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A Look at Impact Investing

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A trend among some funders at the national, regional & local level is the adoption of impact investing strategies. Foundations and large funders still provide grants, but are blending the “investment” model with traditional grants.

=>see below for a list of Impact Investors in MN

The investment portion aims to produce both financial returns and positive societal change, aligning their capital with market-driven solutions. This shift is largely driven by the desire for sustainable, long-term impact where capital can be reinvested rather than distributed as one-time grants. Some funders see private capital and market mechanisms as more efficient in driving social change compared to traditional charity models. Furthermore, impact investments often come with defined metrics, allowing for greater accountability and transparency in tracking results.

The rise of blended finance models also allows funders to use their capital as catalytic funding, leveraging private sector investments through mechanisms like loan guarantees and program-related investments (PRIs). Regulatory and tax considerations further encourage this shift, as impact investing offers foundations flexible financial options, especially with mission-related investments (MRIs). Foundations embracing this shift include the Ford Foundation, which has committed $1 billion to mission-related investments in areas like affordable housing, and the Rockefeller Foundation, which focuses on climate resilience and healthcare through impact investments. Other prominent foundations, such as the MacArthur Foundation, Kresge Foundation and Omidyar Network, have also committed significant funds to impact investing in sectors like housing, climate solutions, and economic empowerment.

It is important to clarify a funder’s approach—whether they are offering grants, investments, or a blend. Asking about the funder’s expectations for financial returns and reviewing past funding models can provide insight into their approach. Adapting your language to focus on scalability, sustainability, and return on impact can make your proposals more appealing to impact investors.

Here’s a list of Key Impact Investors & Funds in Minnesota

  1. Blandin Foundation focuses on rural impact investing in economic development, broadband expansion, and community resilience. Uses program-related investments (PRIs) to support rural businesses and social enterprises.
  2. Otto Bremer Trust uses mission-aligned investments (MAIs) and grants to support economic development, community resilience, and racial equity. Provides low-interest loans and direct equity investments. 
  3. Bush Foundation provides social impact investments, grants, and program-related investments (PRIs). Focuses on Native communities, leadership development, and community innovation.  
  4. Cogent Consulting & Wealth Advisory is a Minneapolis-based impact investing and ESG consulting firm. Works with investors looking to align their portfolios with social impact goals. 
  5. Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF) is a  Minnesota-based CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) providing impact investment opportunities. Funds small businesses, affordable housing, and community infrastructure. 
  6. Great Plains Institute (GPI) supports clean energy and sustainable infrastructure projects. Helps investors identify opportunities in renewable energy and climate solutions.  
  7. Local Angel Investor Networks (with Impact Focus) is a Twin Cities Impact Investing Network: Connects investors with mission-driven startups. Gopher Angels invests in Minnesota-based businesses, including social enterprises.
  8. McKnight Foundation is one of the largest impact investors in Minnesota, allocating $500 million of its endowment for impact-focused investments.  Funds clean energy, economic development, and racial equity initiatives. 
  9. MEDA (Metropolitan Economic Development Association) provides capital and investment support for minority-owned businesses in Minnesota. Offers loans, venture capital, and technical assistance. 
  10. Minnesota Impact Investing Initiative (MI3):  A collaboration between the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) and financial institutions to invest in projects that generate both social and financial returns. Focuses on affordable housing, small businesses, and environmental sustainability.
  11. Mortenson Family Foundation invests in climate change solutions, racial equity, and local communities. Provides grants and mission-related investments (MRIs). 
  12. Northwest Area Foundation invests in Native American communities, racial equity, and economic justice. Provides grants and impact investments for economic mobility. 
  13. The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota supports economic empowerment, racial equity, and workforce development. Uses grants and impact investments to create sustainable community change.  
  14. The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation engages in impact-first investments to strengthen local communities. Focuses on racial equity, affordable housing, and economic opportunity.  
  15. Social Impact Strategies Group (SISG) is a woman- and BIPOC-led impact investment firm focused on funding local businesses and social enterprises in Minnesota.

Are you interested in learning more about impact investing? Drop us a note — [email protected]. and let us know what you want to know and how it fits into your work.

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

Unlocking the 990 and other Prospecting Tools & Directories

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Materials For this Workshop are Available for download.

For more information, contact Mary Anne ([email protected])

Boost your fundraising as you head into the new year

Join us for an engaging and informative workshop where we’ll guide you through strategic prospecting, helping you target the right funders and build lasting relationships. Hosted by Steve Paprocki and the expert team at Access Philanthropy, this workshop will give you the tools to sharpen your prospecting and increase your success rate.

Workshop Highlights

  • Strategic Prospecting: Learn how to find and evaluate funders that align with your mission and goals. We’ll walk you through key tools like Candid, Instrumentl, Cause IQ, 990s, and more.
  • What’s Next?: Discover how to build a winning grants calendar, craft compelling LOIs and introductions, and breakthrough to invite only funders.
  • Q&A: Bring your questions and get expert advice.

Materials include a toolkit with a prospecting template, sample introduction email and LOI, a list of tools to streamline your fundraising efforts, and two-week guest access to the Access Philanthropy database of funder profiles.

