Kate Wolford is the former president of the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation that seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through grantmaking, collaboration, impact investing, and strategic policy reform. She stepped down from the Foundation in November 2019. Wolford joined the McKnight Foundation in 2006. During her tenure, …
We hope you’ve had a chance by now to read our new mission statement and Strategic Framework 2019–2021. We are very grateful for all the insights, questions, counsel, and outpouring of goodwill since the launch in January. A special thank-you to those who took the time to complete our survey—108 of you! We read the …
When it comes to solving the complex neurological puzzles behind autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and a host of other neurological impairments, award-winning medical investigator Huda Zoghbi believes basic science is the best first step: “The less we know about a medical problem from a basic research point of view, the more we struggle, and …
Farmers have always been innovators. From harnessing the wind to pump water or mill grain, to harvesting the sun to dry hay, farmers have long relied on natural resources to lighten their workload. Now with increasingly affordable technology from wind turbines to solar panels, farmers across the state of Minnesota are taking renewable energy to …
For the past decade, Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy has been empowering individuals and communities to engage in solutions to climate change, and the results at the state level are telling. Today, Minnesota generates over 20 percent of its power from renewable sources, and is now home to the largest solar installation in the …
“Everyone wants to feel good about using more renewable energy, but if you’re low-income, you just don’t have the option of saying ‘I’m going to invest in solar because it will pay off in 20 years,’” says Brandy Toft, Environmental Deputy Director for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in northwestern Minnesota. “When you’re struggling, …
In 2007, then 13-year-old Alec Loorz was inspired to join the burgeoning climate change movement but had difficulty gaining a foothold due to his youth and perceived inexperience. So, he took matters into his own hands, created his own slide deck, and started talking about it… and talking about it. He’s now spoken to over …
When Fairmont Estates, a manufactured home community in southern Minnesota, was suddenly put on the market after 25 years of ownership by a Wisconsin-based investor, residents of the 94-site community knew they needed to act quickly if they wanted a role in the future of the association. As several prospective investors immediately submitted their offers, …
Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) works to strengthen farms and communities through farmer-led investigation and information sharing, representing a diversity of farmers. Their members have conventional and organic systems, employ diverse management practices, run operations of all sizes, and come from a range of backgrounds. These farmers come together, however, because they believe in nature …
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is part of a global network working to protect public health and the environment from the harms of pesticides, and to promote ecologically sound and socially just food and farming. PAN challenges the global proliferation of pesticides, defends basic rights to health and environmental quality, and works to ensure the transition …