Fluff Free Fundraising

From Access Philanthropy

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Sept 2024

• The First-Ever Minnesota Art Funders Workshop from AP – Know Who!
• New Folks at Bremer, McKnight, Margaret Cargill & Regional Arts Councils
• Grant Reports from NWAF, Ascendium, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Others
• More Great Jobs, Great Nonprofit Tools, and Crappy Philanthropy Practices

In this Issue:

• People in Philanthropy
• Grant announcements
• Fundraising news
• Surveys and Reports
• Fundraiser's Toolbox
• Jobs in Philanthropy
• Raise a Glass

This month

MN Arts & Culture Funders Workshop

September 19, 2024 | 2:00-4:00 PM | $75 single, $100 group

Our research team will share what we've learned about Arts and Culture grantmaking in MN - local and national:

• Who the new funders are and who are open to new grantseekers.
• What grants are up and what are down.

Presenters:

Steve Paprocki, Access Philanthropy President Emeritus

Sharon DeMark, Program Officer, The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

Braxton Haulcy, Executive Director at Walker|West Music Academy

Lia Rivamonte, Arts Administration Consultant

Kirsten Gulbro Access Philanthropy Senior Associate/Moderator

Includes a book (pdf) with 150+ profiles, the recording, the slide deck and copy of the Q & A.

PEOPLE IN PHILANTHROPY

In our workshops and consultations, AP stresses the importance of developing relationships with foundation personnel, especially in your field of interest. Here are a bunch of new foundation folks you may want to contact.

McKnight Foundation has promoted three people within the organization:

• Ben Goldfarb, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Democracy, Media, and Policy

• Sarah Christiansen, Director of Strategic Climate Initiatives

• Ben Passer, Program Director, Midwest Climate & Energy

Darlene Goins is the first Black woman to lead the Wells Fargo Foundation—excellent article in the recent Business Journal.

Amal Karim is a new Program Officer at ECMC Foundation.

Cheryl T. Schiele joined Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies as Program Director, Arts & Cultures Domain.

Caroline Johnson has been appointed as a new co-trustee at Otto Bremer Trust following her mother, Charlotte Johnson's retirement.

Tim Wollenzien was appointed the new Executive Director of the Lakes Region Arts Council (Fergus Falls).

Patrick Calder-Carriere is the new Executive Director of Region 2 Arts Council (Bemidji area).

Chi-hui Yang is a new film specialist at the Ford Foundation’s Just Films department.

Peter McLaughlin retired last month as LISC Twin Cities Executive Director, a position he held since 2019. Peter served as a Hennepin County Commissioner and Minneapolis City Council Member for years before taking the job at LISC.

Briana K. Joyner has joined the Women's Foundation of Minnesota as their new Executive Vice President of People & Culture.

Every year, the Black Collective Foundation selects a group of black leaders in the MN philanthropy community to advise on grantees. This year, they named 17 individuals as Community Builders, chosen through an open nomination process:

Adora Land, Grantmaking Director, Bush Foundation

Africa Brown, Founder, Brown Beauty LLC

Awa Mally, Photographer, Community Leader, AHOMÉ

Brooke Roper, Hopkins School Board Member

Bud Whitehorn, Entrepreneur, Social Justice Advocate,

Community Liaison

Caelyn Steele, Youth Justice Advocate

Elina Castillo Jiménez, Feminist Lawyer, Human Rights Advocate

Fowzia Adde, Executive Director, Immigrant Development Center

Harry Itie, Communications Director, Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project; Founder, The Rustin Times

Pastor James E. Alberts II, Pastor, Higher Ground Church of God in Christ, CEO and Founder, Higher Works Collaborative

Jerome Richardson, Student, Activist, Owner, Richardson Consulting

Keyaira Johnson, Founder and Owner, PWRME Athletica

Michael Chaney, Executive Director, Project Sweetie Pie

Mujasi Bandele, Co-Founder, Black Family Blueprint

Naima Farah, Director of Capacity Building Initiatives, Propel Nonprofits

Quincy Marsnik-Powe, Twin Cities Opportunity Youth Network Manager, Youthprise

Tameka Jones, Founder and CEO, Lip Esteem

Need a sounding board for your development ideas? Need promising new ideas from the philanthropic sector? Need someone to think about the big picture or the day-to-day fundraising stuff? AP crew members offer 30-minute chats for free. Drop a note to 4info@accessphilanthropy.com to set up a time to chat. Email us!

