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.

Putting “My Brother’s Keeper” to Work in Minnesota

Attendees watched clips from President Obama’s speech and heard from those who were there.

On March 25, MCF convened a group of Minnesota foundations and elected officials to provide information on President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative and identify next steps for how Minnesota can coordinate efforts.

My Brother’s Keeper is aimed at helping boys and young men of color by addressing the disproportionate ways they are at risk. Read more about it on this February 28 MCF blog post.

Trista Harris, president of MCF, David Nicholson, executive director of Headwaters Foundation for Justice, and Chris Coleman, mayor of St. Paul, were all guests of the White House when Obama formally announced My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, and they each provided a recap of the event and the urgency and importance of engaging in this work. Mayor Coleman said, “This is the most important work that any of us in this room will ever do.”

David Nicholson stressed that this should be a cross-sector, bottom-up movement. Community solutions that demonstrate positive outcomes should be valued, invested in, and scaled up.

Trista Harris spoke about coordinating efforts, identifying local programs that work and investing in them to scale up, and the importance of public policy to address comprehensive systems change.

Mayor Coleman gave examples of how cities can change their policies and procedures so that low-income neighborhoods are not adversely impacted. For example, St. Paul Public Works would change street light bulbs on a complaint basis. However, not everyone knows who to call to get a street light fixed, and sometimes street lights weren’t getting fixed for two years. The city changed its policy so that light bulbs are changed every two years, approximately the life of a street light bulb. There are numerous ways that government can review policies and procedures to ensure there is equity across government services.

Alfonso Wenker, MCF’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, facilitated World Cafe discussions about what next steps to take. Participants completed pledge forms on how to support efforts.

MCF will provide ongoing information on the federal effort and the opportunities to connect with it. As Trista Harris said, “We have a lot of great local programs that work, and if we coordinate efforts, we can make a big impact. We’re always so much smarter together.”

– Jennifer Pennington and Tiffany Wilson-Worsley, MCF Fellows

Humphrey School Opens Policy Fellows Applications

Are you looking for professional and personal growth while engaging deeply in a cohort devoted to public policy? The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs has the perfect opportunity for you.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2014-2015 Policy Fellows program. Now in its 24th year, the program brings together mid-career Minnesota leaders from business, nonprofit and government sectors for a nine-month professional development experience.

Fellows join a 35-person cohort to focus on enhancing leadership skills, understanding their role in public policy, and developing a diverse personal and professional network.

Fellows meet once a month as a group between September and early June (most often on Fridays), and travel to Washington, D.C., for a multi-day study trip with prominent elected officials and national leaders in public affairs. Fellows also engage in a collaboratively designed small-group project, working with community partners to address a public policy issue.

Applications are due May 30, 2014 for the program, which gets underway in September. Scholarships specifically for nonprofit sector participants are made possible by gifts from MCF members the George Family Foundation and The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota.

For more information and to apply, visit the Humphrey School’s website. Good luck to those applying!

Minnesota Grantmakers at the White House

In February, President Obama announced My Brother’s Keeper, an interagency initiative to determine what public and private efforts are working for young men and boys of color and how to expand upon them. Foundations nationally will direct at least $200 million toward the effort over the next five years in addition to $150 million already pledged or awarded.

Minnesota’s philanthropic community was well represented at the announcement. Here, Trista Harris, MCF president, and David Nicholson, executive director, Headwaters Foundation for Justice, reflect on their attendance at the historic announcement with Alfonso Wenker, MCF’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Have you seen philanthropy and government come together like this before? What’s important about this moment?
DN: I have seen foundations and government come together on a local level. I work with the Northside Funders Group where the state, city and county are working alongside foundations to identify common needs and opportunities for collective impact. But, most examples I can think of focus on a specific “it” – a policy or a solution – rather than on the whole.

TH: I think this could be a transformational moment for our country. It allows foundations to lift up best practices and scale up programs that support a consistently underserved population, while the government takes a systemic look – across all federal agencies – to ensure we are effectively serving men and boys of color.

What are the potential impacts for communities of color?
DN: This is an opportunity to focus on what works and finally move some of the persistent disparity numbers in health, wealth, education and opportunity for members of all communities.

TH: When we bring out the best in the most marginalized communities, we bring out the best in America as a whole.

