Giving Stories from Giving Forum Winter 2011

Source: Minnesota Council on Foundations 01/27/2011

Seeking the Bright Spots

Chip Heath

These are extraordinary times in our state. The status quo is not acceptable. Yet, how can we create the change we need (or “be the change we want to see” – to borrow from Gandhi) when change is so hard?

At the closing plenary of MCF’s 2010 Annual Convening last October, Chip Heath (above), co-author of “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard,” engaged grantmakers in a lively illustration of the dynamics of change – featuring a logical, rational rider atop a massive elephant, which symbolized the power of our emotions. If we humans can balance logic and emotion, then the chance for change is good.

In directing the rider, Heath says, seek out the bright spots: Look for what’s working and do more of that. Even if the bright spots seem small, they represent positive, incremental change. Bright spots are different than best practices, which often mean “be more like them.” Strategy is about fit, he emphasizes, and highlighting bright spots is a call to “be more like me when I’m at my best.” His challenge to Minnesota: Can you scale your bright spots?

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Blue Cross Foundation Reaches Beyond Health Care to Reduce Health Inequities

A new study, The Unequal Distribution of Health in the Twin Cities, commissioned by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation and conducted by Wilder Research, found that health – specifically life expectancy – is connected to median area income, education, race and neighborhood conditions.

While not surprising, the scope of the inequities is jarring:

• Each additional $10,000 of median household income in an area (based on ZIP code) is associated with a full year gain in life expectancy.
• Life expectancy is 76.8 years in residential areas with the lowest educational attainment, but 81.3 for those with the highest.
• Life expectancy in the Twin Cities swings widely from 83 years for Asians to 61.5 years for American Indians.

“With this information in hand, we can renew our efforts, looking for ideas and solutions that are beyond the traditional reach of the health care system – revolutionary concepts that can help create healthier communities for all Minnesotans,” says Marsha Shotley, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation president.

The report was released in October 2010, and the foundation is now developing next-step strategies. As a starting point, Blue Cross is mapping collaborations throughout the state that are addressing issues affecting a community’s health. Collaborators include nonprofits, foundations, education, government agencies, neighborhood organizations and businesses. “We’re taking a look at who the collaborators are and the various initiatives’ goals, strategies, tactics, impact. Then, we’ll explore ways to help through our funding and technical support,” Shotley explains.

Blue Cross believes that building relationships and trust is key to shaping solutions. “The entire community needs to be engaged in conversations and action planning,” says Shotley. This leads to common visions and acting together and will be at the core of strategies developed to address the issues raised in the health inequities report.

Health disparities work will extend Blue Cross’ ongoing focus on the social, economic and environmental factors that affect a person’s health. For example, the outcome of conversations with Little Earth of United Tribes was a preschool that, in three years, enrolled 128 children and increased the number of Little Earth children ready for school by 60 percent.

The foundation funded Preventing Harm Minnesota’s research on Minneapolis city codes for mandatory inspections of rental housing, which the group then shared with community residents.

A grant to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy supported work with the Minnesota School Nutrition Association, a collaboration that has doubled to 69 the number of school districts now purchasing fresh food from local farms.

Funding to Project Green Fleet enabled diesel emission control units to be installed on Head Start buses throughout the state, reducing the emissions discharged not only into the environment but back into the buses.

“The positive changes and everyday stories of impact by grantees such as these give us hope that, even though the social determinants of health are vast and far-reaching, we can diminish the health inequities in our region,” Shotley adds.

To read The Unequal Distribution of Health in the Twin Cities, visit bcbsmnfoundation.org.

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Blandin Foundation: Leaders Expand Opportunities, Enhance Community

Rural Pulse 2010 research, commissioned by the Blandin Foundation, confirms that the economy and demand for quality employment opportunities are of foremost concern to rural Minnesotans.

• Jobs are the top priority for 48 percent of survey respondents – more than double the 23 percent who rank education as most critical.
• Sixty-five percent do not feel there are enough jobs in their community that pay household-supporting wages.
• Thirty-seven percent say their communities’ quality of life has deteriorated over the past five years; 46 percent say it’s stayed the same; and only 15 percent note improvement.