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Opportunities

Here are a few grant opportunities that AP has come across which may have broad interest.

The League of Minnesota Cities offers a great list of private and government grants mostly for local government agencies and their partners. If you or your organization need help navigating the list or finding the best fits for you, let us know at 4info@accessphilanthropy.com.

The DICK’s Sporting Goods Sports Matters Foundation and national LISC issued an RFP for Game On-Community Places to Play. The initiative provides funding and technical assistance to community-rooted organizations working to create and renovate multi-use youth sports spaces for youth ages 6-24 years old in under-resourced communities across the country. Special consideration is given to proposals that support youth development.

Cause Strategy Partners, based in New York City, announced the Alexandra Hallock Capacity Building Grant for Small Nonprofits, which provides $20,000 and tech support for small nonprofits championing human rights, women’s empowerment, and LGBTQ+ causes. This new annual grant will roll out in early 2025. Two recipient organizations will be announced in the inaugural year.

The Taylor Family Farms Foundation (Glen Taylor) is accepting applications for Emergency Services Funding. Organizations within 29 counties of southern Minnesota and 17 counties of northwest Iowa are welcome to apply. The Foundation works with three partner grantmakers, the Mankato Area Foundation (MAF), Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation (SPMF). The Taylor Foundation has an application form for this grant on their website.

Minneapolis Foundation is inviting Minnesota educators to apply for classroom Mini-Grants to support learning about Native American Content. K-12 educators STATEWIDE can apply for up to $2,000. The program is funded by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Understand Native Minnesota campaign.

Herb Society of America is offering small grants ($300) for classroom herb gardens, grades K-6.

The North Minneapolis Chapter of the Awesome Foundation grants support projects that contribute to "making the Northside of Minneapolis more AWESOME!” Areas can be in business, sciences, arts, education, civic engagement, media, and entertainment. Up to $1,000 grants are awarded (usually) per month. 501c3 status is not required—simple online application.

Announcements of grantees/ grant news:

Otto Bremer Trust awarded $12.7 million in 117 grants and program-related investments in June and July.

McKnight Foundation announced that in recent months, they've awarded more than $21 million in funding to 60 organizations, including:

•   The Madison Art and Innovation Center—known as The Madison Mercantile
•   Build Wealth MN, Inc.
•   Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania 
•   Community Members for Environmental Justice

Madison-based Ascendium announced $58 million in grants for community colleges and education groups. Ascendium has four areas of funding interest: 1) Rural Higher Education Access, 2) Removing Structural Barriers, 3) Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison and 4) Streamline Key Learner Transitions. Developing a relationship with the corporation is critical. Lots of funding in MN.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Minnesota awarded 13 grants through its Healthy Start funding opportunity. These grants are for 1-2 years and range from $22,500 to $100,000 per year.

The Women's Foundation of Minnesota recently awarded 18 multi-year grants and four seed grants totaling $330,000 in #girlsBEST (girls Building Economic Success Together) Fund,

Northwest Area Foundation announced their July grantees, including the Black Liberation Collective, MN Workers Confluence Fund, Northwest Native Lending Network, and Social Justice Fund Northwest.

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation recently granted $500,000 to 14 organizations for community-led democracy and civic engagement efforts across Minnesota. The funds were granted through both the open application-based and discretionary grantmaking processes.

FUNDRAISING NEWS

WEM Foundation 2.0

After former Cargill CEO Whitney MacMillan passed away, the WEM Foundation announced it would sunset by the end of 2023, closing one of the state’s largest private foundations.  

A smaller foundation, WEM 2000 Foundation, filed its first 990 last September, with $98 million in assets. Whitney’s wife, Elizabeth S Macmillan, is a Trustee, but most of the money will be awarded through a DAF managed by Dorsey Whitney. In 2022, the Foundation gave some grants directly to organizations: Black Men Teach, Teach for America - Twin Cities, Plymouth Christian Youth Center, Women's Foundation Of MN, Cookie Cart, and Envision Communities.

Grant Reviewers Needed for Youth Program

Youthprise is looking for grant reviewers for its new African Immigrant Youth Career Development Grant Program. They’re looking for a diverse team of community grant reviewers to help support their grantmaking process. We met Youthprise ED, Marcus Pope, while he was a state employee volunteering as a grant reviewer for Saint Paul Minnesota Foundation, so he knows the benefit of grant reviewing.

