January 28 & 30, 2025 | Virtual Workshop
$155 for MCN members / $195 for nonmembers
Registration and Technology Details
Celebrate the New Year with an annual favorite: Minnesota Grantmakers!
Have these questions ever been top of mind for you as you consider how to get the most out of your finite and precious time raising money for your nonprofit?
- Which foundations should I approach to fund my nonprofit?
- What’s the best way to get dollars from specific foundations?
- Are there resources out there I have yet to tap into that would streamline and amplify my process?
If so, join this two-day workshop — one day focusing on Statewide funders, the next on Twin Cities Metro and/or Greater MN funders — designed for organizations in all parts of the state of Minnesota to hear well-informed, external analysis and critiques from your nonprofit peers. You’ll also gain insight into trends, staffing, program shifts, and financial outlooks of dozens of Minnesota grantmakers.
The workshop will include information about some of Minnesota’s most active private, community, and corporate foundations. This session is a time to dig beyond the grantmaker websites and to hear candidly from your peer grantseekers about their experiences and knowledge about working with various foundations and other funders.
In addition, registrants will receive a complimentary copy of MCN’s digital 2025 Minnesota Grants Directory, which includes editable note pages for each foundation. [Note: Those who face barriers to access due to socio-economic status, disability, geography, and/or technological accessibility, are able to request one of a very limited number of hard copy directories. If you qualify, please contact info@minnesotanonprofits.org.]
Whether you’re an executive director, a board member involved in fundraising, or a fund development staff person, this information-packed workshop is a great way to expand and enliven your funding prospects for 2025.
Two days, three great Minnesota Grantmakers sessions!
Minnesota Grantmakers 2025 offers six hours of fundraising data sharing and practical knowledge gathering spread over three 2-hour sessions, January 28 & 30, 2025. On the first day, the focus will be on statewide grantmaking from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. On the second day, from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. the focus will be on grantmakers prioritizing Greater MN nonprofits. From 1 – 3 p.m. on the same day, the focus will be on grantmakers primarily funding nonprofits based in the Twin Cities Metro.
You register once and receive access to all three sessions. Choose your own fundraising adventure! All sessions are offered virtually live:
January 28:
Statewide: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. CT
January 30:
Greater Minnesota: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. CT
Twin Cities Metro: 1 – 3 p.m. CT
Day 1: Statewide
Tuesday, January 28 | 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Virtual
During the first portion of Minnesota Grantmakers 2025 on Tuesday, January 28, we will explore information about some of Minnesota’s most active private, community, and corporate foundations that fund nonprofits across the state.
You’ll also gain insight into trends, staffing, program shifts, and financial outlooks of dozens of Minnesota grantmakers. You’ll learn frank, current information about significant changes taking place in Minnesota’s funding community within the larger contexts of financial and cultural shifts nationwide impacting the nonprofit sector’s paths to critical dollars.
By attending this live virtual event, you’ll be able to:
- Build your stronger list of foundation and grantmaker prospects for the coming year that fit your organization’s goals and make the best use of time and resources
- Connect to burgeoning trends in the nonprofit sector
- Uncover insider tips about what it’s like to work with various funders
- Gain motivation to implement a robust fundraising plan
- Find refreshed connection among your peers in this important and hard work
This session is a time to dig beyond the grantmaker websites and to hear candidly from your peer grantseekers about their experiences and knowledge about working with various foundations and other funders.
Confirmed presenters include:
- Steve Boland, Managing Consultant, Next in Nonprofits
- Jan Castillo, President and Founder, The Dotted Line Collaborative
- Aileen Rosa Sánchez, Principal Consultant, Aileen Rosa Sánchez Consulting
Day 2: Greater MN & Twin Cities Metro
This second Grantmakers day will be an opportunity to boost your knowledge and prospects for dollars intended for the seven-county Twin Cities metro and/or Greater Minnesota. Choose the session that makes the most sense for your work — Twin Cities Metro or Greater Minnesota — to access information insights sure to help you build a grantseeking plan that makes the best use of time and resources.
Note: Registrants will be sent access links for both events, allowing you to attend one or both offerings. You will also be sent temporary links to recordings of the statewide, Twin Cities metro, and Greater Minnesota sessions after the conclusion of the event.
Greater Minnesota Grantmakers
Thursday, January 30 | 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Virtual
Are you a nonprofit serving Greater Minnesota or rural communities? This virtual event is your chance to connect directly with 5-6 funders who are committed to uplifting the impactful work happening across Greater MN.