According to Blandin, expanding job opportunities, building confidence in local economies and enhancing community vitality are dependent on developing effective leaders with diverse perspectives, connections and talents. So it is especially troubling that, according to Rural Pulse findings, 43 percent of rural Minnesotans do not believe their local leadership reflects representation from people of differing backgrounds.

The Blandin Foundation is working to change that. For a quarter century, the Blandin Community Leadership Program and the Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program have been helping rural leaders develop skills, knowledge and relationships to build and sustain healthy communities that can thrive even in challenging times.

“All of Mr. Blandin’s money – lined up dollar bill by dollar bill down Main Street in any rural community – makes zero difference,” says Jim Hoolihan, Blandin Foundation president/CEO. “But when those resources meet local leaders’ passion, vision and plan, good things happen. The single biggest asset in a community might be a group of five people who want to make a difference.”

As an example, a group of community leaders in Grand Rapids, Minn., envisioned a new library. They met regularly for six years, beginning with the original visioning and concluding with the ribbon-cutting grand opening. “At some point in the process, some of Mr. Blandin’s money helped them, but it was the group’s leadership, vision and persistence that really made the difference; it wasn’t the check,” Hoolihan stresses.

Leaders can grab hold of a bright spot in the Rural Pulse findings: 87 percent of rural residents are confident in their ability to help improve their community. “This is an important asset to build on,” Hoolihan says. “Can you imagine if the reverse was true, and nearly 90 percent believed that they could do nothing to influence change?”

For complete Rural Pulse results and commentary, visit ruralpulse.org.

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Frey Foundation: Collaborating to End Homelessness

On a cool October night in 2009, 1,000 Wilder Research volunteers counted 9,654 adults, youth and children staying in shelters, transitional housing, encampments and abandoned buildings. This was a 25-percent jump over 2006. The dramatic increase followed two reporting periods, in 2003 and 2006, when the homeless population held steady.

Based on these findings, Wilder estimates the number of homeless people in Minnesota to be at least 13,100 each night.

Notably, 34 percent of the homeless are children with their parents. The number of young adults ages 18 to 21 jumped 57 percent from the 2006 report and accounts for 11 percent of the homeless. Fifty-two percent of adults have been homeless for at least one year; this compares to 36 percent in 2000.

In an aggressive effort to turn the tide on distressing statistics such as these, a working group of the State Legislature launched “Minnesota’s Business Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness” in 2004. The plan includes a focus on increasing the number of permanent, affordable housing units, but this is not enough. The solution extends beyond bricks and mortar.

“A family can move from a shelter or precarious living situation into decent housing, and the same issues will follow them – poor mental health, chemical dependency, domestic abuse, lack of a high school education, no employment,” says Jim Frey, president of the Frey Foundation. “It’s extremely difficult for people to get chemical dependency and mental health issues under control, for example, when their lives are in complete chaos, constantly moving among temporary living arrangements. Once living situations are stabilized, people need supportive services to help them overcome the underlying issues that led to their homelessness.”

Assistance can include mental health services, job training, childcare and related services. Supportive housing communities offer these on site to residents.

With public and corporate dollars focused on building and rehabilitating housing units as outlined in the legislative plan, the Frey Foundation saw an opportunity to fill a funding need.

In 2006, the foundation granted $5 million to address homelessness, primarily funding 15 nonprofits with proven success in stabilizing the lives of individuals and families as they transitioned to permanent housing. Many organizations used grant monies to leverage additional funding, particularly from individual donors.

As the recession slowed progress toward the end-homelessness goal, the foundation committed an additional $5 million to the effort in 2010.

As another component to the homelessness work, Frey joined with a small group of affordable housing advocates to help create Heading Home Minnesota, a collaborative effort amongst the public, business, faith, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors modeled after the coordinated partnerships of Heading Home Hennepin.

Heading Home Minnesota is now an umbrella for 10 regional initiatives throughout the state working to: increase the number of supportive housing units; prevent homelessness through stop-gap rental assistance and, for those leaving foster care, treatment or correctional facilities, a discharge support plan; and coordinate outreach to homeless youth and adults as the first step leading to housing.

