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Fluff Free Fundraising
From Access Philanthropy
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July 2024
Changes at McKnight, Best Buy, Northwest Area Foundation,
Joyce and Ford. 150+ funders to arts groups in Minnesota--
find out who!
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In this Issue:
- People in Philanthropy
- Grant announcements
- Fundraising news
- Surveys and Reports
- Fundraiser's Toolbox
- Jobs in Philanthropy
- Raise a Glass
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Coming in September
MN Arts & Culture Funders
Book of profiles and workshop
The Access Philanthropy team has compiled profiles of the top 150+ resident and non-resident Arts, Culture, and Humanities grantmakers who award grants in Minnesota. Profiles include an overview of the funder, interest areas, grant amounts, and contact information.
+Highlights will be presented in an online workshop, along with a Q & A.
September 19, 2024 | 2:00-4:00 PM | $75
Registration includes a pdf copy of the book
Presenters:
Steve Paprocki, Access Philanthropy President Emeritus
Braxton Haulcy, Executive Director at Walker|West Music Academy
Lia Rivamonte, Arts Administration Consultant
Kirsten Gulbro Access Philanthropy Senior Associate/Moderator
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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 and Northwest Area Foundation Leadership Changes
McKnight Team Members Assume New Roles: The Foundation announced Neeraj Mehta as Vice President of Programs; Elizabeth McGeveran as Vice President of Investments; and Tamara Wallace as Governance Liaison and Executive Assistant.
Northwest Area Foundation also has two new program officers: Sadikshya Aryal and Carson Faust will seek, recommend, and manage grantmaking that aligns with the Foundation’s mission. Both happen to come from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.
Best Buy Social Impact and Foundation Change
Olivia Jefferson is now heading up Social Impact and will be the Executive Director of the Best Buy Foundation. Ms. Jefferson has a long history in the corporate social responsibility arena, including Opus, United Health, American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Target. She’s also been involved with United Way and Hope Communities. She spent several years in the Michigan State government in the Adoption field. --Welcome!
President Darren Walker to Leave the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation president Darren Walker says he will step down from his role by the end of 2025. Among the many changes he made in the 11 years he led the Foundation, Walker:
- Focused the mission on inequality
- Published Generosity to Justice, addressing the practice of philanthropy
- Established new programs like Tech and Society to build the field of public interest technology
- Established Ford's first-ever program for disability rights.
- He changed how the Foundation made general operating support grants.
Change in Leadership at Heising-Simons Foundation
The Heising-Simons Foundation yesterday named Jennifer Shipp as Acting President and CEO, effective immediately. Sushma Raman is stepping down from her role as President and CEO to pursue other opportunities and will remain associated with the Foundation as a strategic advisor to the Board through the end of 2024. Ms. Shipp joined the Foundation as General Counsel in April 2020 and has both overseen its legal affairs and provided expertise and guidance for its strategy development, grantmaking, governance, and other areas.
Other Minnesota-Significant Funders Making Changes
The Kresge Foundation announced that Ms. Shamar A. Bibbins has been promoted to managing director of the Environment Program. She’s been in at Kresge for a while, but also spent time as a Public Relations executive in the NBA, a screen actor for PepsiCo, Home Depot and other companies.
JOYCE FOUNDATION: This is BIG NEWS: Between 2018 and 2022, the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation awarded 106 grants worth $17 million to Minnesota groups. Traditionally, Joyce focuses its MN giving in the areas of K-12 education, crime prevention, economic development, gun violence, and the environment. All their giving has a public policy framework.
They just appointed Dr. Julie Morita President & CEO. She was the Executive Vice President of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Commissioner of Chicago’s Public Health Department as well as executives at Group Health (AZ) and the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Morita is also a pediatrician who did her residency at the University of Minnesota. Will Joyce be moving more toward Health?
Other New Folks…
Vanan Murugesan, a former Pillsbury United Communities executive, is the new Executive Director of Sahan Journal. Remember to send news releases to Sahan and others announcing your work.
