A Note from MCF
In the fall of 2022, the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) facilitated our annual CEO Retreat, which brings the leadership of Minnesota’s foundations together to connect and learn from each other. These leaders recognized a shared experience – many of their communities struggled to adapt to significant changes within their communities and across Minnesota’s diverse geographies. The leaders who had gathered saw a shared experience of rising anxiety and increasing divisiveness. At the same time, they saw that philanthropic dollars were not being equitably distributed, with a gap for Minnesota’s rural communities.
A question began to take hold – what would it take to build stronger bridges and a sense of belonging across Minnesota, specifically between our urban and rural communities?
Repa Mekha, President and CEO of Nexus Community Partners felt called to action and invited others to continue the conversations. MCF members began exploring how philanthropy could play a leadership role in uniting Minnesotans across lines of difference. In 2023, our members recommended that MCF start Rural Urban Bridging for Impact (RUBI), a new project to support philanthropic knowledge and action that builds bridges within, and across, our state’s diverse communities.
As conveners and bridge builders, philanthropy is uniquely positioned to create an aspirational vision that unites Minnesotans across differences, especially rural and urban geography. When philanthropy comes together, good things happen – knowledge is shared, funding is aligned, practices are streamlined, and bridges are built. We’re proud that our members came together, and we developed “Uniting Across Difference: A Blueprint for Philanthropy” to share what we’ve learned and provide a starting point for funders interested in facilitating urban/rural interdependence.
This isn’t the work of any single philanthropy, nor is it the work of any single organization. Changing systems requires all of us. We’re excited to continue supporting our members in practicing what Minnesotans do best – working together to achieve common goals.
- Steering Committee: The people who launched MCF’s RUBI initiative.
- August 2024 Progress Report: Learn the whole story of how RUBI started.
Together, we can make Minnesota a place where every community thrives.
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