Need Research done?

Amherst Wilder Foundation is offering Pro Bono Research Opportunities for nonprofits. Great research team working on great nonprofit and demographic topics. Look into the opportunity to have them evaluate the long term benefits of your work.



The Good the Bad and the Unforgivable

Vu Le has more #crappyfundingpractices to share (though, occasionally, he points out some pretty great practices):

• Chase Philanthropies charges $20 to apply for a grant and requires a mailed-in application along with the check (who uses checks??). 
• Recipients of Greater Mankato Area United Way aren't allowed to do any other fundraising for a FULL QUARTER of the year.
• Props to Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, which allows you to submit any application you’ve already written, along with existing financial documents. 

Nonprofits can be guilty of bad practices too. See what philanthropy expert Jim Langley would list in the Fundraiser’s Hall of Shame, starting with: “Invoicing donors for what you expect to be their annual contribution.”

Indiana University’s Women’s Philanthropy Institute wonders if you really know how to connect with women donors. Sure, there’s Melinda French Gates and Mackenzie Scott, but what about the other 150 million potential women donors? The WPI offers an assessment tool for you to determine how well you approach and work with the other 150 million.

Language Department

Black Indigenous People

Native Americans in Philanthropy developed a list of terminology and concepts that are used to describe the identities of and issues facing their Black relatives. The guide is meant to "expand your terminology for Native peoples, and possibly make a good starting point for further education and exploration about our rich people, nations, and cultures."

Nonprofit PRO is a free newsletter for NPO management, fundraisers, and board members. It often runs nice, tight fundraising articles like their recent post on why direct mail is still an effective channel for nonprofits. Read the whole article in the link above. Here are the topline reasons.

1. Tangible and Personal Connection

2. Higher Engagement Rates

3. Trust and Credibility

4. Targeted and Customized Messaging

5. Longer Shelf Life

6. Integrated Marketing Potential

7. Measurable Results

8. Non-Digital Alternative

CCS, a national fundraising research and support organization, issued its 2024 Philanthropic Landscape Report, presenting patterns of giving – from who and to whom. It has an interesting set of slides about 2023 to 2024 philanthropy from individuals and institutions, and by interest areas. No surprises, more affirmations of what we already knew or thought.

Quick Links:

• eBook on AI for Nonprofit Beginners
• Matt Nash, executive director of The Blackbaud Giving Fund, offers six ways to deepen corporate partnerships.

JOBS IN PHILANTHROPY

This is a free job board that AP puts together. Our interest is getting good Minnesota nonprofit folks into good local and national foundation jobs.

Great Job Boards from Other Organizations: Minnesota Council On Foundations, Funders For LGBTQ, Emerging Practitioners In Philanthropy, Peak Grantmaking, Philanthropy Job Board Hub, Foundation List, and Association of Black Foundation Executives 