Women's Foundation of MN announced Lorena Armstrong-Duarte is the new Director of Institutional Partnerships. Most recently, she’s been working in communications as U. St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota.
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CHAT WITH US!
Thirty Minutes Free with Access
Philanthropy Crew Members
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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! | | |
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GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Opportunities
Here are a few grant opportunities that AP has come across which may have broad interest.
The National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grants support activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term, open August 8-15. This is the very best opportunity for small towns and organizations to get NEA grants.
Clif Family Foundation (Clif Bars) reviews applications for Operational Support twice a year. The deadlines are March 1 and August 1. They love smaller organizations.
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Announcements of grantees/ grant news:
Blandin Foundation announced 72 organizations who will be receiving funding through the Small Communities & Rural Placemaking grant opportunity.
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation (the Foundation), F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation awarded more than $8 million to Minnesota nonprofits in their first round of 2024 grantmaking (together and independently). By the way, Mardag is now headlining its work with Youth, Families, Older Adults and Arts as their funding priorities
Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation has a searchable database of the organizations that have received grants from them over the last three years.
The Minneapolis Foundation announced $526,543 in grants from the Fund for Safe Communities to 18 organizations that are doing innovative work to prevent violence and foster resilience in local communities.
Headwaters Foundation for Justice announced grantees of $1 million from Fund of the Sacred Circle. If you’re a BIPOC organization have you looked at HFJ’s new-ish Wellspring Fund? The Wellspring Fund supports multi-year projects and campaigns within BIPOC-led organizations actively working towards strengthening the ecosystem of social justice movements in Minnesota.
Capital One announced a five-year, $265 billion community benefits plan to advance economic opportunity and financial well-being that includes $575 million in philanthropy. In 2022, Capital One Foundation awarded $13 million mostly for higher education, education access services and community development
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#McKnews is the McKnight Foundation’s periodic newsletter. If you’re interested in McKnight or in the type of language and messaging that top Minnesota funders are using, then you should start reading these guys. Note the grantees that they consider to be their success stories. | |
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Press Forward Minnesota
Press Forward Minnesota announced key leadership appointments, including newly formed committees and a strategy consultant. The five-year initiative is dedicated to strengthening and sustaining local news across the state. It was established by the McKnight Foundation as part of a national movement led by a coalition of funders dedicated to strengthening communities by reinvigorating local news.
Press Forward Minnesota will begin accepting grant proposals this fall, with more details to be released in the coming months.
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How J.D. Vance’s Rise Could Challenge Big Philanthropy
After Former President Trump announced J.D. Vance as his running mate, several news venues looked at what the GOP VP candidate has said about philanthropy. This is from a Forbes contributor:
- As a Senator, he sponsored legislation to raise the tax on the wealthiest colleges’ net investment gains on their endowments from 1.4% to 35%. In another bill, he called for imposing a 50 percent tax on endowment assets on schools that do not dismantle encampments that impede academics or other institutional functions within seven days.
- He has excluded religious institutions from his policy fixes.
- He does not participate in the Senate’s earmark request.
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In an opinion piece published in Newsweek, he called for increasing the amount foundations with assets over $100 million must direct to charity from 5 percent to 20 percent of their assets each year.
- He hasn’t made sweeping statements about philanthropy and giving but has talked about problems with the “bigness” of these foundations: Ford, Gates, McArthur, and Harvard’s endowment, and argues they are not charities but advocacy groups that should pay taxes.
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An article in The Giving Review, quotes Vance as saying big foundations are effectively social-justice hedge funds, the Ford Foundation in particular “is investing in Critical Race Theory, they’re investing in the racial division all across our country, they’re investing in all of the progressive social causes of the moment.”
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Vance told Tucker Carlson: “the Ford Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Harvard University endowment, these are fundamentally cancers on American society, but they pretend to be charities, so they benefit from preferential tax treatment.”
