Connections at The Minneapolis Foundation

Donors can choose the level of their involvement with the Foundation. We offer on-line tools to make giving easy, but we also offer personal service and community connections to make it more rewarding.

As a donor of The Minneapolis Foundation, you can tap into so much -- grantmaking support, issue expertise, and exclusive events -- that can enhance your giving regardless of your charitable focus.

Learn below about the possibilities for Donor "connections" and let us know what we can do for you!

As a community foundation, we have a "bird's eye view" of the nonprofit landscape -- from the arts to human services. We receive numerous funding proposals, providing us both depth and breadth on community issues. We learn about multiple organizations working in the area, but taking different approaches or focusing on different aspects. As a result we get a comparative view that most charitable individuals can't acquire on their own.

As a donor of The Minneapolis Foundation, you can benefit from this knowledge. Our donor services team is happy to help you identify promising organizations, discuss a community issue or approach, all to help you connect with Minnesota nonprofits doing the kind of work you'd like to support.

When you know what you're looking for, but just haven't found it yet

To make charitable decision-making even easier for you, we've created a special grantmaking program called Connections at The Minneapolis Foundation. Any Minnesota nonprofit may submit a standardized letter of inquiry describing its mission, programs, goals and successes, and its funding needs -- all for possible consideration by our donors. These requests will be kept on file for one year and shared with Foundation donors according to their interests.

From time to time, when donors are ready to make a major charitable investment, they ask Minneapolis Foundation staff to help them gather proposals. We do this through a formal Request for Proposals (RFP), using targeted mailing lists from our comprehensive nonprofit database. We ask that a minimum grant of $30,000 result from the RFP, due to the staff time involved by both the Foundation and the nonprofits seeking funding (time spent preparing proposals).

View a list of current Requests for Proposals offered by donors like you with help from Foundation staff.

We're Here to Help.

By sharing your interests with us, we can help you fulfill your unique charitable goals.

We invite you to let us know more about your charitable interests so we can offer services that you'll find useful and enjoyable and which enhance your charitable giving. The information you provide will be kept confidential and will only be used to provide customized services to you and your family.

For example:

• What types of issues or organizations would you like to support?
• Are you interested in discovering nonprofit organizations working on issues you care about?
• Would you be interested in visiting a nonprofit organization you're thinking of supporting?
• Are you interested in art receptions, issue briefings, or volunteer opportunities or other community events?
• If you share the joy of giving with your children, grandchildren, or other young people in your life, would you be interested in programs to help them learn more about philanthropy?
• Are you passionate about an issue? Would you like to meet other Donors who share that passion?
• Do you have a personal or family giving mission statement or unusual giving tradition?

For more information on programs and services for donors, please contact:

Marigrace Deters
Director of Client Services
(612) 672-3845
mdeters@mplsfoundation.org

Eric Anderson,
Donor Services Officer
(612) 672-3842
eanderson@mplsfoundation.org