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Miller-Dwan Spearheads Campaign for Mental Health Center

At any given time, one in five children is affected by mental health problems. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15 to 19 year olds and the third leading cause of death for 10 to 14 year olds.

Couple these staggering statistics with evidence that poor mental health leaves its mark on so many areas – crime, housing, education, poverty and health care, and it’s clear that it’s not an isolated issue.

Yet, building awareness among policymakers and the public that mental health is a cornerstone of good health has been barrier-laden.

“Our foundation is most troubled by the lack of funding for mental illness and the perception that mental illness is somehow a lesser illness – less critical than cancer or diabetes, for example,” says Joan Oswald, grants specialist with the Duluth-based Miller-Dwan Foundation. In addition to transforming lives and alleviating the personal toll of mental illness on individuals and families, “We know that our nation can save billions of dollars simply by providing the right care at the right time. Our foundation is taking on the challenge to create clarity around this issue and to enact change,” she continues.

Among its focus areas, Miller-Dwan is working to transform mental health services for youth. First, the foundation conducted an extensive assessment, listening to parents and youth through focus groups and forums. Then, mental health and social service practitioners in the region convened to explore ways to better solve big problems.

All this has led Miller-Dwan to launch the “Turning Point” campaign to raise $5 million to build Amberwing, an outpatient child, adolescent and young adult mental wellness facility in Duluth. “Cutting-edge programming will be accessible, streamlined and seamless,” Oswald describes. “Family education, liaisons and resources will be tailored to each individual child and family. The surrounding community – including some very rural areas – will gain a top-of-the-line, one-stop shop for comprehensive education and training on mental health and wellness.”

When it’s complete, as early as summer 2012, Amberwing will serve five times more children and adolescents than current capacity in the region.

Creating this unique facility is a region-wide effort by a myriad of stakeholders. “Amberwing represents the best science and services, the best stewardship of mental health dollars, and will achieve optimal outcomes for children, adolescents and young adults,” Oswald says.

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Stevens Square Seeds Innovation in Elder Issues

It’s known as the “Silver Tsunami.” As the baby boomers begin turning 65 in 2011, the impact will be intense, long-lasting and widespread.

According to Minnesota Compass, the number of adults in Minnesota over age 65 is expected to double by 2030. Even before the economic downturn began, 78 percent of senior citizens were in a financially vulnerable position.

The huge increase in demand for services will undoubtedly impact Minnesota’s state budget. “But this population change will affect the state in ways outside of the budget as well,” says Mary Karen Lynn-Klimenko, executive director of the Stevens Square Foundation, whose mission is to improve the lives of older adults in the Twin Cities. “From drastically increasing demand for direct service workers and caregivers, to creating the need for extensive architectural and building adaptations for accessibility, the need for change and innovation is going to be broad – and these needs will come upon us rapidly. Philanthropy must play a leadership role in encouraging the creative process to address these issues.”

Stevens Square Foundation is supporting two new models for meeting the needs of the elder population. One is an intergenerational project in which University of Minnesota graduate students seeking a certificate in geriatric studies live on site for a semester at Augustana Apartments, a senior living community in Minneapolis. For their coursework, students work side-by-side with elder volunteers to assist frail residents. Students learn real-time lessons about the realities of aging, and the elderly receive augmented services.

The other involves a grant to the William Mitchell College of Law for its Center for Elder Justice and Policy. The center, only the second of its kind in the U.S., provides teaching and research about aging issues and the rights of society’s elderly population. The center also provides resources to the community about elder abuse – especially fiduciary abuse.

One exciting trend, reports Stevens Square Board President Pamela Ulvestad, is older adults themselves creating and supporting the solutions we need to address demographic changes. “We see this through new volunteer efforts, healthy aging projects and the development of ‘Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities,’ communities not intended to be senior-focused but where aging residents have stayed in their homes or where significant numbers of older adults have migrated. Our foundation looks forward to seeding the development of these and other innovative solutions.”