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SURVEY SAYS
Philanthropy Surveys and Reports
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Bridgespan Group Has published a paper on Why Gender Matters on Any Issue; They explore five practices any funder can apply to increasingly consider gender:
- Understand your starting point. Do you know how outcomes vary by gender in your work?
- Analyze gender in your issue area. How gender intersects with your issue area may not be obvious.
- Design a portfolio that addresses gender in your issue area. Based on your analysis, who and what will you fund differently?
- Invest in women’s leadership.
- Evolve your organization to support your gender aspirations.
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Candid (The Foundation Directory) says this is what you should know about U.S. nonprofits:
- Sector leadership does not reflect the diversity of the nonprofit sector
- BIPOC women leaders are overrepresented at small organizations
- Majority BIPOC-led nonprofits have smaller revenues
- Data on ‘sensitive’ identities is limited
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Inside Philanthropy gives us five names that may be among America’s most secretive megadonors, i.e., they put their money in DAFs (this is 2022 data):
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Download the 2023-24 Annual Report: Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including corporate, foundation, and personal philanthropy. | | |
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FUNDRAISER'S TOOLBOX
Where Nonprofits And Funders Go to Solve Some of Their Biggest Problems
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Philanthropic Trends in a Nutshell
Philanthropy Guru Jim Langley shares a lot of philanthropic information on his Linkedin page, including this list of what all studies show all fundraising organizations are dealing with:
- Fewer donors
- More cautious and deliberate donors
- Donors expecting more engagement and more of an unvarnished inside view
- Donors taking longer to make their giving decisions
- Donors asking for more facts and straight talk
- More diverse donors
- More donors wanting choice and voice
- Donors who want to optimize mission delivery not subsidize mediocrity
- More donors moving on more quickly if their giving isn't satisfying
- More donors wanting evidence of what differences their giving made
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Does Your Organization Make Accessible, Inclusive Self-Introductions?
The Disability & Philanthropy Forum recommends sharing the following when introducing yourself in a group or webinar. Just curious, how many of these do you include?
- Name
- Organization and Role
- Pronouns
- Indigenous Land Acknowledgment
- A brief visual description of yourself and surroundings, to offer context and access for all. For example: "I am a white woman with straight brown hair and round red glasses wearing a blue shirt. Behind me is a gray wall with several framed pictures next to a bookshelf."
- Access check-in
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2024 Online Fundraising Statistics for Nonprofits
Nonprofit Tech for Good listed fundraising statistics to guide nonprofits in creating and maintaining a successful online fundraising strategy. Topics include
- Online Fundraising Strategy
- Online Giving
- Monthly Giving
- Website Fundraising
- Email Fundraising
- Social Media Fundraising
- Online Donors
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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
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Paul M. Angell Family Foundation (Chicago) is looking for a Program Officer
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Arabella Advisors (several locations) has several openings
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Wisconsin-based Ascendium Education Group is hiring an Associate Learning and Impact Officer
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BNP Paribas (Jersey City) is hiring a Vice President – Head of Philanthropy and Social Impact Communications. An international bank with relatively new philanthropy programming. No grants in Minnesota. But in our one chat with them last year, they talked about MN as a great banking philanthropy state.
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Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MN) is hiring a Legal Administrator and other administrative jobs. See the Job Board link
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Marguerite Casey Foundation (Seattle) is hiring a Director of Community Grants. Great community organizing-supporting organization related to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
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The DC-based association of disaster funders, Center for Disaster Philanthropy (Remote) is hiring a VP, Brand & Storytelling
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Crown Philanthropies (Chicago) is hiring an Environment Program Director. A big, growing funder.
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Nathan Cummings Foundation (NY) is searching for a few communications professionals including a fully remote Communications Manager
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The Disability Rights Fund (Boston) is searching for an Executive Director. They have a sister fund named the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, also in Boston.
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Ford Foundation (NY) is seeking a Program Officer to join the Technology and Society program team. See the above article on Darren Walker’s retirement.
