14 survey respondents
Location: 80 South Eight Street, Minneapolis, 55402 MN
EIN: 41-6029402
89%
11%
11 hours
Median
75%
25%
63%
38%
2017 Deadlines:
Types of Grants Awarded:
Geographic Focus:
For Fiscal Year
Total Assets:
Total Grants:
Change in Assets FY :
Amount of Grants to Minnesota Nonprofits:
Largest Grant:
Smallest Grant:
Average Grant:
Did not apply
It is fairly easy to have a first contact with the Minneapolis Foundation (contact information is accessible on the website). I've spoken to multiple people within the organization over several different jobs at different organizations. However, I have consistently had a problem with follow-through. I have a phone conversation or an in-person meeting with staff at the foundation, sometimes they even indicate that they likely can find funding for a project. I have been invited to provide materials. And then I never hear back again, regardless of how much follow-up I do. I don't think this is the case for all program officers, but I have had this experience more than once at different organizations. The Minneapolis Foundation is a prominent philanthropic leader in our community and it is incredibly disheartening to repeatedly experience false promises, obtuse responses, or no communication at all. This is a poor example of the kind of partnership philanthropy purports to want to have with community.
Inadvertently exerts negative influence in the field, Difficult to work with
Minnesota
Did not apply
Other
2023
Bad
Bad
Be communicative and up front about what partnership is possible with a non-profit.
I appreciate their drive towards equity.
0
Professional in the field
The foundation is fine - their RFPs are pretty clear about what they want, and if you connect with staff beforehand you get a good sense of whether it's worth your time to apply. Their grant portal does. not. work. This is the third time I've applied to them in the last 18 months when their portal has either been down across the board within 48 hours of a deadline or when there have been individual account issues that pop up. It is beyond frustrating and adds hours of time and stress to an already lengthy process. Plan to submit your application at least three days early to account for their terrible system.
Responsive
Minnesota
Professional in the field
Funded for greater amount
2022
Good
Staff is responsive and easy to access.
Average
The foundation distributes a pretty limited amount of funding through public channels given how much they have, and is very directive about what they want to fund.
Fix your grant portal!
0
Grant Applicant - applied in 2016
Call and talk to the program officers at the foundation before you move forward with a grant request. They are very transparent, straight shooters who will let you know if your organization or request is a good fit or not.
Insightful, Builds relationships, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Responsive
Array
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2016
Good
Average
Please dramatically cut down on the reporting process. Completing the grant report feels like another grant application. So many questions are redundant, seeking information that was already addressed in the original application or during the site visit. It feels like a very poor use of time. Hours spent on the grant report could be spent cultivating other donors or pursuing another grant opportunity.
This funder is very responsive to phone calls, emails and scheduling site visits. They also do provide some pretty large grants which is very helpful when properly funding your mission.
25
This is always recommended in advance of submitting an application. Each director will provide guidance and indicate whether there is strong alignment with the strategic direction or not.
Reviewer 742 - Did not apply
Call before you apply. It saved us a lot of time to have them tell us not to bother applying.
Minnesota
Did not apply
2015
Average
They were in turmoil when we called to inquire about the application process. So the answers we received in how to proceed changed a lot from contact to contact. They are probably better now.
Average
I'm not sure what the philanthropic goals of the Foundation are. I just know it has nothing to do with what our organization does. They do find some pretty great organizations and projects.
Try funding smaller organizations that want to grow, consider widening your funding criteria for small organizations who address real problems that are not necessarily timely and fashionable, but do meet the needs of our communities.
If you have a new project, a new organization, or if the issue that you address has been in the news lately, you probably have a good chance. If you are a small, solid older organization that needs funding to continue good work or expand current projects, you might be better off looking somewhere else.
They do find some really great organizations and projects.
0
We encourage all intended applicants to read the grant guidelines before they call one of the Directors of Impact Strategy. The Director will provide feedback on how well your organization, program, or idea aligns with one of our three focus areas.
Reviewer 942 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2017
Minneapolis Foundation has a large range of different funding options and partnerships, but what the funds directly administered by Foundation staff have in common in transparency. While it can be challenging to connect to individual and family funds, the Community Grants and other small grants run by Foundation staff all have an RFP process that is public and visible. The staff responsible for each area are open to questions and willing to advise you. The guidelines and goals are typically pretty clear, so if you look at the guidelines and think, "Well, I am kind of close, but not exactly on target" I would suggest talking to the staff and thinking carefully before you apply. Every time I have had that feeling. I have been turned down, whereas most of the time when I have felt like, "This is a great fit!" my request has been successful.
The only issue I have encountered is with the online system. In the past I have had issues with variances between the application questions as distributed by the foundation and the actual questions in the application. This has improved over time, but I have learned to be very careful. I have also had issues with inadvertently choosing the wrong application. if more than one RFP is open at the same time. When you decide to apply, open the online application RIGHT AWAY and carefully check the questions to be sure you have the right application and the right question set. Also check for character count limitations; those are usually (but not always) noted on the questions the foundation distributes. Nothing is worse than frantically re-writing your application at the last minute because of a disconnect between the question you carefully crafted a response to and the actual question on the online form.
Positive leader in the field, Culturally sensitive, Friendly, Builds relationships, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Openminded, Responsive
Minnesota
Current or former grantee
Funded for lesser amount
2017
Good
Staff are always open to discussion.
I wish it was easier to reach out to their small donor advised funds, but I also understand why they are very selective about facilitating these relationships. The don't want their donors exposed to an open application process unless they are on board with that and all it entails.