Can’t join us on December 5? Reach out to schedule a 30-minute chat with an Access Philanthropy advisor. We’ll answer your questions and offer helpful suggestions to boost your fundraising.

Registration Form Below.

Presenters:

Steve Paprocki

Steve Paprocki

Access Philanthropy President Emeritus

Steve (he/him) has spent his entire professional career in philanthropy – as a foundation director, fundraiser, trainer, donor consultant, author, researcher, and lobbyist. He knows his stuff. He draws on his diverse experience and extensive network to help nonprofits meet the right people, at the right time, and meet their goals.

Kirsten Gulbro

Kirsten Gulbro

Access Philanthropy Senior Associate

With more than 20 years of fundraising experience and more than $100 million raised for Minnesota’s nonprofit community, Kirsten is deeply passionate about supporting mission-based work. She’s worked for organizations with a variety of missions, from basic needs assistance to workforce development to environmental conservation. Kirsten holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration Degree from Metropolitan State University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Augsburg University. Her professional experience includes grant writing, corporate sponsorships, major gifts, special events, nonprofit communications, and prospect research.

Ann Madsen, Senior Grant Writer

Ann Madsen

Access Philanthropy Senior Grant Writer

Ann has worked in the nonprofit sector 10+ years and raised $28 million. She has worked in both international and domestic contexts and has experience developing proposals in humanitarian aid, international development, health, and human services. Ann is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Tulane University, as well as a Master of Arts in Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Essex.

Date: December 5
Time: 9:30-11:00pm
Virtual (Zoom link provided in registration email)
Cost: Single $75 | Group (up to 4): $100

Thank you

Date: December 5
Time: 9:30-11:00pm
Virtual (Zoom link provided in confirmation email)
Cost: Single $75 | Group (up to 4): $100

Trends In MN Arts Funding

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Top Trends by the numbers in MN Arts Grantmaking

  • The overall # of arts grants rose by 844 from 2018 to 2021, then declined.
  • 2019 and 2020 were High Water Marks, almost every area of arts funding then declined from 2021 to 2022
  • General Operating Support grants in the arts increased by 1,100 grants from 2018 to 2021 but also declined in 2022
  • Grants for “BIPOC” arts is consistently around 20% of total arts giving.

Key Takeaways

  • Performing Arts grants declined by more than 1,000 from 2019 to 2022
  • While General Operating grants went up, Arts Education grants declined.
    • Some arts groups used Education as a substitute for Gen Op, is there a correlation?
  • A closer look at BIPOC arts grants is revealing. For example, in 2021:
    • Total # of BIPOC arts grants: 825
    • # of grants to BIPOC-led groups: 515
    • Latin, African Descent & Asian American arts groups are particularly under-represented in Minnesota arts grantmaking. (See specific tables below.)
  • Cultural Awareness grants are a relatively new area of arts grantmaking, growing from 80 grants in 2014 to 273 in 2022.
  • Surprisingly, grants for Visual Arts nearly doubled from 2018 to 2022.
  • We imagined Arts Services grants would go up during Covid, but they declined by nearly 200 grants in 2020
  • Grants to Museums declined by 201 grants from 2018 to 2022. Certainly, Covid affected this but grants did not recover in 2022. Dominance of a few museums did decline. A ratio of 6 grants for every recipient in 2018 to 4 grants for every recipient in 2022.

All Arts Grants in MN 2018-2022

(Source: Foundation Directory Online)


Grants by Interest Area & Race-Specific Arts

Press Forward Minnesota

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Press Forward Minnesota announced key leadership appointments, including newly formed committees and a strategy consultant. The five-year initiative is dedicated to strengthening and sustaining local news across the state. It was established by the McKnight Foundation as part of a national movement led by a coalition of funders dedicated to strengthening communities by reinvigorating local news.

Press Forward Minnesota will begin accepting grant proposals this fall, with more details to be released in the coming months.

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.

Northwest Area Foundation has changed its mission

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Northwest Area Foundation: “The Opposite of Poverty is Not Wealth but Justice”

Northwest Area Foundation has changed its mission to reflect a commitment to put justice at the center of its support of Native Americans, communities of color, immigrants and refugees, and people in rural areas. President Kevin Walker says thriving requires more than material prosperity and barriers cannot be overcome by focusing through only a poverty-reduction lens. “We stand alongside changemakers in our eight states and 76 native nations and fund work that leads to racial, social, and economic injustice.”

Read Walker’s letter

Better Way Foundation Redoing Glen Taylor’s New Foundation in the Greater Mankato Area

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Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx owner, Glen Taylor, is gifting assets valued at $172 million to the Taylor Family Farms Foundation, to support people in southern Minnesota and rural communities across Minnesota and Iowa. The foundation will work in partnership with three nonprofit organizations: the Mankato Area Foundation, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

Taylor’s donation comprises parcels of farmland located in Minnesota and Iowa. Income generated by the farmland will be distributed to the three partner foundations for continuous reinvestment in the region where Taylor grew up and raised his family.

 

Read about it at the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation