A Message from our CEO
R.T. Rybak reflects on how our role as a community foundation is evolving as we partner with people and organizations to cultivate change together.
2022-2023 Annual Report
From Grantmaker to Changemaker
Video
Change is not an option in today’s fast-moving world. At the Minneapolis Foundation, we embrace that reality—because the pace of some of the changes we need in our community hasn’t been fast enough. Last year more than ever before, we pushed beyond traditional grantmaking to drive positive change in a variety of ways—from advocacy to convenings, impact investing, research, and more.
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Our Grantmaking Strategy
Our approach to grantmaking reflects our mission of driving collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We focus on:
Racial & Economic Justice
Our Racial and Economic Justice grants fuel organizations that advance systems change, build wealth and stabilize communities, and promote narrative strategies focused on racial and economic justice.
Reimagine Education
Our Reimagine Education grants elevate student and community voices, provide opportunities for educators to build their understanding of race and implement strategies that create inclusive schools, and advance policy changes to make our K-12 education system more equitable.
OneMPLS Fund
As a community foundation, we are committed to responsive giving that’s accessible to all. One way we achieve this is through our OneMPLS Fund. This collective impact fund targets 1-3 issues every year, enabling people across our community to join forces in response to urgent local needs. Currently, the OneMPLS Fund is focused on Fair and Affordable Housing.
Our Partners in Action
Our work is powered by our fundholders—individuals, families, and businesses who care about strengthening communities in Minnesota and beyond.
Here's a glimpse of how we partner with them:
“When the focus of the OneMPLS Fund became housing, and we knew we could collaborate with others, and the money would go to local nonprofits working with people in local neighborhoods who need these services—it was just a logical thing to do.”
–Maureen Bazinet Beck, Fundholder
Maureen’s family worked with their Philanthropic Advisor to ignite community giving with a challenge grant to support affordable housing.
Read their story
“The only way to close racial disparities is to close gaps in opportunity and economics. By doing that work, we can catalyze solutions that uplift all our communities.”
–Greg Cunningham, Omicron Boulé Member
Omicron Boulé partners with the Minneapolis Foundation to invest in young scholars. Their scholarship fund is one of 50 that we administer.
Watch their story
“We wanted to be closer to community, we wanted to get more money out, and we wanted to deepen our relationships with nonprofit organizations so we could better support their work. The Minneapolis Foundation accomplished all the things that our members were asking for.”
–Erin Elliott, Advisory Board Member, WCA Foundation
Housed at the Minneapolis Foundation, the WCA Foundation is led by a group of women volunteers. Esperanza United is just one of the nonprofits they support.
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“After the challenges Minneapolis has faced in the past few years, we imagined in our shared faith how to highlight inspiring people at the forefront of transformative change, amplifying their voices and creating a wave of hope and a ripple of constructive actions renewing and energizing the community. ”
–Tim and Jan Maudlin, Fundholders
Last year, the Maudlin and Mooty families teamed up with the Minneapolis Foundation to launch Here is MPLS.
Get inspired by this storytelling movement
“I designed this program from scratch, and I 100% modeled it off my time in Fourth Generation.”
–Amy Podlesak, Giving Circle Alum
Find out how Amy launched a new giving circle for employees at Land O’Lakes.
Read her story
Special Initiatives
In addition to our core issues, we take on projects where we see opportunities to fuel community engagement and action on emerging local needs. Here’s one we tackled in 2023:
By the Numbers2022-2023 Fiscal Year
1,567
Fundholders in our generous community
$98M
Given in grants
8
Competitive grant rounds
80+
Community members engaged in competitive grantmaking
5,136
People and organizations supported
70%
Of giving went to Minnesota-based organizations
Grow with us
Learning Collaboratives
A new event series we launched last year provides our fundholders with opportunities to get closer to the issues they care about, from mental health to food justice.
Explore Our Stories
We published 26 stories and videos last year on our Learning Hub—a place where our whole community can learn and take action on important issues. We also launched a brand campaign to raise awareness of our role as a community foundation and how we partner with others to drive positive change.
A Look Ahead
We closed out 2023 by celebrating two huge wins for our community. In December, the EPA awarded $50 million to the Minneapolis Foundation—the largest grant in our history—for a program to fund environmental justice work in six Great Lakes states. We also partnered with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to launch a new statewide grant program supporting educators as they teach students about Native American culture and history.
We are profoundly grateful to you, our partners, for your contributions to this work, and we look forward to sharing updates about these projects and more in 2024.