PFund Seeks Nominees for Power of One and Philanthropy Awards

April 5, 2013

pfund1aMCF member PFund Foundation has issued its call for nominations for two annual awards: Power of One and Power of Philanthropy.

The Power of One Award recognizes individuals who work to improve the quality of life for the LGBT community through efforts such as volunteering, activism and leadership. For this award, PFund seeks nominees who:

  • Show significant contributions that reflect the PFund mission and vision
  • Demonstrate depth and breadth of service to the LGBT community in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin
  • Are community leaders or activists

The award recipient will receive $1,000 to give to a nonprofit organization of his/her choice and that also aligns with PFund’s vision and mission.

The Power of Philanthropy Award honors a community philanthropist whose work has inspired giving within and toward LGBT communities and has advanced social justice for LGBT and allied communities in the Upper Midwest. PFund seeks those who:

  • Have given generously and have inspired, educated or motivated others to give generously
  • Exemplify thoughtful, purposeful, responsive or innovative giving strategies
  • Demonstrate significant or visible impact on efforts to advance social justice for LGBT and allied communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin

Head to PFund’s website to see the full criteria and make your nominations. Submissions are due May 15, with recipients announced in August. Good luck to the nominees!

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You’re Invited: Facing Race Ambassador Awards

April 2, 2013

facingraceDon’t miss the seventh annual Facing Race Ambassador Awards, Monday, April 29, 2013, 6-8 p.m. at the Prom Event Center in Oakdale. Admission is free, but seating is limited. RSVP here or call 651.325.4265 by Friday, April 19.

I attended this event last year and intend to participate again this year. It’s an inspiring evening focused on individuals in Minnesota who are working in unique ways to create a better state for all of us — an equitable, just and open community in which everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, is the keynote speaker this year. He will discuss:

  • the dramatic demographic shifts currently underway in the U.S.
  • and the gap between progress in racial attitudes and racial realities.

And he will offer a new set of strategies for both talking about race and achieving racial equity.

Then the 2013 Ambassador Award Recipients will be recognized. This year’s winners are:

  • Ellen O’Neill, YWCA of Duluth; and
  • Josie R. Johnson, Josie Robinson Johnson and Associates and Regent Emeriti University of Minnesota.

Honorable Mentions will be presented to

  • Corinth Matera, Minneapolis South High School;
  • Oluwaseyi Daniel Oyinloye, University of Minnesota Duluth;
  • and Hli Xyooj, Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG).

Learn more about Facing Race, an initiative of the Saint Paul Foundation, here.

RSVP for the Ambassador Awards by the 19th, and I hope to see you there.

- Susan Stehling, MCF communications associate

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Your Chance to Recognize Excellence in Philanthropy

January 10, 2013

ncrp_logo_fDo you work with grantmaking organizations that lead by example every day and represent the best things about the field of philanthropy? Here’s your chance to recognize them for their efforts!

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) is currently seeking nominations for its Excellence in Philanthropy Awards. These awards will honor grantmaking organizations that have made special contributions to:

  • Attack the root causes of social problems
  • Empower underserved communities
  • Improve the sector as a whole through public leadership

One award will be given out to each of four different types of grantmakers: large private foundations. small/mid-size private foundations, corporate foundations, and grantmaking public charities (such as community and public foundations). Individuals can nominate up to three grantmakers for each award.

Make your nominations through NCRP’s online form, and encourage others to do the same! Let’s spread the word about all the good work being done by grantmakers in Minnesota. The deadline to submit is February 1, 2013, so put your thinking caps on now.

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Indian Land Tenure Foundation Works to Help Clear Indian-owned Land Titles

January 3, 2013
Example of Undivided Heirship

Example of the Effects of Undivided Heirship

Last month, the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) shared its story of a recent victory in protecting a site sacred to the Oceti Sakowin called Pe’ Sla.

ILTF was in the news again recently in a story from Minnesota Public Radio about a U.S. Department of Interior plan to clear up decades of mismanagement of Indian lands with the ultimate goal of returning the control of land to the tribes.

The mismanagement that the plan hopes to correct is “fractionated ownership,” which began when the General Allotment Act, also known as the Dawes Act, was passed in 1887. The act allowed reservation land to be given to individual Indians. The federal government held the land in trust and each heir of the original landowner was added to the title. According to Cris Stainbrook, president of ILTF, the result is the average parcel of land has 15 owners and it is not uncommon to have a 160- acre parcel with over 1,000 owners.

Fractionated ownership has prevented land development because of cluttered titles or lack of clarity about who owns the land. Land use is compromised because an undivided interest owner must gain consent from a majority of the parcel’s owners to do anything with the land. This makes it nearly impossible for any one of the owners to develop the land for agriculture, business development or a homesite.

To help rectify the situation, the federal government will pay all owners who are willing for their share of a land parcel and turn the land over to the tribes. Unfortunately, there is not enough money to clear all the land titles and the buyback process is expected to take as long as 10 years. Even when the land is owned by the tribe, development is micromanaged and all development efforts have to be approved through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. ILTF is advocating for the tribes themselves to be allowed to help run the program and speed things up.

I encourage you to learn more about Indian land issues on the ILTF website. February 8, 2012 marked the 125-year anniversary of the act. In response ILTF published a video discussing the Dawes Act’s legacy called A Matter of Honor, available on YouTube.