What are the potential impacts for the community as a whole?
DN: We all have a vested interest in the success of everyone in our community. If one group, in this case boys and men of color, are many rungs behind on the opportunity ladder, it is prudent and strategic to focus on them.

TH: As a country, we can’t afford to leave anyone behind. We need the full participation of every American. By focusing on men and boys of color, we are strengthening communities for everyone.

What was it like being in a briefing with the President?
DN: For me personally, it was powerful to see the grandeur and size of the White House. It was very exciting to be in a room with so many people who have such a long commitment to this work.

TH: It was humbling and awe inspiring to be in the White House with a group of amazing people who have been working for decades to improve the lives of men and boys of color, to be joined by the President, who is personally committed to the effort, and to hear from a group of young men who will be impacted directly. It was the single most important experience in my professional career.

What opportunities are there for Minnesota to leverage this momentum?
DN: Minnesota momentum is critical. We have a long history of philanthropic leadership and thoughtful bipartisan initiatives, yet we have not been able to use that to address our dramatic and desperate outcomes for communities of color.

TH: There is great work happening in Minnesota, and this is an opportunity to connect it to national momentum. The African American Leadership Forum, Summit Academy, Brotherhood Inc., Harvest Prep School and Hiawatha Academy are all doing excellent work, so I look forward to Minnesota foundations and government leaders coming to the table and to Minnesota being one of the first states to scale its efforts.

Minnesota grantmakers are invited to continue the conversation at “My Brother’s Keeper: What’s Next for Minnesota?” a facilitated dialogue on Tuesday, March 25.

Achieving Health Equity in Minnesota

Minnesotans are engaging in new conversations about health equity. The Minnesota Department of Health issued the report Advancing Health Equity in Minnesota to engage citizens in critical thought around the pervasive inequitable public health disparities in our state.

The report provides a foundation for organizations and communities to collectively engage in conversation and create a context for change.

Advancing health equity aligns with MCF’s goal of promoting prosperity, inclusion, and equity by eliminating barriers for people of color in Minnesota. The MCF Government Relations and Public Policy Committee started the conversation about health equity recently with Jeanne Ayers, Assistant Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Mental Health.

Highlights from her health equity presentation:

• The Advancing Health Equity in Minnesota Report suggests policy is directly connected to health equity and disparities. The report is a tool to engage in continuous dialogue about health inequality and allow for organizations and communities to organize a narrative for collective investment.
• An array of health inequities persistently affects African American, American Indian, LGBTQ, and Hispanic/Latino families. Health inequities are neither random nor unpredictable.
• Race and structural racism contribute to heath inequalities. Structural racism is defined as an array of dynamics that routinely advantage white people while producing cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for people of color and American Indians.
• Environment and social systems impact health and create necessary lifestyle approaches. Social, cultural and economic conditions equate to health conditions — positive or negative.
• Summative data on disparities suggest the need to: identify policy processes and systems needing change; lift up best practices; and obtain data to document, monitor, and evaluate progress.
• Moving beyond structural racism to achieve health equity is a challenge yet possible with collective organization and impact strategy.

MCF will continue to engage in dialogue about health equity to promote community health and to build it into the work of community members. In addition, MCF will be looking at this issue as a potential focus for future public policy advocacy.

We encourage grantmakers and community members to read the report Advancing Health Equity in Minnesota to understand the current conditions of health inequality in Minnesota and to identify a role to alleviate this disparity.

Visit MCF’s Public Policy web page to learn more about how to get involved with MCF’s public policy advocacy activities.

– Tiffany Wilson-Worsley, MCF fellow, government relations and public policy

Photo cc osseous

Legislative Forecast Sunny with Mix of Clouds

At last Friday’s 2014 Session Line-Up, the forecast was mostly sunny, although our elected officials spotted a few clouds on the horizon.

The forecast I’m referring to is, of course, the state budget forecast. On Friday morning officials released the latest budget numbers, projecting a $1.23 billion surplus. And going into the next biennium, the budget is expected to be in the black by $2.6 billion.

The breaking news kept most of the legislative leaders away from the 2014 Session Line-Up, hosted annually by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Minnesota Council on Foundations, but their stand-ins shared party perspectives and answered questions from the independent sector crowd.

