PFund Foundation Wins Responsive Philanthropy Award

The results of the 2014 Minnesota Nonprofit Awards are in, and the recipient of the award for Responsive Philanthropy goes to PFund Foundation.

MAP for Nonprofits and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits chose to honor PFund for its QReach initiative:

In 2011, PFund convened grantees and partners across the Midwest to learn more about the needs of the communities they aim to serve. As a result of those conversations, PFund created QReach, a community network building and regional assessment project in partnership with LGBT organizations and leaders, donors, funders and allies. It is designed to address the needs identified by LGBT communities in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, and at the same time increase the resources to those LGBT communities by both building up PFund and philanthropic giving to LGBT communities in Minnesota. Through its QReach initiative, PFund is providing an important and needed framework through programming, convenings, media tools and capturing learnings; helping to build a stronger GLBTA community that has a stronger presence to help those that have further to come.

Other 2014 Minnesota Nonprofit Award winners are:

• 5% Campaign: Nonprofit Mission Award in Advocacy
• CLIMB Theatre: Nonprofit Mission Award in Anti-Racism Initiative
• Conflict Resolution Center: Nonprofit Mission Award in Innovation
• CommonBond Communities: Nonprofit Excellence Award
• YouthCARE: Nonprofit Excellence Award

Learn more about the winners by watching the video below, and see them honored in person at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits annual conference in November. Congratulations to all six!

Meet the New Nexus Community Partners BCLI Cohort

Today, MCF member Nexus Community Partners announced the second cohort of the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI). The 15 cohort members come from various communities in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs and bring a wealth of experience and knowledge working in community, nonprofits and the private sector.

The BCLI will train and place these dynamic individuals onto publicly appointed boards and commissions in the Twin Cities. The fellows will have the capacity and community support to advance a regional equity agenda and serve as the next generation of leaders who are representative of, and accountable to, the region’s communities of color and other underrepresented populations.

The fifteen new fellows are:

• Antrinita Wright, Neighborhood Leadership Program (NLP), Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
• Carla Kohler, Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES)
• Chamath Perera, Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA)
• David Martinez, Wells Fargo Community Development Department
• David Milton, Mastery Charter Schools / Harvest Education Network
• Donna Evans, BCLI Alum
• Emilia Gonzalez Avalos, Navigate MN
• Falmata Bedasso, Oromo Community of MN
• Jamez Staples, Community Elder
• Leila Paye-Baker, Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO), City of Saint Paul
• Nasser Mussa, Oromo Community of MN
• Sonya Lewis, AFSCME 3800
• Suyapa Miranda, BCLI Alum
• Tescil Mason Kimmons, BCLI Alum
• Yolonde Adams-Lee, MN Department of Human Services

Learn more about the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute on the Nexus Community Partners website, and meet this new cohort in person at the BCLI launch event on Thursday, October 9.

Learn About Becoming a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow

MCF’s Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellowship, which we opened applications for earlier this month, will prepare individuals from underrepresented communities for careers in philanthropy. But the fellowship is about more than changing the face of leadership in philanthropy; it’s about infusing new ideas and viewpoints into the field.

Are you interested in applying to be a Ron McKinley Philanthropy fellow? Do you have questions about the application process?

Join Alfonso Wenker, MCF director of diversity, equity and inclusion, for a short informational webinar about the process and the program on Thursday, August 7, at 3 p.m. Alfonso will provide a high-level overview of the program and take questions from participants.

And for a look at what the 2014 Philanthropy Fellows are up to, don’t miss MCF’s new issue of Giving Forum, online and in your mailbox now. We caught up with Venessa Fuentes and Dameun Strange and asked them about their responsibilities and how they’re helping effect positive community change. Read about their experiences, then join our webinar to see what the fellowship would mean for you!

Applications Open for the Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellowship

MCF is pleased to open applications for the Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellowship (formerly the MCF Philanthropy Fellowship).

The fellowship is dedicated to Ron McKinley, a longtime member of the philanthropic and nonprofit communities. He was a mentor to many and an advocate who embodied justice and equity. He worked tirelessly throughout his career to ensure that all those underrepresented in these communities were afforded equal access, opportunity and the resources necessary to fully participate and be heard.