The Q&A session offers a valuable opportunity for you to ask questions and get the answers you need. At the same time, it provides funders a chance to learn from your insights and understand how they can better support your needs and goals by hearing and responding to your questions.
Panelists include:
- Kari Aanestad, associate director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
- Elyse Coleman, Senior Program Manager, Medica Foundation
- Kyle Erickson, Director of Rural Grantmaking, Blandin Foundation
- LaCora Bradford Kesti, Vice President of Community Impact, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
- Tony LookingElk, Grantmaking Director, Bush Foundation
- Rebecca Shavlik, Founder and Executive Director, Shavlik Foundation
- Tsega Tamene, Senior Director of Community Impact, Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation
The session will be facilitated by MCN’s associate director, Kari Aanestad, a dedicated advocate for funding transparency and philanthropy reform. With deep expertise as MCN’s former development manager and director of advancement, and her current roles as co-director of GrantAdvisor.org and co-lead of the #FixTheForm Campaign, Kari brings a wealth of experience and a passion for amplifying nonprofit voices. She is committed to fostering honest dialogue between funders and the nonprofit community, ensuring you receive the information you need to support your fundraising efforts.
Don’t miss this chance to learn more about philanthropy in Greater MN!
**A list of participating funders for the Greater MN session will be made available on our website once confirmed.
Twin Cities Grantmakers
Thursday, January 30 | 1 – 3 p.m. | Virtual
The afternoon of this second Grantmakers day will be an opportunity to boost your knowledge and prospects for dollars intended for the Twin Cities Metro.
Join Metro-based nonprofit development experts to home in on Minnesota funders with an interest in concentrating their giving within the 7-county Metro area. Gain insight into funders with unspoken and spoken content-area preferences, off-the-beaten-path funders, fresh and future changes to application processes, who is continuing a commitment to funding general operating (yes!), and more.
You’ll leave with:
- Ideas on how to get dollars from specific foundations funding Twin Cities organizations
- A better understanding of overall giving trends of funders focused largely or exclusively on Twin Cities nonprofits or initiatives and if your nonprofit is a good candidate for specific funding
- Connection and comradery with other Twin Cities nonprofit fundraising peers
Confirmed presenters include:
- Steve Boland, Managing Consultant, Next in Nonprofits
- Jan Castillo, President and Founder, The Dotted Line Collaborative
- Emily Essert, Director of Institutional Partnerships, Open Arms of Minnesota
- Georgina Chinchilla Gonzalez, Executive Director, ComMUSICation
- Aileen Rosa Sánchez, Principal Consultant, Aileen Rosa Sánchez Consulting
- Sara Spiess, Grants Specialist Sr., State of Minnesota, Office of Grants Management
Registration and Technology Details
Registration for Minnesota Grantmakers 2025 will include three sessions: Statewide Grantmakers on January 28 and Greater Minnesota Grantmakers and/or Twin Cities Grantmakers on January 30. This virtual event will take place on the Zoom platform. Access links to all three portions will be emailed to registrants in the afternoon on January 27.
To learn more about events, registration, and payment, visit our Event & Registration FAQ page.
Technology
This event will have AI captions via Zoom’s transcription function. Please note that these captions are automatically generated by the computer software and may not always accurately transcribe what is said.
If you need professional captioning, or have another accessibility accommodation, please email info@minnesotanonprofits.org with your request at least two weeks prior to the start of the event. Although we will attempt to meet all accessibility requests, late requests may not be fulfilled.
Pay What You Can (PWYC) Rates
We encourage you to pay the registration rate that is meaningful to and possible for you. While earned revenue from our events is a significant portion of our operating budget, supporting the policy and advocacy work we do on behalf of nonprofits, we aim to keep our fees accessible, often below market rate, and offer further reduced entry points for those who need them to participate in professional development. If your participation is dependent on a PWYC rate, please register with the promo code that corresponds with your accessible price point below by January 27, 2025.
PWYC Rates:
- $99 (Code: PWYC99)
- $69 (Code: PWYC69)
- $39 (Code: PWYC39)
You will not be asked to complete an application to prove need. PWYC rates are the scholarship model for this year’s Grantmakers events. The rates are for individuals only. PWYC rates are available through 8 a.m. Central on January 27.