Sertich Outlines Governor’s Goals
Commissioner Tony Sertich, head of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), represented Governor Dayton (who was recovering at home following hip surgery). The administration’s goals for this 12-week legislative session include:

• Tax relief. This includes changes to conform with federal tax provisions (such as the working family credit, marriage penalty, etc.) and repealing business-to-business taxes
• Raising the minimum wage. The Governor seeks $9.50 by 2015, and a bill is already in conference.
• Bonding bill. Commissioner Sertich cited a need for about $1 billion in bonds to fund infrastructure needs, so construction workers can start getting “paychecks instead of unemployment checks.”
• Legislative housekeeping. The administration wants the legislature to repeal outdated laws and adopt plain language statutes.

Commissioner Sertich confirmed also that replenishing the state’s rainy day fund (another weather reference!) will be part of discussions about how to use the just-announced budget surplus.

DFL Senators Call for Building Up Reserves
Senator Kari Dziedzic stated that the bonding bill is first priority for the DFL caucus this legislative session, enabling the state to take advantage of low interest rates, put people back to work, and take care of infrastructure needs at the University of Minnesota (part of her Senate District 60) and around the MnSCU system.

In response to a question, Senator Dziedzic confirmed that money for housing needs across the state will be part of the bonding bill, too. And Senate Democrats are on the same page with the Governor regarding tax changes and some increase in the minimum wage (although not, perhaps, to $9.50).

She also called for building up reserves so that Minnesota can avoid the budget roller coaster of recent years.

Senator Questions Local Bonding Requests
When Senator Roger Chamberlain (District 38) spoke on behalf of the Senate Republicans, he referenced the bonding bill, the repeal of business-to-business taxes, and boosting the minimum wage.

He noted support of The 5% Campaign, which advocates for a 5 percent rate increase for home and community-based services in 2014 primarily to boost wages of direct support professionals and caregivers.

(MCN representatives reminded attendees that raising the minimum wage is part of a package of initiatives its Minnesota Budget Project is advocating for this year — including tax changes and increases in government contracts.)

When asked about Republican bonding priorities, Senator Chamberlain emphasized that bonding should exclusively fund infrastructure projects that have regional and statewide impact – not local items such as “$7 million to ‘fix the spoon’ in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.”

Representative Loon Strikes Bipartisan Tone
Speaking for the minority in the House, Representative Jenifer Loon (District 48B) reported that legislators are acting quickly in the short session, noting Tuesday’s bi-partisan passage of the $20 million emergency heating assistance bill, as well as the Tax Committee passing out a federal tax conformity bill that will be in the Ways and Means Committee today.

When speaking about the proposed minimum wage increase, she offered a more nuanced view. While helping low-income wage earners is a priority, some nonprofits (and businesses) will be hurt by increased wages and increased competition for low-paying positions, such as those in the demanding health care field.

Representative Loon also noted that various nonprofits are part of the bonding requests, specifically citing Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul, the shelter where she and her fellow legislators recently volunteered. (To build bipartisan camaraderie, she and DFL Representative John Ward are organizing once-a-month, Tuesday-evening volunteer opportunities for legislators. Contact her if you have a suitable volunteer event!)

Carlson’s Forecast Not as Rosy
Rounding out the morning, DFL Representative Lyndon Carlson (District 45A) provided a little more perspective on the forecasted surplus.

He reminded the audience that, ever since the Moe/Pawlenty budget deal some years back, the cost of inflation has not been counted in budget forecasts. “That’s probably $1 billion off the top right there,” he cautioned.

Carlson also mentioned another possible use for whatever budget surplus is actually available – supplementing the very tight bonding bill with cash. (For more, see the Star Tribune’s editorial on this topic.)

No Predictions Are Certain
A super-majority is required to pass the bonding bill, so it will be interesting to see how the majority DFLers attract the minority Republican votes to accomplish their goals during this whirlwind legislative session.

The only sure-fire predictions we can make are that dramatic shifts in tactics and outcomes will occur in the next 10-plus weeks of the session. Just like the weather forecast in Minnesota, today’s snow squall may be tomorrow’s sunshine and blue skies.

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

Photo cc cptii

President Obama Announces “My Brother’s Keeper” and Philanthropy Investment

Boys and young men of color too often face disproportionate challenges and obstacles to success in our society.

Today in the U.S., if you are African-American, there’s a 50-50 chance that you’ll grow up without a father at home, and you’re more likely to be poor, to not read well, to be expelled from school and eventually to end up incarcerated.