Ron McKinley

The fellowship, which was launched as a partnership with MCF and the Bush Foundation in 2013, will prepare individuals from underrepresented communities for careers in philanthropy. But the fellowship is about more than changing the face of leadership in philanthropy; it’s about infusing new ideas and viewpoints into the field.

Fellows will be employed by MCF and placed in full-time positions at host foundations for three-year appointments.

If you know high-potential leaders who will push themselves and their host foundations to think bigger and think differently, encourage them to apply!

We’re also on the lookout for foundations interested in hosting additional Fellows. Information about that can be also be found on our website.

Fast Forward: Gary Cunningham

The third episode of Fast Forward, MCF’s series of conversations with philanthropy’s big thinkers, is out now!

This time, MCF President Trista Harris sits down with Gary Cunningham, vice president of programs for Northwest Area Foundation.

Gary discusses his recent article The Urgency of Now: Foundations’ Role in Ending Racial Inequity and what other grantmakers can take from it. Watch the video below:

In the extended video captured in our transcript, Gary also talks about his role in the African American Leadership Forum and the importance of communities organizing and speaking on their own behalf with a unified voice. Read the transcript on our website.

Catch the whole series on the Fast Forward homepage, and stay tuned for next month, featuring Trish Tchume of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network!

Update: My Brother’s Keeper in Minnesota and Nationally

President Obama at the launch of My Brother’s Keeper earlier this year.

MCF President Trista Harris and David Nicholson, executive director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice, were among the philanthropic leaders present at the White House on February 27 when President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color. There has been movement on this initiative, nationally and closer to home.

In Minnesota, at least 22 funders will participate in a statewide My Brother’s Keeper learning table coordinated by MCF. The group will provide a local connection to the work being done nationally and give funders an opportunity to learn from each other on what’s working here.

The local group will focus on the milestones identified by Obama’s task force and summarized below. In Minnesota, the initiative will focus on the Twin Cities, as well as on boys and men of color throughout Greater Minnesota — an aspect that distinguishes it from efforts in many other states.

White House staff will travel to Minnesota to meet with locally-involved funders in June. (The meeting will take place June 17, at 11 a.m., details here.) If your organization is not included in this list, but you are interested in joining the My Brother’s Keeper learning table, please contact Alfonso Wenker, so we can keep you informed. There is still time for your foundation to get involved!

Minnesota funders working on My Brother’s Keeper include:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation
• Bush Foundation
• Carlson Family Foundation
• City of Minneapolis
• General Mills Foundation
• Greater Twin Cities United Way
• Headwaters Foundation for Justice
• Hennepin County
• The Liemandt Foundation
• LISC Twin Cities
• The McKnight Foundation
• The Minneapolis Foundation
• Minnesota Department of Public Safety
• Minnesota Philanthropy Partners
• The Mortenson Family Foundation
• Nexus Community Partners
• Northside Funders Group
• Pan African Community Fund
• The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota
• Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation
• United Health Foundation
• Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota
• Xcel Energy Foundation
• Youthprise

National Recommendations

Nationally, task force members assessed programs and policies with the potential to enhance positive outcomes and eliminate or reduce negative ones. A 90-day progress report sent to President Obama included recommendations based on six key milestones that are especially predictive of success in life and that can provide timely opportunities for intervention. Also identified were “cross-cutting” areas of opportunity that span the milestones.

Cross-cutting Areas

• Establish national indicators that “see” the problems and track progress.
• Provide incentives to learn and do what works.
• Support comprehensive cradle-to-college-and-career strategies rooted in local communities, realizing there is not a “magic formula for success.
• Recognize the importance of parents and other caring adults.

