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Materials Available from Past Workshops

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The Power of Strategic Prospecting

$100

Stop chasing “eligible” and start chasing “ideal” with smarter research and sharper insights
Finding the right funders takes more than checking eligibility boxes. Strategic prospecting means digging deeper into a funder’s past giving, geographic focus, values, openness to new grantees, typical grant sizes, key contacts and relationships, and nuanced language.

The Workshop provided practical tools that go beyond surface-level research and build stronger, more targeted prospect lists. Also, how to identify funders that truly align with your mission, increasing your chances of meaningful and lasting support.

Materials Include:

  • Presentation Slides & Video Recording
  • Packet of Prospecting Resources
  • 990 Demo
  • Grants Calendar Template
  • Responses to the Workshop Q&A

Small Family Foundations

$175

Small family foundations are defined as giving less than $2M, annually. More than 1,000 of these foundations support Minnesota nonprofits.

The Workshop delivered information and insight on Small Family Foundations that fund in MN: What they are funding. What they want from you, and how to approach them – first steps, strategies, and building relationships.

Materials include:

  • A pdf book of 100+ funder profiles
  • A downloadable Powerpoint presentation
  • A recording of the 3-hour event
  • The Q & A

National Funders

$135
In February, ’25, Access Philanthropy presented its 17th edition of the Minnesota National Grantmakers, our annual workshop on funders who are not based in Minnesota, but are funding in Minnesota. Feedback has been very positive. Nearly 1 IN 3 grants to Minnesota groups are awarded by funders outside of Minnesota. Find out who the most interesting funders are and how to reach them

Materials include:

  • AP’s 2025 National Directory of Top 100+ National Funders in Minnesota
  • Advice on approaching corporate, mega, and family funders
  • A copy of the presentation slide deck
  • A look at national funding trends
  • Q&A with answers
  • 30-minute free consultation with AP researchers & writers.

MN Arts & Culture Funders

$95

The two-hour workshop featured highlights on Access Philanthropy’s new book of MN Arts Funders, along with insights from AP’s Steve Paprocki, Sharon DeMark, Program Manager, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Braxton Haulcy, ED, Walker | West, and Lia Rivamonte, Arts Administration Consultant.

Materials include:

  • Book of the top 150+ resident and non-resident Arts, Culture, and Humanities grantmakers who award grants in MN.
  • Slide deck and recording of event with overview of 60 MN Arts funders.
  • Q&A with answers

Feedback on The Power of Strategic Prospecting

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Thank you for attending our workshop on Strategic Prospect Research!
Please take a few moments to complete a short survey so we can improve future sessions.

How would you rate the overall workshop?
I learned what I thought I would when I signed up for this training.
The live demonstration of a few platforms was a good approach to providing the information.
Having insight from a program officer added value to the session.
How likely are you to recommend this workshop to a friend or colleague?

Thank you for your feedback!

As a thank you for completing this survey, you can enter a drawing for free registration to an upcoming workshop. To participate, please provide your name and contact information. Name
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Need a sounding board for your development ideas? Have questions? Access Philanthropy crew members offer 30-minute chats for free.
30 minute

Workshop on Introducing Your Organization to Funders

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May 14, 2024 1:30-2:30 PM LIVE VIRTUAL

Cost: $45 | Register Below
For more information, contact Mary Anne ([email protected])

Many foundations, especially family foundations, do not have a formal application process and can seem out of reach. Join us to learn how to introduce your organization to new funders in a way that captures their attention.

Topics

  • Is the funder a fit for your organization?
  • When should you send a Letter of Introduction (LOI) vs. a full application, call, or some other outreach method.
  • How to draft an LOI, best practices, helpful tips, things to avoid, tools to help with the writing.
  • Next steps…you’ve submitted your LOI, so now what? Immediate and longer-term next steps to connect with program officers and decision-makers.
  • Q&A

For: New fundraisers and those looking to freshen their LOIs.

Presenters:

Kirsten Gulbro Senior Grant WriterKirsten Gulbro
Access Philanthropy Senior Grant Writer

Kirsten has 20 years of fundraising experience, raising more than $100 million for Minnesota’s nonprofit community. Her expertise includes grant writing, corporate sponsorships, major gifts, special events, nonprofit communications, and prospect research.

Ann Madsen, Senior Grant WriterAnn Madsen
Access Philanthropy Senior Grant Writer

Ann has worked in both international and domestic contexts and has experience developing proposals in humanitarian aid, international development, health, and human services.

FREE information on grant makers

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Cause IQ’s is a subscription-based database built for consultants, accountants, and IT firms to find and market to nonprofits. A Cause IQ profile shows Program areas, Funding, Grantmaking, Financials, and Personnel. With the free account, it’s mostly 990 data but MUCH easier to read than the tax form.

Here’s some of what’s in a search with a free account:

First, create a free account. When logged in, you get a Dashboard with a search box.

  • Type in the name of a funder, or, keywords, like “Minnesota Foundations” – that gives you a list of 2,880 organizations, each with a profile.
  • Under “Advanced Search” you see how many are Private foundations, Corporate foundations, etc.
  • Filter on any of these Types, and/or Revenue, and/or City
  • You can save the Search, to return to over time.

The Grantmaking tab offers graphs comparing issues that received funding, the number grants made in what states, the NTEEs, and more. Graphs likes these are behind paywalls on other search sites.

Another pleasant discovery, the Dashboard remembers recent searches, viewed profiles, and lists updates on them.

 

Give it try: https://www.causeiq.com/

What Gets Funded, Who Gets to Decide, and Vehicles Used for Funding

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Arabella Advisors on 2024 Philanthropy: What, Who, and How

Arabella Advisors is one of the nation’s largest grantmaker, donor and nonprofit organization advisors in the areas of giving and fundraising. So much so that recently, several ultra-conservative observers have been comparing AA with Soros, the Obama Foundation, and other progressive mega-organizations.

Because of their size, innovative funding mechanisms, and connections with powerful progressives, Arabella has a great handle on giving and getting trends. They recently issued a report on What Gets Funded, Who Gets to Decide, and Vehicles Used for Funding in “The Giving Year Ahead: Trends in Grantmaking and Philanthropic Engagement for 2024“. All interesting. Their predictions on what gets funded:

  • Democracy and civic engagement
  • Reproductive health and justice
  • Artificial intelligence and public interest technology
  • Climate change mitigation

No big surprises here. But the article provides a great and simple analysis of what to expect, and most importantly, what language to use if you’re pursuing these interests with funders.

Other 2024 Predictions

Philanthropy futurist Trista Harris  tells us that “traditional strategic planning is a thing of the past” because the future is too unpredictable. Here’s her list:  Trista’s 2024 Philanthropy Predictions

Here’s what The Chronicle of Philanthropy says we’ll see in the coming year:

  • A.I. will be the future of work (and they say that doesn’t have to be bad).
  • Race-based foundation grants will be the next test of the U.S. Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision.
  • Donor-advised funds are changing philanthropy – will 2024 see new regulation?
  • Trust-based philanthropy will need to start showing impact.
  • Shorter workweeks, time off, and DEI training are helping retain workers.
  • Federal climate funds are plentiful — but nonprofits should move quickly.