And, as President Obama stressed yesterday, “The worst part is we’ve become numb to these statistics. We pretend this is a normal part of American life instead of the outrage that it is. These statistics should break our hearts and compel us to act.”

Act is what the President did Thursday as he signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing the “My Brother’s Keeper” Task Force, an interagency initiative to determine what public and private efforts are working for young men and boys of color and how to expand upon them.

The President has built a broad coalition of backers to help break down barriers, clear pathways to opportunity and reverse troubling trends that show too many boys and young men of color slipping through the cracks.

For yesterday’s announcement, he was joined by philanthropic leaders — including MCF President Trista Harris and David Nicholson, executive director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice — and representatives from communities, business, government and faith groups.

Foundations have already made extensive investments in support of boys and young men of color. Building on that, yesterday 10 foundations (including MCF members The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation) announced additional commitments of at least $200 million over the next five years to find and rapidly spread solutions that have the highest potential for positive impact in the lives of boys and young men of color.

Look for more next week on Trista Harris’ D.C. experience.

– Susan Stehling, MCF communications associate

Sparking Action: What to Say and How to Say It

Scene from a packed Minnesota caucus

Today is your day to become a citizen-advocate. Wait. You say you’re not interested in public policy and politics? No matter, this post is still for you.

Whether you plan to rouse your neighbors to action at your caucus tonight, or whether you just want someone (your spouse? your kids? your boss?) to heed your words, here are a few useful tips for persuasive communications.

What to Say: Choose Your Words Carefully
Last week I sat in on two meaty webinars about how to harness the power of language to achieve your public policy (or personal communication) goals.

The first was a webinar sponsored by The Communications Network and conducted by Doug Hattaway, president, and Wendy Yaross, senior vice president, at Hattaway Communications. They focused on the science and art of motivating and mobilizing people.

One of several research-based communications tools they discussed was “Winning Words.” By studying the words used in a debate and changing negative or neutral words to positive ones, you can swiftly and dramatically shift opinions.

Their sample case study about reframing debate over the national debt was timely and interesting. By advising Democratic clients to consistently replace the negative phrase “raising the debt limit” (which reminds people of “running up their credit cards”) with the more neutral or positive phrase “avoiding the default crisis,” they were able to quickly change attitudes about this sensitive topic and have a powerful impact on the national dialogue.

As Hattaway noted, “Changing the words can sometimes start a whole new conversation.” That’s particularly true in today’s media echo chamber.

How to Say It: Follow a Proven Storytelling Template
During a national Council on Foundations Philanthropy Week webinar, Bradford Fitch, president of the Congressional Management Foundation offered a template for grantmakers (and others) to share stories with legislators during Foundations on the Hill in Washington, DC, in March and back in their districts throughout the year.

Fitch reminded his audience that most of us have a flawed perception of how our brains work: We think we make decisions by thinking and analyzing, but we really make decisions by seeing and feeling.

Fitch’s template is a winner for crafting personal stories that really convey the impact of public policy on everyday lives. Here are the elements of great advocacy storytelling:

1. “The Want” – What do you want the legislator to think/feel/do after you tell your story?
2. “The Opening” – What’s the context (the hook) for the story and what’s at stake?
3. “The Picture” – What are the graphic details that help the listener see, hear, touch, taste and smell?
4. “The Struggle” – What are the personal, mental, philosophical, emotional and physical challenges that the underdog must overcome?
5. “The Discovery” – What surprising detail reveals how the past can transform the future?
6. “The Win” – How will we all – the hero and the audience together — experience success and joy?
7. “The Button” – What scripted closing final sentence will move the listener to action?

Practice Makes Perfect
Even if you’d rather listen than speak to your fellow caucus-goers tonight, you can practice these techniques. Listen carefully to your neighbors. Which word choices draw you in? Who tells a story you’ll remember tomorrow?

Whether you’re persuading your U.S. senator to support a cause that touches your life, or just trying to motivate your kid or your co-worker to “do the right thing,” what you say and how you say it can make all the difference.

So listen, learn and practice. Before you know it, you’ll be a citizen-advocate too, making your case and speaking up for your cause.

— Wendy Wehr, MCF v.p. of communications and information services

Photo cc kisokiso