Good
This has improved a lot. At first their strategic framework was somehow both vague and highly restrictive, and it was hard to see how they were going to achieve their goals. They were very beautiful and inspirational, but not things you could measure progress on. In recent years they have really homed in on measurable, achievable outcomes that nonprofits could clearly see if their work contributed to, or not.
There staff is open to the community. Call them. They will help.
20
Thank you for your feedback on the Foundation's efforts to provide transparency across our funding opportunities. To learn more about those opportunities, you can sign up to receive grant cycle updates at http://www.minneapolisfoundation.org/grants/overview/.
We encourage all intended applicants to read the grant guidelines before they call one of the Directors of Impact Strategy. The Director will provide feedback on how well your organization, program, or idea aligns with one of our three focus areas. This will help save time and help you decide whether you wish to proceed with an application.
Thank you for expressing concerns about our online system. We encourage this feedback so that we can continue to improve the system for its functionality.
The word documents have been posted well in advance of the actual access to the online application. Changes may have been made to the online questions not reflected in the word document. We will make every effort to ensure the consistency of the word documents and online documents. Character count limitations will be visible on all text questions.
Finally, there are times when multiple applications are open for different purposes. We are continuing to address this through instructions and working with our developer for other options.
Grant Applicant - applied in 2016
Great to work with, responsive, willing to talk through your pitch with you. But prepare yourself for the Byzantine process of applying. You have to be ready to explain how your program addresses their Frameworks, "Shifts", and "Key Drivers". Because they know whats best for the community.
Positive leader in the field, Friendly, Builds relationships, Responsive
Minnesota
Current or former grantee
Funded for lesser amount
2016
Good
Good
The application process needs to be simplified. The framework for what works in the community should be co-designed with the community.
20
Thank you for this feedback. Our Strategic Framework and Five Shifts of Social Change are intended to provide further insight on how we are defining our work for social, economic, and racial equity.
Our Focus Areas narrow this further to identify goals and what we will fund. We do believe that achieving equity is best for the community, and through these strategies, we are confident in achieving the intended Key Results that lead toward social, economic, and racial equity.
Reviewer 515 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2017
The Foundation has a specific strategic/equity framework applicants must address. It is important to read through their website and materials to ensure you fit. Also, could connect with the program officer, who is very helpful and accessible. Attending their annual community information meetings is also helpful. Application is online.
Positive leader in the field, Culturally sensitive, Insightful, Friendly, Builds relationships, Likes site visits, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Openminded, Responsive
Minnesota
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2017
Good
Very accessible via phone or email!
Good
The application deadline is never the same year to year; be sure to subscribe to their e-news/emails to ensure you are aware when the application period is open and when it closes.
Is aware of the needs in our communities
5 to 10 hours
Thank you for your feedback. We encourage all intended applicants to read the grant guidelines before they call one of the Directors of Impact Strategy. The Director will provide feedback on how well your organization, program, or idea aligns with one of our three focus areas.
Attending the community information meetings or watching an overview of the grantmaking process online is also encouraged. The advantage of attending the community information meeting is having an opportunity to connect with others and benefit from the Director's points of view regarding their individual portfolios and how performance is being measured.
Grant Applicant - applied in 2016
The program officers I've interacted with are good communicators, they gave us a good sense of where we stood with them and clear next steps.
Friendly, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Responsive
Minnesota
Current or former grantee
Funded for lesser amount
2016
0
Thank you for your feedback. Our Directors of Impact Strategy strive to be available and responsive to all questions.
Reviewer 438 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2016
The Minneapolis Foundation is well-known as having an obtuse and difficult application (and reports), rife with jargon and inside-the-Foundation-speak. Be patient and attend informational meetings to help understand what they want.
Minnesota
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2016
Average
Although there are community meetings on a fairly regular basis, the program officers haven't been known for being accessible to not-yet-grantees, making it difficult to "break in." This may change with new leadership on both the program/funding side (new Senior Vice President of Community Impact starts in September 2017) and the fundraising side (new Senior Vice President of Philanthropic Services just started in May 2017).
Average
This Foundation stays true to the geography: Minneapolis. They have poured a lot of money into the disparities and difficulties in this City, but have not -- yet -- seen much change according to their own OneMpls reports. They make a LOT of impact through individual organizations, but overall, the city's children are still struggling in schools.
Listen to your grantees (especially through anonymous channels) about how difficult and un-helpful the application process is.
We will be looking forward to hearing about changes once the new-ish President and CEO and the new Senior Vice President of Community Impact make their mark.
This is a funder that has an absolute, unwavering commitment to people in the City of Minneapolis who don't always receive attention or funding. If your organization authentically serves these Minneapolitans, do attend community meetings and apply!
Focuses on an area of high need: Minneapolis (City of).
Thank you for your feedback regarding the use of jargon and inside-the-Foundation-speak. We are aware of this challenge and appreciate the need to communicate our Strategic Framework and Guidelines more clearly and thereby improving the application and reporting requirements. We also understand the complexity across all three focus areas and different applications for each Key Driver. We will continue our effort to simplify where possible, but the challenges we are addressing are complex and need depth in its review.
Grant Applicant - applied in 2014
Great meeting with the program officer
of the Minneapolis Foundation
Applied for funding
12
2014
Not so much
Thank you for the positive feedback! The Directors of Impact Strategy are available to meet face to face with potential applicants, but this is not always necessary. The Directors are available for telephone or other electronic communication. If the situation warrants it, a site visit may also take place.
