December 22, 2022

Green Middleweights: 25 Prominent, Mid-Sized Environmental Grantmakers

December 22, 2022/ Michael Kavate

We previously compiled the top 25 green funders based on 2021 giving data. Today, we round up the next 25 on the list — a wide-ranging set of grantmakers who all gave $10 million or more to environmental causes.

November 03, 2022

In the Climate Fight, Who’s Funding the Eco-Right? More Big Names Than You Might Expect

November 03, 2022/ Michael Kavate

There’s a relatively small list of conservative groups calling for climate action, and they have not drawn a lot of funding. But they do count some big, perhaps surprising names among their backers. Here’s a list.

April 28, 2022

A Look at the McKnight Foundation’s Domestic Grantmaking in Minnesota

April 28, 2022/ Alyssa Ochs

The McKnight Foundation is an international grantmaker, but it also funds extensively in Minnesota, where it’s based. Here’s a look at this funder’s domestic grantmaking in the Upper Midwest.

February 24, 2022

To Progress On Food and Hunger, Funders Need to Redefine “Evidence” and Decolonize Research

February 24, 2022/ Lauren Baker, Guest Contributor

Guest contributor Lauren Baker argues that when it comes to complex challenges like transforming food systems, rethinking predominant assumptions about evidence should be a priority for funders.

October 21, 2021

Two More Major Funders Are Moving Assets Away from Fossil Fuels, in a Shift Years in the Making

October 21, 2021/ Michael Kavate

Two multibillion-dollar funders, the Ford and McKnight foundations, became the largest foundations yet to publicly align their investments with their missions to fight climate change. It’s been a long time coming.

September 20, 2021

Why We’re Investing to Transform Global Food Systems

September 20, 2021/ Tonya Allen, Andre Degenszajn and Melanie Schultz van Haegen, Guest Contributors

The social and environmental costs of today’s global food systems are vast. In this guest piece, the authors make a case for philanthropic action on the eve of the first-ever U.N. Food Systems Summit.

August 03, 2021

Dozens of Biden Administration Appointees Have Worked in Philanthropy. Here’s the List

August 03, 2021/ Michael Kavate

For decades, there’s been a revolving door between the federal government and top foundations. That’s continued during the Biden administration, which has hired more than two dozen individuals who have worked in philanthropy.

June 21, 2021

McKnight, Other Minnesota Funders Answer Ford’s Call With Millions for BIPOC-led Arts Groups

June 21, 2021/ Dawn Wolfe

Last year, the Ford Foundation called on regional funders to step up for BIPOC-led arts. Here’s how Minnesota’s McKnight Foundation is carrying that effort forward on its home turf, alongside several other funding partners.

September 30, 2020

Behind Ford’s Bold Effort to Back Arts Groups Serving Communities of Color

September 30, 2020/ Mike Scutari

Ford and partner funders are committing more than $156 million to support BIPOC arts groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Ford’s Margaret Morton fills us in on the America’s Cultural Treasures initiative.

August 05, 2020

Once the “800-Pound Gorilla," ClimateWorks Charts a New Course in a Changing Field

August 05, 2020/ Michael Kavate

When ClimateWorks launched, it was a dominant force in climate funding. Twelve years later, it’s had hits and misses, and the field is a very different space. As the grantmaker embarks on a new plan, we go deep on its past, present, and future.

July 24, 2018

At the Table: A Grantmaking Group's Bid for Youth Inclusion

July 24, 2018/ Philip Rojc

Including young people in its governance structure is just one way Minnesota-based Youthprise is fostering philanthropy’s next generation. What can be learned from its model?

January 25, 2018

The Regional Funders Backing Early Childhood Learning—With a Twist

January 25, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly

Early childhood learning is emerging as a promising field within education philanthropy, but funds tend to flow toward urban centers and often ignore childcare entirely. Here's an exception.