the conference available for download. To access those resources, please visit the FREC website.

In addition to these resources, you may also want to check out the upcoming programming opportunities that FREC has announced on their website. The next FREC Community of Practice meeting is on January 13. These bi-monthly meetings are opportunities for anyone interested in learning more about incorporating cultural competence, anti-racism, and organizational transformation into his or her business, foundation, or nonprofit organization.

The FREC has also announced the launch of ASDIC Anti-racism Study Dialogue sessions beginning in February. The registration fee for this unique, 12-week course is $150 (scholarships are available). Those who successfully complete the series can apply for continuing education credits. For complete details, download this flyer (pdf).


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.


“Don’t do something about me, without me” – The Importance of Promoting Diversity

December 3, 2009

Shawn Lewis, board trustee at the Pan African Community Endowment of The Saint Paul Foundation, sent us a message yesterday about a blogcast discussion that he had recently with blogger Rosetta Thurman, Tamar Cloyd from Education Voters of America, and Stephen Bauer from American Humanics and Nonprofit Workforce Coalition.

The program, which you can listen to on Rosetta Thurman’s blog, was a response in part to the Council on Foundations report titled Career Pathways to Philanthropic Leadership, which found that only 20 percent of successful candidates for leadership positions within the philanthropic sector are from racially diverse backgrounds.

During the show, the panel speakers talked about the importance of having diverse leaders at the top level in the independent sector, not only because a diverse staff affects organizational decision making, but because pitfalls can occur when nonprofits and grantmakers attempt to serve constituents that are not represented within their organization.

As Tamar Cloyd responded during the interview, “Don’t do something about me, without me.” Shawn Lewis also shared insights from his experience working within the sector. He stated that generally much of the progress that he’s seen in creating better recruitment practices has come from board or committee members who advocate strongly for better, more inclusive practices within organizations.

Stephen Bauer suggested that one of the best strategies for increasing the likelihood of hiring someone of color is to be willing to search again for diverse applicants if, after an initial collection of applicants, it’s revealed that the pool of people you’re considering does not have enough diverse candidates.

If you are interested in learning more about how your organization can recruit people of ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds, check out the recording of this interview at Rosetta Thurman’s blog. Then, after you’ve listened to the interview, visit the MCF Diversity Resource page to access the free, downloadable resources that we’ve created and collected to assist MCF member and non-member grantmakers to create better diversity practices within their organizations and fulfill the MCF Diversity Principle.

If you are currently searching for candidates for a position in your organization, you may also find the Minnesota Ethnic and Community Media Directory (pdf) produced by Twin Cities Media Alliance a helpful resource as you look for publications to advertise your job openings.

Join the conversation: Do you think that your organization is doing enough to recruit diverse candidates for leadership positions? Do you have any strategies or practices that you’ve found have been successful in encouraging people of color and other minority groups to apply?


Nominations Open for Facing Race 2010 Ambassador Award

October 29, 2009

The Saint Paul Foundation is currently seeking nominations for the fourth annual Ambassador Award. This award was established to honor local leaders who are building a sense of community in the East Metro that is respectful, safe, and inclusive. The Ambassador Award will be conferred at an April 19, 2010 ceremony.

The award recipient will be presented with a cash award of $10,000 which she or he may donate to a nonprofit or other public organization that furthers the work of creating a more equitable community in Dakota, Ramsey and/or Washington counties.

If you would like to nominate an individual for the Ambassador Award, you may find complete guidelines, selection criteria and a downloadable application at www.FacingRace.org. All nominations must be postmarked by Friday, December 11, 2009.

The winner of the 2009 Ambassador Award is Dr. Ghafar Lakanwal, whose work to encourage tolerance and share diversity was profiled recently in the Twin Cities Daily Planet.



Headwaters Foundation Wins Community Leadership Award

September 16, 2009

Headwaters Foundation for Justice is a winner of this year’s Effies Awards for effectively leading its community in implementing initiatives that address a pressing community opportunity or problem. The Effies are awarded by Effective Communities, LLC, an organization focused on promoting pathways to progress towards racial and social justice.

The award recognizes the work of Headwaters Foundation in response to the disenfranchisement of voters in the 2000 Presidential elections. To address the concerns of the community, four Minnesota philanthropic leaders, Otto Bremer Foundation, Headwaters Foundation for Justice, The Minneapolis Foundation, and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, banded together to form the Democracy! Fund.

The goal of the fund was simple: “to increase participation and political power of disenfranchised groups.”  By working strategically to address this issue and by providing financial and technical assistance to grantees, the Democracy! Fund was able to increase civic engagement in Minnesota.

To learn more about the Democracy! Fund and the other winners of this year’s Effies, visit the Effective Communities website at JustPhilanthropy.org.