Executive-Approved Grants
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President- and vice president-approved grants totaling $951,518 were made from April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010. Similar to the board-approval process, executive-approved grants are made by invitation only to nonprofit programs that further one of the three outcomes the Foundation has identified as being crucial to reducing poverty and increasing prosperity: building assets and wealth, building leadership and capacity, and improving public policy. Grants were also made to advance the work of other funders to increase economic opportunities or to leverage public policy.
The following is a list and description of the executive-approved grants made during the Foundation’s Fiscal Year 2010 (April 2009 – March 31, 2010):
Augsburg College of Minneapolis received $3,912.79 to support the Center for Democracy and Citizenship.
Calvert Social Investment Foundation, Inc. of Bethesda, Maryland received $10,000 to administer scholarships for the Grassroots & Groundwork 2010 conference.
The Center for Community Change of Washington D.C. received $100,000 for community organizing in Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon. Center for Community Change (CCC) will assist low-income people in creating local leadership networks in the Northwest that can tap into national networks which assist in shaping state and federal policy on jobs, wealth creation and asset building. The grant will provide small sub-grants to organizations for participation in community organizing and will fund training about American democracy. In addition, CCC will work with immigrants within the Foundation’s eight-state region moving them toward citizenship and integration.
Center for Communication and Development of Minneapolis received $20,000 to expand programming on KMOJ radio that will benefit people with low incomes. The grant will support two weekly asset- and wealth-creation radio programs over a year’s time and will fund technological improvements that will foster greater interaction with its audience. Some of the money will be used to hire a consultant to write a business and fund development plan.
CFED (Corporation for Enterprise Development) of Washington, D.C. received $35,000 to support the Asset and Opportunity Policy Campaign.
Demos of New York, received $75,000 for the Public Works project. This grant will fund training for Northwest Area Foundation grantees to increase their understanding of developing effective public policy solutions to reduce poverty and build prosperity. Trainings will focus on advocacy, building coalitions and shaping public campaign communications. Demos will partner STEP (Strategies to Eliminate Poverty), to deliver the public policy advocacy training. STEP is a grantmaking initiative of the Seattle Foundation funded by a grant from Northwest Area Foundation. STEP focuses on improving public policy to benefit people with low incomes within the Foundation’s region.
Framing Our Community of Elk City, Idaho received $75,000 to expand small business training and to support a regional network that provides workforce training and economic development opportunities for displaced and low- and moderate-income workers in rural north central Idaho and within the Nez Perce Tribe. This initiative will offer job training to low-income workers in five counties and the Nez Perce reservation where three major businesses have closed or downsized in the past five years, resulting in significant job loss within the region. The grant will fund expansion of the Workforce Training and Economic Development Center small business incubator program. Framing Our Community is projecting to offer up to 90 people small business training, create up to 25 living wage jobs, and offer a limited number of small business micro loans.
Fresh Air, Inc. (KFAI Radio) of Minneapolis received $35,000 to support the “Conversations with Al McFarlane” radio program. The topics center on economic and community development in low income neighborhoods.
Headwaters Foundation for Justice of Minneapolis received $75,000 to support the Twin Cities African American Leadership Forum.
Idaho Nonprofit Development Center of Boise, Idaho received $35,000 for a convening of nonprofit organizations and policy- and low income advocates to discuss public policy and fiscal analysis needs for Idaho
The Minneapolis Foundation of Minneapolis received $50,000 to support statewide immigrant funders collaborative. This initiative will focus on advocacy and integration of immigrants in Minnesota. The collaborative is expected to attract additional local and national funding, which will be re-granted to Minnesota organizations and coalitions working on immigrant integration. Other components call for establishing a learning network and for providing sub-grants to support economic improvement, leadership development and advocacy on state and federal levels.
Northwest Area Foundation’s Matching Gift Program received $10,000 to match donations employees made to qualifying nonprofit organizations.
Ohio State University Foundation and Kirwin Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity of Columbus, Ohio received $50,000 for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University and to develop opportunity maps for Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. This grant will raise awareness of the structural and community barriers impacting marginalized communities. Opportunity maps are geographical overlays, which will identify patterns of access and opportunities. The maps will provide a detailed analysis of each region’s demographics, including race, ethnicity and income, highlighting the impact of policies in overcoming poverty at the neighborhood level. Each map will include an assessment of affordable housing, foreclosures, access to credit, and housing investments associated with federal stimulus money.
PolicyLink of Oakland, California received $50,000 to research predatory investing practices in order to identify and recommend best practices and actions for area organizations.
Rebuilding Together – Twin Cities of Minneapolis received $3,000 for general operating support. Rebuilding Together brings together volunteers and communities to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners, particularly older adults, the disabled and families with children.
The Saint Paul Foundation of St. Paul. Minn. received $25,000 for the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. This grant will support forums on issues affecting low income communities located along the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit that is planned between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Forums will address business resources, affordable housing, workforce and economic development and job access.
South Dakota Community Foundation of Pierre, South Dakota and Native Americans in Philanthropy of Minneapolis received $10,000 each to support emergency disaster relief for Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. These awards are provided as matching funds solicit donations to aid recovery from a winter ice storm that damaged homes, buildings and the tribe’s main water system on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation.
Stairstep Foundation of Minneapolis received $50,000 for economic initiatives for people with low incomes in North Minneapolis. The grant will support public policy advocacy, affordable home ownership opportunities, jobs creation, financial literacy education and neighborhood renovations. It will also support a study to determine whether to establish an African American-led community bank, create a Community Development Corporation, and develop financial education centering on credit and alternatives to predatory lending.
University of Minnesota – Sponsored Projects Administration of Minneapolis received two grants totaling $58,030 for an Institute on Race and Poverty research report on credit access in the Twin Cities, Portland and Seattle, and to distribute a report on the economic impacts of immigration.
$171,575 went to support sponsorship, memberships and conferences for the following organizations:
African-American Academy for Accelerated Learning
Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy
The Aspen Institute Inc.
Association of Black Foundation Executives
Council on Foundations
Food Gatherers
Foundation Center
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Grantmakers of Oregon and SW Washington
Grants Managers Network
Hispanics in Philanthropy
Independent Sector
Iowa Council of Foundations
Minnesota Council on Foundations
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
National Urban Fellows, Inc.
Native American Youth and Family Center
Native Americans in Philanthropy
Neighborhood Funders Group
Open Arms of Minnesota, Inc.
Partners for Prosperity New Beginning for Eastern Idaho
Philanthropy Northwest
State of Minnesota –Council on Black Minnesotans
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
Way to Grow
YWCA of Minneapolis