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Northwest Minnesota Foundation Bands with Executives on Economic Drivers

Can the economy of Northwest Minnesota thrive without the affordable, widely accessible broadband service that urban areas take for granted? Will businesses and communities succeed if less than 80 percent of high schoolers graduate? What other components are critical to the economic health of this rural region?

In fall 2008, a group of executives and elected officials representing diverse interests – business, education, tribal nations, utilities, healthcare, economic and workforce development and philanthropy – came together from across Northwest Minnesota to create a strategic, business-driven vision for the economy of the region. Members of the group, now named IMPACT 20/20, first conducted a Regional Competitiveness Assessment. They then developed a collective action plan targeting the region’s economic drivers:

• Broadband: Support installation of high-speed internet access.
• Education: Increase high school and college graduation rates.
• Workforce: Enhance leadership skills of first-line and mid-level managers.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation has supported IMPACT 20/20 since its inception, and President Nancy Vyskocil participates in its working groups.

The broadband task force has been particularly active in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s release in April 2010 of the National Broadband Plan, which calls for increased broadband access and capacity across the country. This is critically needed in rural areas such as Northwest Minnesota.

In its “Case for Broadband,” IMPACT 20/20 cites U.S. Census Track Data showing Northwest Minnesota is one of the state’s most underserved areas; more than 3,600 households in the region have no available broadband connection.

In addition to expanding access, IMPACT 20/20 calls for increased broadband speed. The national plan’s goals are to have metro area speeds at 100 Mb and rural speeds at 4 Mb. “I would argue that rural areas need access to even more robust broadband to negate the limits to commerce, education and medicine that remote locations endure,” Vyskocil notes. IMPACT 20/20 is advocating for 10 Mb in the 12 counties of Northwest Minnesota; currently, the average download speed is 2.4 Mb.

Among IMPACT 20/20’s grassroots strategies to push for sufficient broadband service are community meetings and distribution of 10,000 copies of its business case for broadband. “We also have an e-mail action alert network to keep stakeholders apprised of key legislative developments and mobilize them to urge legislators to support increased broadband access and speed,” Vyskocil adds.

“The scope of challenges facing rural Minnesota is overwhelming,” she says. But through initiatives such as IMPACT 20/20, solutions can be pursued collectively to lay the foundation for economic prosperity in Northwest Minnesota.

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Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation Eyes Workforce Needs

Like many communities, the Grand Rapids area in northeastern Minnesota is facing many pressing issues, with education and jobs being at the top of the list.

“Education is so important,” says Wendy Roy, executive director of the Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation. “Businesses in our area continue to tell us that many students and even adults are not prepared for the workforce. Community foundations have an opportunity to impact this and make changes in small ways.”

For example, the foundation heard from healthcare centers about a dire lack of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to meet the needs of the area’s aging population. The foundation worked with Itasca Community College to offer special classes for high school students and provide them with no-interest loans to complete the CNA program.

“The program graduated 100 CNAs in three years, putting 15 to 18 year olds into the workforce and giving them the opportunity to see if the medical field is where they want to stay,” Roy explains. “The results were two-fold: Youth were put to work, and employers had access to an educated workforce.”

Small, bright-spot initiatives such as this CNA program will create noticeable impact years from now. Down the road, Roy says she’d like to see a better-educated population built around the needs of area communities.

In five years, “unemployment in our county should not be higher than the state average, and our percent of people in poverty should be decreased by 20 percent,” she hopes. “In 10 years, I’d like to see a community so in touch with area workforce needs that our population is no longer aging, because we’re able to bring our young people back to the area and provide them with not just jobs, but great career opportunities.”

Although achieving this vision will be an uphill battle, Roy is optimistic. Already, those college graduates who are returning to the Grand Rapids area are contacting the foundation, wanting to get involved. “These marvelously intelligent, committed graduates want to give back to their community. We need to make them feel that their participation makes a difference; we need this generation to know that we appreciate their service.” Roy says the foundation is exploring a variety of ways to further engage, develop and recognize the area’s young leaders.

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Wells Fargo Employees Coach and Mentor to Combat Disparities

Minnesota’s economic landscape is dotted with bright spots – Fortune 500 companies, strong small businesses, inventive products, needed services – evidence of what’s possible when individuals contribute their intellect and hard work to make businesses successful.

