Posted on July 3, 2002

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McKnight Foundation Announces Second Quarter Grants

The Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation has awarded 185 grants totaling $26.5 million during the second quarter, including $12.6 million for children, families, and communities; $5.8 million for the arts; $4 million for crop research; $3 million for the environment; and $1.1 million for international programs.

In the children, families, and communities program area, the foundation focused most of its grantmaking on out-of-school-time activities for youth. It provided a total of $5.6 million to seventy-nine organizations to serve youth who are primarily from disadvantaged areas in Minnesota. The foundation also committed $1.13 million over four years for housing and support services for homeless families in the state and made several grants to community centers to increase social support in inner cities.

"There are no hard and fast rules about how best to serve diverse communities," said Noa Staryk, the foundation's board chair. "Thoughtful programming cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, while we recognize the importance of large-scale intermediary organizations in maximizing the reach of affordable housing funds, we also know that positive outcomes for youth are reached most effectively one child at a time. Communities operate and need attention at all levels — individual, neighborhood, regional, and state."

Several of the foundation's arts grants for the second quarter will be used to purchase furniture and equipment and make facility improvements at several arts centers and to support general operations and new programs. Its environmental grants this quarter focused on advocacy organizations working to protect the Mississippi River, while its international program provided funds to boost opportunities for economic growth mainly in Africa and Vietnam. Finally, the foundation's crop research program awarded a four-year, $1.1 million grant to the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization to study the breeding and genetic basis for improvement of Ethiopia's food crops.

“McKnight Makes Commitment of $5.6 Million for Youth Enrichment.” McKnight Foundation Press Release 6/28/02.

FCNote: The McKnight Foundation (MN) had assets of $2,006,436,000 and made grants totaling $93,949,623 in the year ending 12/31/00.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Secondary Subject(s): Agriculture/Food, Community Improvement/Development, Children and Youth, Arts and Culture, Environment
Location(s): International

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