Supporting Meaningful Philanthropy at Moments of Change
By R.T. Rybak
Having smart financial advisors can help you make more money. In the same way, having smart philanthropic advisors—like our team at the Minneapolis Foundation—can help you make a greater impact when you invest in important causes.
That’s because our team works full-time to understand community needs and get that information to our fundholders in real time. The Foundation has a long track record of helping generous people navigate through periods of change and uncertainty, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.
We are, again, at a moment of change. Regardless of how you feel about the election, we appear to be on the verge of significant changes in federal policy and funding. While it’s too soon to say exactly what’s ahead, these changes will likely affect many nonprofits and people who benefit from the generosity of our fundholders.
Many of our fundholders are already looking for ways to adjust their charitable giving in response to shifting needs in their communities. The Minneapolis Foundation stands ready to help. Regardless of the issues you are passionate about, our Philanthropic Advisors can support you with research to inform your grantmaking and opportunities to learn, advocate, and join with others in support of causes that matter to you.
In the past few years, our team has taken significant steps to connect more deeply with our fundholders and expand the resources we provide to support you on your philanthropic journey. These range from small group learning experiences to large convenings, new strategic partnerships, and opportunities to put charitable assets to work through impact investing.
This is all happening at a time when our country is struggling to find places to come together and agree on solutions to the challenges we face. Perhaps our best hope is to change the goal from finding common ground to finding shared ground, where those with different perspectives can comfortably express their views in ways that make it possible to solve problems together.
We should not expect universal agreement on what needs to be done. That’s okay. What we do want is to work with you, understanding these two things:
- None of us has the capacity or insight to solve any of the problems we face on our own.
- The only way we will make needed changes is if we can find ways for those on shared ground to find common purpose.
That is core to our work at the Minneapolis Foundation, where each of our partners plays a critical role. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we can support your philanthropy as we approach the end of 2024 and the beginning of a new year.
R.T. Rybak is President and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation.