• The great progressive CA-based Heising-Simons Foundation seeks a Program Associate for its Education program, to project-manage and support grantmaking.
• Chicago based Paul M. Angell Family Foundation (Chicago) is looking for a Program Officer.
• The huge fundraising advisor for progressives, Arabella Advisors, has several openings in several locations.
• Wisconsin-based Ascendium Education Group is hiring an Associate Learning and Impact Officer.
• Black Collective Foundation MN is searching for a Senior Director of Impact.
• Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MN) is hiring an Assistant Controller. See the Job Board link.
• CommunityGiving Community Foundation for Carver County is searching for an Executive Director.
• The Constellation Fund needs a Program Officer, Education.
• Crown Philanthropies (Chicago) is hiring an Environment Program Director. A big, growing funder.
• Nathan Cummings Foundation (NY) is searching for a few communications professionals including a fully remote Communications Manager.
• Ford Foundation (NY) is seeking a Grants Analyst. Keep in touch with their Careers Page.
• Influential Lloyd A Fry Foundation (Chicago) is hiring an Employment Program Officer.
• Gates Foundation (WA) is hiring a Senior Program Officer, AI Innovations. Gates is a great kick off position in philanthropy. Really, lots of folks start here.
• Another social change funding channel, Groundswell Fund, is looking for a Chief Operating Officer (Remote). They work with great grantees.
• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (Menlo Park, CA) needs a new Program Officer and several other administrative positions.
• JPB Foundation is searching for a Senior Manager, Office of the President  and a Director of Program Management, who will work closely with the SVP for Program Strategy and Management and oversee all of the foundation's grantmaking.
• The Joyce Foundation (Chicago, Illinois (Hybrid) is hiring a Program Officer – Great Lakes & Drinking Water. 
• Kataly Foundation (CA) is hiring for multiple roles including: Grants Officer, Program Officer, Capacity Building, Integrated Capital Officer, Restorative Economies Fund.
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation (MI) is searching for a Director of International Programs.
• Knight Foundation (Miami with a Saint Paul presence) seeks a local, social investor with a passion for St. Paul, Minnesota to be a Director. Knight has awarded 40 substantial grants in MN in the last 5 years.
• Kresge Foundation (Troy, MI)  is hiring a Senior Program Officer and a Program Team Assistant–for their Arts & Culture Program. Job board link. Kresge’s arts program is national with some focus on Detroit. See our notice on AP’s upcoming workshop on the 170 arts grantmakers in Minnesota.
• Liberty Hill Foundation (LA, CA) has a few Program Director/Manager positions open. Sister fund to Headwaters Foundation for Justice.
• Mastercard Foundation (Toronto) is hiring Program Managers in Kenya and Nigeria.
• McKnight Foundation is hiring a Program & Grants Associate - Arts & Culture.
• Mortenson Family Foundation is hiring an Organizational Development Director .
• Still small, but growing Native American grant maker, NDN Collective, (Rapid City, SD) has several open positions including Creative Resistance Coordinator and Federal Grant Writer.
• Newman’s Own Foundation (Westport, CT/Hybrid) is looking for a Marketing Intern. This is Paul Newman’s food products (dressings, cookies) company that awards 100% of its profits to kids, especially recreation and human services. Some recent controversies, but still good.
• New York Life Insurance Company (NY) is hiring a Foundation Program Officer. Not a lot of grants in Minnesota recently, what they’ve awarded is primarily in scholarships and student support programs.
• Open Society Foundation (NY) is hiring several Grants Officers and Program Managers.
• Peace Development Fund (MA), one of the very first national social justice funds, is searching for an Executive Director. Paul Haible, who has been CEO for 20 years, stepped down in April. They’ve been a client on and off for several years. Great group, great work environment.
• Perigee Fund (Seattle) is hiring a Program Officer.
• Pillars is hiring a Manager, Strategic Content and Communications to raise the awareness and impact of Muslim leaders, creatives and organizations.
• Pisces Foundation is hiring Program Director and a Grants Associate.
• San Antonio Community Foundation (TX) is hiring a Chief Impact Officer and a Philanthropic Advisor- our friend Naedge Souvenir, the new CEO, was with St. Paul Foundation. She’s looking for a St Paulite.
• Schreiber Philanthropy is hiring an Administrative Coordinator.
• The great New York-based LGBTQ community fund, Stonewall Community Foundation, (NY) is conducting a search for an Executive Director.
• The Stryker Johnston Foundation is searching for an Executive Director.
• John Templeton Foundation is searching for a President and CEO and Director of Religion, Science, and Society.
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is hiring a Managing Director of the Healthy Communities Program.
• The national Women’s Funding Network is inviting nominations and applications for its Director of Philanthropy position.

September 26, 1971, Shirley Chisholm Announces Her Run for the Presidency

When Representative Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress, announced she would be entering the 1972 Democratic presidential primaries, she became the first African American of any major party to run for President.

Her announcement came amid a national Equal Rights Amendment drive, during the heart of the Civil Rights movement, and amidst national Vietnam War protests. So this gutsy declaration by a little known Black woman motivated folks of all political stripes. It was especially exciting for young, optimistic Baby Boomers who really needed a new multi-faceted hero. 

Next time you’re with friends and you’re chatting about your favorite new star, raise a glass to Ms. Chisholm, a great set of shoulders for new heroes to stand on.

BTW, my favorite Shirley Chisholm line, “If you don’t have a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” 

Thanks for joining us this month.

SO, WHAT EXACTLY DOES ACCESS PHILANTHROPY

DO FOR A LIVING? 

THANKS FOR SPENDING TIME WITH US.

Need some ideas, someone to talk to about fundraising, or just a fabulous listener/chatter?

4info@accessphilanthropy.com