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The Saint Paul Foundation's strategic grantmaking plan consists of:
- An anti-racist community.
To reduce racism at both the individual and institutional level through education, direct action, and/or increased dialogue and understanding. (The Saint Paul Foundation recognizes racism as fostering dominance and control of one group over another based on social definitions of race.)
- Economic development for disadvantaged people and communities.
To develop and increase economic capacity through job training and support, job creation, education, and business and commercial development.
- Strong families that provide healthy development for children and youth.
To assure that families' basic needs (e.g. stable housing, safe family environment, adequate nutrition) are met and that parents have the skills and resources needed to raise healthy, productive children and youths.
- Quality education.
To assure that people of all ages and racial and ethnic backgrounds have access to high-quality, culturally appropriate educational instruction and support that will maximize their personal success.
- Promote neighborhood decision-making and community-building efforts.
Community-building within neighborhoods is effective when it is driven by community-based decision making. The health of communities is as dependent on developing strong social connections and informal networks as it is on physical development.
- Rely on communities of color as primary resources for defining and addressing community challenges and opportunities.
Communities of color have culturally relevant ways of defining and addressing challenges and opportunities. Culturally specific approaches ensure the ownership and engagement of the communities and are often more effective in achieving results.
- Adopt a form of leadership that works in partnership with its constituent communities to influence the public agenda.
This type of leadership ensures that relevant community groups and individuals are involved in shaping the public agenda and serves as a bridge between those with power and those without.
- Support holistic approaches to strengthen families and communities.
Holistic approaches build on overall strengths and focus on the interrelationship among the issues that affect families and communities by integrating services, systems, and policies.
- Support efforts that promote the importance of spirituality and the values of personal and social responsibility.
Spirituality can be an important force in providing a sense of hope and meaning in people's lives and in promoting personal and social responsibility. Organizations that are motivated by spiritual convictions often play an important role in guiding personal growth, meeting basic needs, and promoting social justice.
The Foundation will:
- Listen and learn in new ways
- Look to you to help us in our work
- Maintain existing relationships, develop new relationships and connect with the community in a variety of ways
- Share what it learns and encourage others to join in this effort
- Continue to develop the assets that are present within the diverse communities served
- Use the Foundation's resources and reputation to help build a better and stronger community
You can participate, too. The Saint Paul Foundation encourages your organization to submit a grant request that addresses these goals and strategies.
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Community Meetings are a way for us to engage the community through local meetings. The Saint Paul Foundation held three community meetings in 2007:
- April: addressed capacity building among nonprofits
- July: included members of the arts community
- October: included nonprofits engaged in community organizing and civic engagement
Read the Community Meeting Report for 2007, which includes a recap of the 2007 meetings and a preview of what is in store for 2008. (PDF)
Questions and answers from the October discussion are below. Past meeting Q & A discussions are posted in the sidebar column to the right.
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On October 3, representatives from 29 nonprofit organizations with civic engagement programs met at the Neighborhood House - Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building in Saint Paul.
The discussion centered on types of capacity building that advance civic engagement, and the Foundation's role in promoting active civic engagement in the East Metro.
We hope that by sharing this information we can strengthen our own grantmaking, expand the information nonprofits have for planning and provide information to other foundations and donors concerned with similar community issues.
Summaries of the discussions are below. If you have questions, please contact Trista Harris, program officer, at trh@saintpaulfoundation.org.
Question 1: What kinds of capacity building efforts have stabilized or advanced your civic engagement efforts? Click the icon for the answers. |
Question 2: What is an effective role for The Saint Paul Foundation to play in promoting active civic engagement in the East Metro? Click the icon for the answers. |
The Saint Paul Foundation would like to thank the organizations that participated in this conversation:
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
Arc Greater Twin Cities
Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood
Development Corporation
Casa de Esperanza
Centro Legal Inc
Child Care WORKS
Citizens League
CommonBond Communities
Community Action Partnership
of Ramsey & Washington
Counties
District Councils Collaborative/University UNITED
Growth & Justice
Hamline Midway Coalition
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute
of Public Affairs - CDC
Immigrant Law Center
of Minnesota Inc |
Jewish Community Action
Metropolitan Interfaith Council
on Affordable Housing
Minnesota Advocates
for Human Rights
Minnesota AIDS Project
MOAPPP
Minnesota Senior Federation
NAMI-MN
Neighborhood House
New Americans
Community Services
Rainbow Families
SAYFSM
St Paul Area Council of Churches
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
Upper Midwest Community
Policing Institute
Vital Aging Network | |
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