The Initiative Foundation in Little Falls serves a diverse landscape in Central Minnesota. Its focus is the economy, community and philanthropy of the 14-county region with an emphasis on economic development, community collaborations, early childhood initiatives and the preservation and celebration of Central Minnesota’s assets and natural resources. Over the next 10 years, Central Minnesota’s …
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report confirms what communities around the globe, including here in the Midwest, have known for decades: climate change is affecting the lives of billions of people around the world—creating dangerous disruptions that hit under-resourced communities hardest. Too often, these same communities are left out of conversations about …
Protecting our planet so everyone can thrive requires transforming how we produce and use electricity. The McKnight Foundation supports bold action on the climate crisis, recognizing the urgent need to reduce carbon pollution, at scale, as quickly as possible in the Midwest. Through its Midwest Climate & Energy program, McKnight supports clean energy policies, regulatory …
Within the United States, the Midwest is one of the largest emitters of carbon pollution. To reduce carbon pollution at scale at the speed necessary, we must act collectively. For that reason, the McKnight Foundation supports bold action on the climate crisis, recognizing that economy-wide decarbonization requires transforming our energy system. It also calls for …
Note: Last month, we announced that Aimee Witteman, Midwest Climate & Energy program director, will step down from her position on July 30, 2020. After 10 years with McKnight, Aimee is pivoting to new adventures. Following are Aimee’s parting reflections on the climate movement and climate philanthropy, including her thoughts on McKnight’s newly expanded climate …
During this extraordinary moment in history, our communities must contend with two pandemics. The first is a deadly novel coronavirus that confounds experts. The second is systemic racism—an infliction that led to the murder of George Floyd. The convergence of the coronavirus with the senseless police killings of more Black Americans has forced our country …
Reflections on 27 Years of Funding The McKnight Foundation’s board of directors has sustained an impressive 27-year commitment to protecting the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. That commitment was a recognition of the river’s extraordinary history as a focus of community, culture, food production, and transportation for millennia. The river has been, and …
Below is Vice President of Program Neal Cuthbert’s foreword from the McKnight-commissioned Small Towns, Big Ideas: Reimagining Southeast Minnesota, an essay by Jay Walljasper that explores innovative examples of economic resilience in Southeast Minnesota that could serve as models for the entire Midwest. Jay Walljasper’s Small Towns, Big Ideas: Reimagining Southeast Minnesota was commissioned by The …
Through our Pathway Schools Initiative, McKnight partners with seven schools in the Twin Cities — as well as the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute — to align and improve the quality of literacy instruction from PreK-3rd grade. Dual Language Learners (DLLs) make up nearly two-thirds of the student population in our Pathway Schools — across Minneapolis …
It’s been a contentious month for water quality in Iowa. In early March the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) announced that the utility will file a federal suit against three rural counties in northwest Iowa for nitrate pollution. Residents of Des Moines and other nearby municipalities receive tap water that originates from the Raccoon and …