MINNESOTA and Lisa Ranghelli ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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CHALLENGING GRANTMAKERS TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES Strengthening Democracy, Increasing Opportunities IMPACTS OF ADVOCACY, ORGANIZING, by Gita Gulati-Partee AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN MINNESOTA and Lisa Ranghelli ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank the many people who helped make this report possible: our state partners Bill King and his colleagues at the Minnesota Council on Foundations, and Jon Pratt and his team at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; the staff and leadership of the 15 organizations featured in this report; the Minnesota GCIP Host Committee; the additional foundation and nonprofit leaders we interviewed; external reviewers who provided feedback on the draft, including Bill King, Jon Pratt, Claire Chang of the St. Paul Foundation, Trista Harris and David Nicholson of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice, and Steven Mayer of Effective Communities, LLC; Julia Craig and Muzna Ansari, who assisted greatly with data verification and analysis for the report; the Grantmaking for Community Impact Project staff team, led by Melissa Johnson and Niki Jagpal; and the many government representatives and others in Minnesota who were responsive to our inquiries. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Gita Gulati-Partee builds organizational and leadership capacity for break- through social change through the national consulting practice OpenSource Leadership Strategies, Inc. With expertise in asset-based methods of inquiry and engagement, organization and network development, and adaptive lead- ership and change, Gita has served as senior consultant to the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, project consultant to the Community Foundations Working Group of the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers, and core faculty of Duke University’s Institute in Nonprofit Leadership. Previously, she served as public policy director with the N.C. Center for Nonprofits and as a program officer with The Cleveland Foundation. Gita earned an MBA as well as a certificate in public policy from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Lisa Ranghelli joined NCRP in 2008 as senior research associate. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors. Most recently, Lisa was a consultant to foundations and social justice organiza- tions, documenting and evaluating social and economic change strategies. Previously, Lisa was deputy director of public policy at the Center for Community Change, where she helped grassroots organizations mobilize successfully in response to federal and state policy issues. Lisa holds a mas- ter of regional planning degree from Cornell University. Cover photos — Left: A diverse crowd joined together to let the Minnesota Department of Transportation know that their failure to meet hiring goals was no longer acceptable. Photos by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. Center: Kids using the laptops at the Brian Coyle Center Wi-Fi pilot project launch event. Photo by Roxanne Johnson, courtesy of Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. Right: A march in 2006 in favor of fair and just immigration reform. Photo Courtesy of Centro Campesino. Table of Contents I. Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................3 II. Introduction ....................................................................................................................5 A. Definition of Terms B. Summary of Research Methodology III. The Minnesota Context....................................................................................................9 A. Demographics B. Racial Disparities C. 2010 Census D. Minnesota’s Nonprofit Sector E. Philanthropy in Minnesota IV. Findings ......................................................................................................................13 A. Return on Investment and Aggregate Benefits B. Impact Highlights by Issue 1. Economic Security 2. Land Use, the Environment and Transportation 3. Civil and Human Rights 4. Health 5. Education C. Constituent Engagement Impacts 1. Constituents Leading Themselves 2. Nonpartisan Voter Engagement 3. Leadership Development 4. Cross-Sector Partnerships D. Other Findings 1. Community Organizing Takes Different Forms 2. Strengths and Challenges of Working Across Strategies 3. Importance of a Racial Equity Lens 4. Challenges of Measuring Systems Change Strengthening Democracy, Increasing Opportunities 1 Table of Contents (continued) V. Considerations and Recommendations for Foundation Leaders ........................................37 A. Effective Funding Strategies B. Recommendations for Funders 1. Increase the percentage of grant dollars devoted to advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement. 2. Engage board members and donors in dialogue about how advocacy and organizing can help a grantmaking institution achieve its long-term goals. 3. Strengthen peer learning and strategizing about advocacy and organizing. 4. Engage nonprofit partners in strategic planning and grantmaking process of foundations. 5. Apply a racial equity lens to grantmaking. 6. Provide general operating support and multiyear grants. VI. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................47 Notes ..............................................................................................................................48 Appendices Appendix A: Organizational Profiles......................................................................................50 Appendix B: Quantitative Impacts and Return on Investment ......................................................54 Appendix C: Qualitative Impacts and Beneficiaries....................................................................64 I. Executive Summary innesota has large and vibrant nonprofit and > For every dollar invested in their advocacy and Mphilanthropic sectors. When nonprofits and organizing work ($16.5 million total), the foundations partner to tackle urgent issues in the groups garnered $138 in benefits for Minnesota state, they can achieve tremendous success – espe- communities. cially when they use public policy advocacy and > Foundations provided critical support to these engage affected constituencies directly in the prob- successes, contributing $11.5 million, or 70 per- lem-solving process. Yet, very few funders in the state cent of all funding for advocacy and organizing use these strategies to effect long-term change. among the nonprofit sample. Pressing problems, including stark racial disparities, threaten the economic health of the state and its res- These numbers and equally important non-quan- idents. For example, 61 percent of African American tifiable impacts benefit all of Minnesota, strengthen- children live in poverty, compared to 8 percent of ing its social fabric and helping government and the white children. The workforce is aging, and not private sector serve residents and their communities enough youth are completing college to meet the better. They also translate into concrete improve- employment needs of the state. These and other chal- ments in people’s lives. For example: lenges demand bold and immediate action. > Students of color and immigrants gained access This report demonstrates the impact such action to college; can accomplish. It found that a sample of local and > Formerly incarcerated people improved their job state organizations and their allies leveraged millions opportunities, increasing individual earning of dollars in foundation resources to secure more than potential and economic benefits to their commu- $2 billion in benefits for Minnesotans. NCRP studied nities; 15 organizations that worked with underrepresented > People living with mental illnesses and their fam- constituencies1 in Minnesota on a range of issues, ilies received greater support and access to care, including poverty, worker issues, education, access to thus enabling them to lead more productive and health care, affordable housing, transit, immigration fulfilling lives; and civil rights. These organizations used a variety of > Workers secured increased wages and better strategies to achieve change, including working in working conditions; and, coalitions, mobilizing affected communities, partner- > Lower-income residents accessed affordable ing with policymakers, conducting research, reaching housing and public transit. out to the media and employing legal strategies. The report examined the groups’ accomplishments over a Nonprofit groups also brought thousands of peo- five-year period (2004–2008): ple into the policy process and civic life, such as indi- > For impacts that could be quantified, the aggre- viduals from low-wealth communities; people living gate monetary benefit of the groups’ accomplish- with developmental disabilities; African Americans, ments was more than $2.28 billion. Native Americans, Latinos, other people of color and Strengthening Democracy, Increasing Opportunities 3 National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy immigrants; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and of economic crises, grantmakers with decreased questioning (LGBTQ) residents; senior citizens; stu- assets can do the most good for communities in need, dents and other youth; individuals and families living address Minnesota’s challenges and growing racial with mental illnesses; people living with HIV/AIDS; disparities, and achieve the greatest return on their formerly incarcerated people; women and girls; and investments by following these