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November 2025 #1

People | Grants | Jobs

PEOPLE IN PHILANTHROPY



Stacie Bloom Named Alfred P. Sloan Foundation President

Stacie Bloom will start as president of the Sloan Foundation on January 7, 2026. She leaves her position as New York University’s vice chancellor for global research and innovation, vice provost for research, and chief research officer—as president and CEO. 

The Sloan Foundation is a private, not-for-profit grantmaking institution whose mission is to increase the welfare of all through the advancement of scientific knowledge. The NYU President had this to say of Bloom’s tenure: “Widely respected as a strategist and leader, admired and well-liked as a colleague, during her tenure Stacie has made NYU the fastest-growing research university in the U.S.”

Brian Eule to lead Heising-Simons Foundation

Brian Eule will return to the Heising-Simons Foundation as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2026. The Foundation supports journalism as a critical element of a healthy and multicultural democracy.  

Eule served as Director of Journalism and Communications at the Heising-Simons Foundation (2015-2024) and created its journalism grantmaking initiative. Eule currently serves as Managing Director of FRONTLINE on PBS, one of the nation’s most respected investigative journalism series, where he oversees business operations and strategic planning.

Maria Torres-Springer Appointed President of the Charles H. Revson Foundation

The Charles H. Revson Foundation funds primarily in New York City and Israel, supporting public libraries and local journalism, and civic service and community development in Israel. Maria Torres-Springer will follow Julie Sandorf, who led the Foundation for the past 18 years. (Though before she takes on leadership of the Foundation at the end of the year, Torres-Springer is co-chairing Zohran Mamdani’s transition team.)

Torres-Springer has a distinguished record of public service across three mayoral administrations including as New York City’s First Deputy Mayor (under Adams). 

Stephanie Cornell to Leave Walton Family Foundation at the End of the Year

Stephanie Cornell, who was appointed Executive Director of the Walton Family Foundation in July 2023, announced in that she will be stepping down at the end of 2025. She’s the fourth leader to depart the foundation since Buddy Philpot left in 2015 (the ED for 15 years). Cornell stated her departure was a "personal decision" driven by a desire to spend more time with her family. Four directors in nine years. That’s a lot for a mega funder.

National Foundation Funders in Minnesota

(February '26)

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative provides funding and technical assistance to advance community-based climate resilience in communities or regions that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Grants typically range from $60,000 to $115,000 based on the scope of work proposed in the application. An informational webinar was held Nov 15, reach out to Liz Tully (liz@climateresiliencefund.org) for information. (2/1)

Ben & Jerry’s National Grassroots Organizing Program. Two-year unrestricted, general operating support grants of up to $30,000 per year, with an average grant size of $20,000 per year, to small (budgets under $350,000), constituent-led grassroots organizations throughout the United States and its territories. (Year-round opportunities).

Diving into recent awards:

• Smaller/local grants: typically range from $50,000 to $250,000
• Regional or systems-level grants: often fall between $300,000 and $1 million
• Large multi-year initiatives or national collaborations: can exceed $2 million to $5 million+ grants

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS



Twelve organizations will receive $370,000 for climate work

The Minneapolis Climate Action and Racial Equity Fund is a partnership between the City of Minneapolis, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minneapolis Foundation. It drives hyper-local efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It announced that Twelve nonprofits will receive grants for their place-based, community-driven initiatives and projects that result in a demonstrable reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions. 

Humanity AI Commits $500 Million to Build a People-Centered Future for AI

In October 2025, a coalition of philanthropic foundations launched Humanity AI, committing $500 million over five years to guide artificial intelligence (AI) development toward human-centered goals. Led by the Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Omidyar Network, the coalition recognizes that the private sector’s desire is to maximize profits and governments’ interest in spurring innovation in AI. This multi-foundation effort aims to influence AI for the public good.

Members include: Doris Duke Foundation, Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Kapor Foundation, John D. and, Mellon Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Siegel Family Endowment.

Each member must make grants in at least one of five priority areas: advancing democracy, strengthening education, protecting artists, enhancing work, or defending personal security.

If you're an organization looking for funding, start exploring how your work might align with their five focus areas and sign up for updates. Grants will start in 2026, with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors managing the pooled fund.

PACE is a philanthropic laboratory for funders seeking to maximize their impact on democracy and civic life in America.

PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) members share a belief that America will be healthier and more successful, resilient, and productive, if democracy is strong and the office of citizen is treated as central to how it functions. They believe that American democracy will thrive when all of its people are informed and engaged in the process of creating it. Minnesota’s George Family Foundation and the McKnight Foundation are members.

A major global funder thinks it’s too risky to keep funding U.S. nonprofits. 

The London-based Children’s Investment Fund Foundation—which describes itself as the world’s largest philanthropy focused on improving children’s lives—is going to pause funding U.S.-based organizations “until applicable laws and rules, and the execution of them, are made clearer by relevant authorities,” CIFF said in a brief statement. The foundation has “lost faith in the wider political stability of the US,” Alliance reports. 

Women’s Foundation We Thrive Fund funds educational programs in workforce development and entrepreneurship

The Women's Foundation of Minnesota awarded $1.1 million ($225 each) in community investments through its We Thrive fund to support wealth-building through education. The five recipients are: Central Lakes College, Friends of Saint Paul College, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Rochester Community and Technical College, St. Cloud Technical & Community College Foundation.



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JOBS IN PHILANTHROPY



These are open positions in MN:

• Better Way Foundation is hiring an Associate Program Officer
• Margaret Cargill Philanthropy is hiring a Animal Welfare Program Associate
• Catholic Community Foundation is hiring a Grants Program Officer
• GHR Foundation is hiring an Executive Assistant
• Indian Land Tenure Foundation is searching for new President
• Mary’s Pence is looking for a new Executive Director
• McKnight Foundation is hiring a Senior Program Officer, Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems
• Northwest Area Foundation is hiring a Program Officer
• St. Croix Valley Foundation is hiring a Vice President, Philanthropy

You can find the links to several jobs boards and other open positions outside of MN on our website.

Amid broader efforts to reduce federal spending on health and human services, the White House moved to suspend SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), the U.S. federal government's primary food assistance program. Although the battle continues through courts, congress, the White House, and state houses, a coalition of nonprofits led by the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) got a temporary win when they convinced a lower court to rule the White House was required to distribute SNAP funding.

The NCN is a national coalition of associations of nonprofit organizations, mostly on the state level, such as the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Rhode Island Council of Nonprofits and the Utah Nonprofits Association. 

NCN led a coalition of plaintiffs—including legal groups, faith-based nonprofits, and local governments—that sued the federal administration over its planned suspension. Due to the lawsuit, a federal court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) requiring the administration to use available contingency funds to provide SNAP benefits rather than cutting them off entirely.  

Although the TRO has been flip-flopping back and forth, by helping secure the court order, NCN helped protect not just SNAP recipients, but also the nonprofit infrastructure that supports food security.

Who knows what will happen to SNAP in the near future and the next few years, but NCN has exhibited the power of the nonprofit sector and exhibited a tenacity on a level we rarely get to see on the national level. 

Access Philanthropy uses this feature to memorialize great social justice heroes and organizations. But given the awfulness of the problem and the need for strong leaders, we suggest the next time you think about the SNAP issue, Raise a Glass to the National Council of Nonprofits and the coalition they brought together

AP has worked with more than 20 state councils (including MCN) through the last 25 years and we offer warm congratulations to their show of strength.



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