“To ensure we continue to foster innovation and prosperity, why wouldn’t we do everything we could to identify, unlock and engage the potential and talent of all people in Minnesota?” asks Carolyn Roby, Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota vice president.

This is why she finds the state’s expanding disparities in education and employment so unsettling.

Roby cites three reports that illustrate the problem: Uneven Pain, the Economic Policy Institute’s documentation of employment disparities between blacks and whites at every education level; Mind the Gap, Brookings Institution’s report on educational achievement disparities in the Twin Cities; and Close the Gap: A Community Guide on Race, Class, and Place Disparities in the Twin Cities, which accompanied Twin Cities Public Television’s documentary on Mind the Gap.

To address the issues, the Wells Fargo Foundation focuses its grantmaking on employment and economic development for low-income families and communities. But just as valuable, Roby says, is time and knowledge given by the company’s employees.

For example, some participate in Best Prep’s e-mentoring program. Groups work with classrooms throughout the Twin Cities over 10 weeks, discussing career development and career choices via e-mail.

Others participate in Junior Achievement’s “JA in a Day,” educating and inspiring elementary school youth about the connection between education and success in the workplace.

Of the 18,000 Wells Fargo employees in the Twin Cities, 1,000 serve on nonprofit boards. “Our team members are in the trenches, putting their expertise and passion to work to help address some huge community challenges,” Roby notes.

Human resource managers at Wells Fargo have joined with those at other Twin Cities companies to implement some action steps outlined in Close the Gap. Wells Fargo hires youth as part of the Step-Up summer jobs program and offers college internships. Human resource staff members also coach nonprofit agency clients on how to write a resumé and apply and interview for a job.

Roby encourages the foundation community to consider focusing their non-monetary resources in these types of initiatives. “Any grantmaker – whether it’s a one-person shop or a 10,000-employee company – can have a powerful and positive impact in the community by leveraging expertise to coach, mentor and volunteer. We all have resources that go way beyond the money, and we need to make sure we’re utilizing all of our potential,” she says.

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Sauer Children’s Renew Foundation Strives to Break Cycle of Child Abuse

On any given day, headlines shout troubling news: “Suit alleges abuse by counselor”; “Child porn discovered at work”; “Jury gets case in toddler’s death; Parent accused of shaking him.”

“Tragically, child abuse and neglect are prevalent and at the core of so much of what we fund,” says Colleen O’Keefe, executive director of the Sauer Children’s Renew Foundation. “When I read grant proposals from homeless youth shelters, I wonder how it would be different if we did a better job of stopping the abuse many of the youth are running from.

“How many single-parent families in supportive housing are fleeing abuse? I believe it is about 40 percent. In 2009, 4,742 Minnesota children were abused and neglected, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The good news is that this fell from 5,400 in 2008; the bad news is that 76 percent of the abusers are the birth parents, and the average age of abuse and neglect is six years old. Our children are the future of Minnesota. We should be investing so much more in their healthy development and in support systems for parents,” declares O’Keefe.

The Sauer Children’s Renew Foundation has shifted focus toward funding places that not only provide safe shelter for abused or neglected children, but also work to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. O’Keefe shares one example: “We are specifically looking at healing the abused and the abuser by funding a restorative parenting program at the Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-Being in Fridley.”

The foundation also supports Washburn Center for Children, which works in the Twin Cities to get abused children back on a healthy developmental track as soon as possible to increase their chances of reaching their full potential.

With Ann Masten, a University of Minnesota researcher studying resiliency in homeless children, the foundation is looking at whether certain “executive function” skills – goal setting, identifying problems, developing and executing a plan and other cognitive processes – can be taught at a young age, so children can be successful in school and life, regardless of how often they experience the trauma of changing schools.

O’Keefe says the research regarding the effects of trauma on brain development is providing great hope. “This gives us something concrete to point to when we talk about the effects of the trauma of abuse and neglect on a child’s ability to function. It will also lead us to solutions on how to heal the trauma of abuse and neglect so our children will be healthy and grow to their full potential.”

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