Photo: Hiawatha Academies
We seek to assist children and families living in poverty to attain equitable access to academic, social development, and mental health/wellness opportunities and systems that are inclusive and center their human dignity and humanity thereby providing the potential for an educated, informed, and liberated student, parent, and community.
To achieve this goal, we believe:
Why this is important
For far too long Minnesota has been known as a state with some of the greatest disparities in education, livable wage jobs, homeownership, and health outcomes between people of White descent and Black, Indigenous/Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Latinx/Latine/Latino/Hispanic.
Promoting equity in education for ALL children is essential and promoting racial equity in education is a pathway to justice. Racial equity is the gateway for ensuring that ALL children and families living in poverty are honored and celebrated in just and inclusive ways that allow for them to learn and thrive in their education and beyond. In the words of Angela Glover Blackwell, “Centering blackness doesn’t leave anybody out. What it does is center the root causes that are killing everybody.”
Photo: Northside Achievement Zone
We are interested in partnering with nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public schools that directly serve or strengthen systems that directly serve children and families living in poverty in the 7-county metro area.
We prioritize organizations centering equity and culturally relevant ways of learning and innovative practices grounded in strong outcomes of engagement and accountability to the children ages prenatal to 18 and their families. We prioritize organizations that are centering Racial Equity both internally and externally and organizations with leadership and boards that are reflective of the community served.
Our desire is to support:
Photo: WE WIN Institute, Inc.
Although the following strategies may complement our overall Foundation goal, they fall outside of our desired focus: Research, Nonecumenical organizations or programs, direct religious activities or organizations that receive a significant source of funding from sectarian solicitations, special events or sponsorships, and support to an individual.
(he/him)
James Burroughs is a pioneer when it comes to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. James C. Burroughs is the Senior vice president of government and community relations and chief equity and inclusion officer. He made history as the first-ever Chief Inclusion Officer for any state when Governor Mark Dayton appointed him to the position in Minnesota. He is currently Senior Vice President, Government and Community Relations, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children’s Minnesota, one of the largest pediatric health systems in the country. He is responsible for advancing equity and inclusion across the organization as well as
leading advocacy, government affairs and community relations.
(he/him)
The founder and president of TE2 Consulting, LLC, which provides consulting and cultural competency training for education clients and supports BIPOC leaders in growing their businesses. His 20+ years of educational experience as a teacher and administrator inform his practice as an Indigenous leader in the public, non-profit and private sectors. Dr. Peterson is also a published author, recording artist and lecturer at numerous colleges and conferences throughout the U.S. and the Pacific region. He carries the Paramount Matai, or chiefly, title of “Leiataua” from his native homeland of Samoa.
(she/her)
Sheila is a Director at the University of Minnesota Child Development Lab School. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology, a graduate degree in education, and over twenty years of experience as an early childhood administrator and educator. Sheila is co-author of the book, Nature-Based Learning for Young Children: Anytime, Anywhere, on Any Budget, published by Redleaf Press and several other publications. Sheila serves on several boards focusing on early childhood education, equity and anti-bias education, environmental education, conservation, and k-12 education.
(she/her)
As Director of the Office of Public Charter Schools (OPCS), Samantha Diaz provides oversight and evaluation for all charter schools authorized by Pillsbury United Communities—supporting the operations, compliance, and efficacy of existing and prospective charters within the Pillsbury United portfolio. Samantha previously served as Associate Authorizer Liaison for the OPCS and most recently served as the Education Legislation & Policy Director at the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs. Prior to Samantha’s work in Minnesota, she served as Legislative Director for the Chairman of the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizen Committee in the New Jersey State Legislature. She received her Master’s in Public Administration at Baruch College – Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, and a Bachelor’s degree in History at Kean University. Samantha is also an alumni of the National Urban Fellows leadership development program.
(she/her)
Rinal Ray is the CEO at People Serving People. She leads a dynamic team in responding to the crisis of family homelessness and works to change systems to prevent the experience of family homelessness in Hennepin County. Rinal is a former deputy public policy director for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits where she advanced the organization’s policy agenda at a state and local level, trained leaders on nonprofit advocacy, and led special legal projects for the statewide association. Rinal currently serves as a co-chair for the Voices & Choices Coalition for Children and is on the Board of College Possible Minnesota. She teaches Nonprofit Advocacy in the Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) program at Metropolitan State University.
(she/her)
Dana Mortenson is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of World Savvy, a national education nonprofit working to educate and engage youth as responsible global citizens. For 20 years, she has been influencing and changing the conversation about education with educators, administrators, parents and community members. Since 2002, Mortenson has led World Savvy through a significant national expansion, reaching more than 808,000 middle and high school youth and 7,000 educators across 45 US states and 32 countries, from offices in Minneapolis, San Francisco and New York. World Savvy supports change agents in K-12 education to create more inclusive, adaptive schools that ensure all young people can develop the skills and dispositions needed to thrive in a more diverse, interconnected world. Her organization's work has been featured on PBS, The New York Times, Edutopia, and a range of local and national media outlets covering education and innovation. Mortenson is an Ashoka Fellow, a Nation Swell Council Member, named one of The New Leaders Council's 40 under 40 Progressive American Leaders, and winner of the Tides Foundation's Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Excellence in Public Advocacy. She is a frequent global education and social entrepreneurship speaker at high-profile convenings. Mortenson is an advisor and board member to a range of nonprofits working at the intersection of education, global citizenship, and innovation. She earned an undergraduate degree in international relations from Connecticut College and a master's degree in International Affairs with a concentration in economic and political development from Columbia University.
(he/him)
David Mortenson is the CEO of the parent company, M. A. Mortenson Companies, Inc., and Chairman of Mortenson, a privately-held U.S. based, top-20 developer, builder and engineering services provider serving the commercial, institutional and energy sectors headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Mortenson has more than 5,000 team members in 13 North American offices.
Some of the company’s most notable accomplishments include:
David joined the family business after serving in the Navy. He worked his way up through the project management ranks to eventually lead the company’s west coast business before returning to company headquarters to ultimately lead the family business.
(she/her)
Katie is a parent, volunteer, and advocate for the needs of the underserved in her community and in the developing world. She has been shaped and inspired by her work, involvement and travel with several international humanitarian organizations including Children’s HeartLink, Alight and Common Hope, and by her many years teaching English as a Second Language in the Twin Cities and abroad. She spends much of her time working with and supporting refugees, hosting international college students, enjoying the outdoors, and being active in her neighborhood school and community.
Photo: Northside Achievement Zone