Six Key Milestones and Recommendations

1. Enter school ready to learn

• Close the word gap and support enriched home environments
• Ensure access to high-quality care and education
• Implement universal early health and development screenings
• Eliminate suspensions and expulsions in early-learning settings

2. Read at grade level by third grade

• Support joint book reading and at-home literacy
• Bring successful evidence-based practices to scale, starting with early literacy screenings

3. Graduate from H.S. ready for college and career

• Maintain momentum in turning around the worst-performing schools
• Help schools and families recognize early warning signs and take action
• Encourage the use of fair discipline practices

4. Complete post-secondary education or training

• Expand access to AP/IB courses and rigorous college prep
• Improve college advising services and support tools
• Aim higher in H.S. by encouraging FAFSA completion and post-secondary applications

5. Successfully enter the workforce

• Enact broader growth and opportunity agenda
• Increase entry-level job, mentorship and apprenticeship options
• Help grow and improve summer jobs initiatives

6. Reduce violence and provide a second chance

• Reduce violence in high-risk communities by integrating public health approaches
• Encourage law enforcement and neighborhoods to work hand-in-hand
• Reform the juvenile and criminal justice systems to keep youth on track
• Eliminate unnecessary barriers to reentry and encourage fair chance hiring options

Learn more about My Brother’s Keeper on the White House webpage.

– Susan Stehling, MCF communications associate

Edited to reflect more details about the June meeting.

Illuminating Pathways to Gender Equality

MCF member Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, in partnership with the University of Minnesota Humphrey School’s Center on Women & Public Policy, released new research today on the status of Minnesota’s women and girls in four key areas: economics, safety, health and leadership.

The report, Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota, shows that while inequalities exist for all women and girls in Minnesota, even greater disparities exist for women and girls of color, rural women and girls, and older women.

“Gender inequality continues to render women the nation’s poorest, reinforce systemic violence, produce substandard health outcomes, and deny women leadership opportunities across all sectors,” said Women’s Foundation of Minnesota president and CEO Lee Roper-Batker. “When women thrive, so do their families and communities. Minnesota can and must do better. The data help us get there.”

Findings from the research include:

• White, Asian American, African American, American Indian and Latina women earn $0.80, $0.74, $0.62, $0.62 and $0.57 on the dollar, respectively, compared to white men.
• Women in elected office at the Minnesota Legislature are stuck at one-third, slightly below historic highs. Almost one-third of the state’s three-seat legislative districts include no women and two-thirds of those are in rural areas of the state.
• One-third to one-half of overweight girls report harassment or bullying based on their appearance, and 42% of Somali girls report the same based on ethnicity and national origin.
• Teen birth rates for Minnesota’s African American and white girls are lower than the national average, and for Latina girls, on par. For Minnesota’s American Indian and Asian American teens, the birth rate is double the national average.

Download the report on the foundation’s website, and join the conversation on its 2014 Road to Equality Tour. The tour will visit seven Minnesota destinations through the state, June 3-24.

What Will It Take to Build a Beloved Community?

Last week a report on black male achievement commissioned by the Foundation Center and the Open Society Foundation was released: Building a Beloved Community: Strengthening the Field of Black Male Achievement.

The report builds on the 2012 study Where Do We Go From Here? Philanthropic Support for Black Men and Boys, maps current work in the area of black male achievement and makes recommendations on what it will take to strengthen the field moving forward.

Based on interviews with 50 leaders in the social, academic, government and business sectors, the report takes stock of major sectors engaged in the field and examines opportunities for other constituencies — especially the corporate and faith sectors — to become more involved.

A “Rethink Philanthropy” chapter calls for longer funding commitments, increased general operating support, permanent endowments and other ways of moving beyond traditional philanthropy.

Susan Taylor Batten, CEO of ABFE, characterizes such efforts as transformational philanthropy and says:

“Ultimately, we have to find ways to ‘hard wire’ a race and gender lens into all investments rather than setting up special projects that are time-limited. The latter is important, but one of our goals is to change the sector so investments in black male achievement are not dependent on a particular leader.”

It is a timely release in light of a growing number of national initiatives focused on improving the economic, social and physical well-being of black males, including My Brother’s Keeper and the Executives’ Alliance to Expand Opportunities for Boys and Men of Color.

Beloved Community

The concept of a “Beloved Community” was popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as a core part of his philosophy.

According to The King Center: Dr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict.

Sounds like a world worth working for.

– Susan Stehling, MCF communications associate