Piper Jaffray Funds Local Arts and Cultural Groups

Piper Jaffray has supported arts and cultural organizations whose programs advance access to the arts, address cultural enrichment and issues related to diversity, and impart their value to youth. In its second of three rounds of grantmaking in 2004, the Minneapolis-based company awarded a total of $393,035 in grants to 48 nonprofit organizations across its geographic service region, including 22 nonprofits in the Twin Cities and two in Fargo, N.D.

"We are thrilled to partner with these great arts and culture organizations," said Andrew Duff, chairman and chief executive officer of Piper Jaffray Companies. "They are doing an exemplary job of helping advance community access to, and education about, the arts as well as enriching local culture. We now look forward to our final round of grantmaking this year, which will focus on organizations that are giving children a leg up in life by tearing down barriers to education."

Piper Jaffray awarded grants to arts and cultural organizations that are accessible and partner with schools on a regular basis. Other characteristics of the recipient organizations included whether they offered discount programs and have affordable programming targeted to non-traditional audiences. The organizations selected are collaborative and have programs that feature artists of diverse heritage and use their art to educate about racial and cultural issues.

Earlier this year, Piper Jaffray awarded $440,500 in grants to 41 organizations (see MCF's News Archives), bringing its total grantmaking for 2004 to $833,535. A Corporate Community Involvement Council guides the company's overall involvement efforts and makes funding decisions in the Twin Cities. Local decision- making resides with one of eight Regional Community Involvement Councils. Piper Jaffray has made a commitment to contribute 5 percent of its pre-tax earnings to charity each year with the combination of cash contributions, in-kind contributions and volunteer hours.

For additional information and a complete list of recent grant recipients, visit the company's Web site.

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