Minneapolis Sky Line - Credit Bruce Silcox
Nearly 100 years ago a group of business men came together to create The Minneapolis Foundation. Using what was considered an innovative model at the time, they created an easy way for people to contribute to the welfare of the community and to individual causes and charities they cared about. By pooling their gifts with a trusted community institution, they were assured their donations would be invested wisely and distributed according to their wishes.
Fast forward to today: Community foundations remain the charitable partner of choice for many philanthropists, but today’s newest donors have added their own twist. Former “latchkey kids” who witnessed the Challenger Explosion, the onset of AIDS, and the rise of personal technology have developed into skeptical, but resourceful givers. They’ve brought innovations to philanthropy, as each previous generation has done. Pragmatic, impatient, and focused on results, they’ve already demonstrated their tremendous giving power and savvy – witness the impact of text-based donations in response to the Haiti earthquake. They’re also increasingly looking upstream, and exploring ways to make their small efforts add up to big things.
These young professionals represent the fourth generation of donors to partner with The Minneapolis Foundation. We’ve created a space for them to develop their own brand of giving: the Fourth Generation program. They, too, pooled their gifts for greater impact. They also selected a focus for the year — youth homelessness — researched the issue, reviewed funding proposals, conducted site visits, and selected organizations they felt would best benefit from their charitable support. On May 11th, they’ll award $17,000 in grants to two local programs that prevent homelessness and serve homeless and highly-mobile youth: St. Paul-based Face to Face and Full Cycle in Minneapolis.
Through their research, Fourth Generation members learned that nearly 2,000 youth are homeless on any given night in Minnesota, and that not having an ID, access to transportation, or job skills makes it difficult for youth to break the cycle and stabilize their lives. Program members were intentional about addressing core issues, and chose to fund groups that give homeless youth an effective stepping-stone to housing and long-term well-being.
Young professionals interested in participating in this kind of hands-on giving experience and meeting other emerging leaders are encouraged to attend the May 11th event. Cathy ten Broeke, Hennepin County Coordinator to End Homelessness and one of the Twin Cities’ most influential voices on ending homelessness, is the featured speaker. The event is open to the public and will be held at Engine for Social Innovation in Minneapolis from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. To learn more about this and other charitable giving opportunities, please visit www.fourthgenfund.org.
~ Robyn Schein is a guest contributor.