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Foundation for Child Development (NY) is searching for a Vice President of Finance and Administration
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Influential Lloyd A Fry Foundation (Chicago) is hiring an Employment Program Officer
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Another funder trade association, Funders Concerned About AIDS (remote) is looking for a Research Associate. See the Job board link
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Gates Foundation (WA) is hiring a Giving By All Program Officer and a Digital Program Officer. Not sure what that means, but Gates is a great kick off position in philanthropy. Really, lots of folks start here.
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Another social change funding channel, Groundswell Fund (Remote) is looking for a Chief Operating Officer. They work with great grantees.
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William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (Menlo Park, CA) needs a new Program Officer and several other administrative positions.
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The Joyce Foundation (Chicago, Illinois (Hybrid) is hiring a Program Officer – Great Lakes & Drinking Water. See the article above on their new CEO and President.
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W.K. Kellogg Foundation (MI) is searching for a Communications Officer, a Director of International Programs, and a VP of Strategy, This is a VERY important position.
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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 last 5 years.
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Kresge Foundation (Troy, MI) is hiring a Senior Program Officer and 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.
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Liberty Hill Foundation (LA, CA) has a few Program Director/Manager positions open. Sister fund to Headwaters Foundation for Justice.
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Mastercard Foundation (Toronto) is hiring Program Managers in Kenya and Nigeria
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Ms. Foundation for Women (NY/Hybrid) is hiring Program Officer, Grantmaking and Capacity Building
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Still small, but growing Native American grant maker, NDN Collective (Rapid City, SD) has several open positions including Program Officers and a Climate Justice Region 5 Coordinator.
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Newman’s Own Foundation (Westport, CT/Hybrid) is looking for a Communications and Marketing Manager. 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.
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New York Life Insurance Company (NY) is hiring a Foundation Program Officer. Not a lot of grants in Minnesota recently, what they’ve awarded in primarily in scholarships and student support programs.
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Open Society Foundation (NY) is hiring a Strategy & Impact Officer --Nairobi and Seoul. Did you see our article on OSF’s grantmaking in the voting rights arena? Published last month.
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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.
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Perigee Fund (Seattle) is hiring a Program Officer. Also see their new RFP under Opportunities.
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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.
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The great New York-based LGBTQ community fund, Stonewall Community Foundation (NY) is conducting a search for an Executive Director
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Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation (MN) is searching for a new Executive Director
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The Whiting Foundation (NY) is hiring a new Executive Director to oversee programs related to literature and support for the humanities
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RAISE A GLASS
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
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Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born July 23, 1856. he was an Indian nationalist, math teacher, author, intellect, theologian, radical activist for Indian Swaraj (self-rule) and exemplar for Mahatma Gandhi. The British colonials called him "The father of the Indian unrest". Gandhi called him the “Maker of Modern India”.
Born to a middle-class Brahman family, Tilak started off teaching mathematics and running a nonprofit which advocated for public education. He worked to widen the popularity of the nationalist movement and called for a boycott of British goods and passive resistance to colonial police harassment -- two forms of protest later adopted by Mohandas K. Gandhi.
It’s great to know that even Mahatma Gandhi stood on the shoulders of giants. Next time you’re thinking of role models and those who came before us, lift a glass to Bal Gangadhar Tilak!
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SO, WHAT EXACTLY DOES ACCESS PHILANTHROPY
DO FOR A LIVING?
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Fundraising
- Strategic Planning for Fundraising
- Grant Writing
- Fundraising Perception Research
- Fundraising Positioning and Messaging
- Prospect Research for Institutional and Individual Donors
- Wealth Screening
- Capital Campaigns
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Organizational Development
- Strategic Planning
- Executive Coaching
- Program Evaluation
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THANKS FOR SPENDING TIME WITH US.
Need some ideas, someone to talk to about fundraising, or just a fabulous listener/chatter?
4info@accessphilanthropy.com
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