-Kaitlin Ostlie, MCF administrative assistant

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PFund Requests Proposals for LGBT Aging Initiative

December 17, 2012

pfund1aEarlier this year, MCF members PFund Foundation and Greater Twin Cities United Way released a report that highlighted the needs of LGBT older adults in the Twin Cities. Among other findings, it showed this population is less likely to seek help for sensitive healthcare needs and is more at risk for social isolation and nursing home placement.

PFund is now moving to the next phase of this work with a new funding opportunity through its LGBT Aging Initiative Fund. This fund will support projects and programs that focus on creating community and systemic change in response to LGBT aging priorities. It will award $25,000 to up to five grantees in 2013.

Eligibility guidelines for this opportunity include:

  • LGBT mission-specific organizations and ally organizations focused on aging, with priority given to collaborative partnerships.
  • A focus on LGBT adults aged 50 years or older in Twin Cities metro counties of Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Dakota, Carver and Western Washington or statewide.
  • Projects and programs that raise awareness of LGBT aging issues, build capacity of organizations that address  these issues, collect data on LGBT aging, and work to change systems.

Proposals are due to PFund on February 1, 2013. Visit PFund’s website for the full grant guidelines and application, and spread the word to those who serve LGBT older adults!

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Member Post: Pe’ Sla Returns to Oceti Sakowin

December 13, 2012

pesla

We hear today on the blog from MCF member Indian Land Tenure Foundation. The foundation shares its story of a recent victory in protecting a site sacred to the Oceti Sakowin — a great example of how philanthropy can successfully help to fight for a community in need.

Last week in Rapid City, South Dakota, full ownership and control of the sacred site Pe’ Sla, located in the Black Hills, was officially returned to the Oceti Sakowin (Great Sioux Nation). We at Indian Land Tenure Foundation would like to offer our sincere and heartfelt congratulations to the Oceti Sakowin on its return of the control of this sacred site to all the people of the Nation and its relatives today and for all future generations.

It was first announced in August that the land containing Pe’ Sla was going to be auctioned to the highest bidder. The area known as Pe’ Sla by the Lakota is one of five holy sites for the Nation and the only one not on public land. This area is particularly important in that it is the site of the Lakota origin story and star knowledge.

A collaborative effort raised the $9 million purchase price for the 1,942 acre parcel of land. While recognizing that the ownership of this land and the remainder of the Black Hills is still disputed by non-Indians, gaining control of this site was an opportunity too good to pass up and too important not to fight for.

It has truly been an honor for Indian Land Tenure Foundation and Indian Land Capital Company to be a part of this remarkable effort and to work with the Lakota and Dakota nations and other partners over the past few months. Indian Land Capital Company, ILTF’s affiliate lender, was able to provide $900,000 in rapid financing in order to help the tribes secure the initial purchase agreement.

In the end, all of the tribes of the Oceti Sakowin will have contributed time, effort and scarce funds to make this transaction possible. It is anticipated that each tribe will also participate in the oversight and management of the land to ensure its spiritual and cultural values.

As Indian people, we are faced every day with the loss of our sacred lands and the way in which this has impacted our communities, families and cultures. History being what it is, we recognize that our struggle to recover these lands will be difficult and long but we do not accept that these losses are permanent. The return of Pe’ Sla has renewed our spirit. To see so many people willing to support the rights of American Indians and the return of Indian land makes us hopeful that there is a growing number of people that understand the magnitude of what we have lost.

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Grantmaker or Catalyst? Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities

December 3, 2012

Catalyst. Facilitator. Broker. Advocate.  Connector. Community leader. Influencer of influencers.

Are you a grantmaker and do these roles describe you?

Karen Kelley-Ariwoola, former vice president of community philanthropy at The Minneapolis Foundation (and former MCF board chair), has issued a clarion call to grantmakers to embrace all of these roles in pursuit of ”zero tolerance for the disparities in our community.”

In her James A. Joseph Lecture, delivered at the 2012 Association of Black Foundation Executives conference and published recently by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Kelley-Ariwoola challenges grantmakers to ”speak truth to power” at every opportunity.

That boldness, she emphasizes, is essential to eliminating the equity gaps that exist in Minneapolis and other communities. Citing data from the One Minneapolis research report, she says:

We identified 24 community indicators in the three areas of The Minneapolis Foundation’s strategic plan – education, economic vitality and building social capital – and we painted a picture of Minneapolis that most people do not see. The dirty little secret is that Minneapolis is two cities and not one: one where many people (primarily white) thrive and another where primarily low-income people of color suffer from disparities on every indicator. The data on each of the indicators, broken out by race and ethnicity, and in some cases home language, gender and whether residents were born in the U.S. or abroad, revealed gaps that we . . . are so familiar with – what we call the equity gap.

She further explains that the path to equity is not paved with money. Grantmakers must lead by “building relationships up and down and across the community, at all levels, across sectors, across race, political affiliation and role.” And then grantmakers must apply all the tools in their toolbox —  ”community knowledge, relationships with donors, convenings, communications and public information strategies, policy and advocacy” and more to address structural problems.

I encourage you to read Kelley-Ariwoola’s full lecture, entitled “Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities:  Mobilizing Our Resources for Impact.” If you care about addressing equity gaps right where we live, it’s worth your time.

- Wendy Wehr, MCF vice-president of communications and information services

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