Fast Forward

"We're much more interested in quality rather than quantity."

Awale Osman, Community Innovation Associate at the Bush Foundation, speaks with high school student Kyue his early path through education as an immigrant, why community plays such a large role in his work and laugh and about the programs he works on as a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow at the Bush Foundation.

Awale Osman has a variety of experiences expanding community organizing and program development in nonprofit, K-12 and higher education spaces. Awale has lived disparate experiences—from war-torn Somalia, to Kenyan refugee camps, to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in  American classrooms, to high academic honors—and created much change—expanding after-school opportunities for youth in Twin Cities suburbs, building capacity and confidence in the youth of Rochester, MN, impressing upon U.S. congressmen the value of federal department of education TRIO programs, opening the campus climate for underserved students and increasing the retention rate of Black community college students. He most recently served as a TRIO Student Support Services advisor at Normandale Community College. 

"Overall, the LGBTQ community is more likely not just to live in poverty but to live in extreme poverty." – Trina Olson

Trina Olson, executive director of PFund Foundation, and Anil Hurkadli, program officer at Thrivent Financial Foundation, sit down with MCF's Levi Weinhagen to talk about persistent myths and misconceptions about the LGBTQ community. Trina and Anil talk about why these myths exist, where they come from, what they do and how folks inside and outside philanthropy can work beyond the myths to build relationships with and create programs that serve real people.

Part 2 of this conversation series is HERE 

Part 3 of this conversation series is HERE

In this conversation Trina and Anil mention several resources and significant figures connected to LGBTQ movements, issues and understandings.

Bayard Rustin

Contigo Fund

Paying an Unfair Price

A Broken Bargain

No Golden Years at the end of the Rainbow

This is a live recording of the 2017 Annual Conference opening plenary session on the State of Philanthropy.

This panel features:

David Biemesderfer, president and CEO, Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.

Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota State Representative and board member, The Minneapolis Foundation.

Gayle Ober, president, George Family Foundation.

Trista Harris, president, Minnesota Council on Foundations.

Moderator, Levi Weinhagen, communication and media specialist, MCF.

Patrick Troska talks candidly about going through a new strategic planning process and the role deeper understandings of equity has played in refocusing the work.

Patrick Troska is the Executive Director at the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota. Troska also serves as point person for the Foundation's funding strategies in the areas of housing and transit. He has been with the Foundation since 2000, when he came on board as a program officer. In January 2005, Troska was promoted to senior program officer with responsibilities to oversee all aspects of the Foundation's annual grantmaking program, including reviewing all final reports submitted on grants made by the Foundation. From 1997 to 200, he was a fund distribution and community initiatives manager for the United Way of the Saint Paul area. Troska began his career in youth services where he held several positions with the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Children's Museum. He earned his B.A. from St. John's University and holds and M.A. in Leadership from Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

Troska has served on many nonprofit boards, including District202, ACTS of St. Paul and Minnesota AIDS Project, which he chaired from April 2010 through April 2012. In June 2009 he completed a fellowship in public policy at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. 

"I wouldn't ask somebody to run through a wall if I didn't run through it with them."

Jesse Ross is Policy Associate at the Minneapolis Foundation and a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow

In this episode of the podcast, Jesse talks about how coming from many years working for nonprofits makes him able to understand how foundations and nonprofits view one another and where communication could be improved. He talks about his passion for building relationships, partnerships and community. And he talks about a few specific programs he's really excited to be working on. 

Jesse's heart is centered on community development, with 12 years of experience in nonprofit and community-based organizations throughout North and South Minneapolis. Jesse works on both program development and direct community engagement, with the goal of empowering people to effectively impact their own communities. Jesse previously worked for Young Life, a global nonprofit organization, and TreeHouse, a local faith-based nonprofit, where his areas of focus included policy and program development, organizational leadership, diversity and culture, youth and family development, fundraising, outreach, and a host of other initiatives.

"Some foundations deal with disruptions well and some don't."

Bruce Thao talks about coming into F.R. Bigelow and Minnesota Philanthropy Partners as a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow. He shares his excitement about the new Linking Leaders initiative, talks about building relationships with his cohort of fellows and with his philanthropic colleagues. Bruce also shares thoughts on the state of philanthropy under a new federal administration and the importance of having genuine relationships within the communities you're trying to build and work beside.

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As a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow through the Minnesota Council on Foundations, Bruce serves as a Program Associate at the F. R. Bigelow Foundation.

At the Foundation, Bruce directs leadership initiatives for communities of color in Saint Paul's East Metro area, spearheads funding initiatives to support innovation in leadership development, and supports the Foundation's grantmaking to address a variety of human service and capacity needs.

Bruce holds a master's in psychology from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia as well as a master's in social welfare from the University of Chicago.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Bruce founded his own consulting business, providing leadership coaching and diversity training to individuals and institutions, and served as Director of Programs for Hmong American Partnership and Hmong National Development. Bruce was also a 2013 Bush Leadership Fellow and a 2014 White House Champion of Change. 

He was selected as 2016 "Young Professional of the Year" by the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. Bruce is also a Board Member of the St. Paul Children's Collaborative. 

Outside of work, Bruce enjoys running, tennis, meditation and traveling.

Email  or call 651.325.4268

On this episode, Katie Troyer talks about working on an international team connecting employees with their own personal philanthropic goals and she talks about the relationship she shares with her fellow Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellows. 

Katie Troyer is an Employee Engagement Associate with the Medtronic foundation and part of the 2016 cohort of Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellows. Katie has dedicated her career to connecting community members with resources and opportunities. Prior to joining the Medtronic foundation, Katie served as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Governor Mark Dayton. In this role, she worked to develop and implement strategies for Minnesotans from communities of color, the LGBTQ community, and the disabilities community to gain employment, contracting, and engagement opportunities within state government and to create an organizational environment of inclusivity. Previous to this role, Katie worked with adults with developmental disabilities to provide support of their personal growth and success.

On this episode, Sonja Moore talks about the Grotto Foundation's ongoing strategic planning process, rethinking program focus and having realistic conversations about equity in philanthropy.

Sonja Moore became the Grotto Foundation's fourth Executive Director in 2014. Previously, she served as Director of Partner Relations at MN Philanthropy Partners, helping fund holders at The Saint Paul Foundation and Minnesota Community Foundation achieve their philanthropic goals. Sonja also has nearly a decade of fundraising experience working for Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minnesota and the Blake School in Hopkins. Earlier in her career, she was an educator, teaching both Spanish and English to a multitude of age groups ranging from preschool children in a bilingual elementary school to octogenarians at a Community College. She received her Bachelor of Arts in international relations from The American University in Washington, D.C. She also received a Master of Arts in education from Chapman University.

Sonja can be reached at 651-209-8011 or [email protected]

The Bush Foundation is accepting applications for the 2017 Bush Fellowship from August 30 through September 29, 2016, so Bush Leadership Programs director Anita Patel sat down with MCF to talk about the goals of the program, share ideas on how to approach applying for the fellowship and discuss the work that's been coming from current and past fellows. As Leadership Programs director, Patel works with a team to equip, inspire and connect leaders to strengthen our region. As someone who grew up in greater Minnesota and went to high school in Granite Falls (Archibald Bush's hometown), Patel believes in the talent that lives across the Bush Foundation region and is excited to invest in the success of our communities.