Grant funding has become an even more crucial resource for nonprofits as the economic and operational challenges of COVID-19 deepen their impacts. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits invites you to Minnesota Grantmakers 2021, formerly known as Minnesota Foundations, an annual exploration of trends and financial outlooks of dozens of the most important Minnesota foundations AND state agencies (new!).
A team of panelists conduct interviews with foundation and state representatives and then offer key insights you won't find anywhere else. This information-packed workshop will be hosted virtually; over 300 participants enrich the event by offering insights in real time through the chat. Region-specific events are offered separately.
Participants will receive a complimentary copy of MCN's digital
2021 Minnesota Grants Directory (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).
Event Details
10-11:30 a.m. Statewide presentation
11:30-12 p.m. Break & specially curated playlist by Minnesota artists The Gully Boys
12-1:30 p.m. Twin Cities presentation
Speaker Information
Kari Aanestad is the director of advancement at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. In this role, Kari secures and stewards grant and individual donor support for MCN. She also supports the development of other fundraising professionals throughout Minnesota through various channels including in-person and online trainings, the Minnesota Grants Alert, and the Minnesota Grants Directory. Kari holds a bachelor of arts in English and political science from Augsburg College and a master of divinity from Luther Seminary. Most recently she served as grant writer and outcomes manager for St. David’s Center. Kari brings a holistic wealth of experience to her role including international travel to over 20 countries, hospital chaplaincy in England, and teaching and tutoring positions ranging from elementary to post-graduate levels in writing and compassionate communication.
Jan W. Castillo’s career spans over 20 years in the corporate communications and investor relations industry. For ten years she was partner and minority-owner of The Carideo Group, Inc., an integrated communications consulting firm. In 2015, Jan began volunteering for a small dental clinic, where she donated her time providing grant research and proposal writing services to support the growing nonprofit. Here, she found her passion for grantwriting and in early 2017, Jan left the corporate world and formally launched The Dotted Line Collaborative, a grants development firm with the mission of connecting ideas and outcomes through grants. Jan is an active member of the Minnesota NorthStar Chapter of the Grants Professional Association where she currently serves as secretary, and is a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.
Grace Fogland is the development and communications assistant at MCN. In her role, she works closely with the Director of Advancement and other members of the communications and membership team to coordinate key aspects of MCN’s fundraising and communications, including prospect research, grant proposal and report preparation, individual giving, event marketing, and external storytelling. Additionally, Grace helps increase participation and awareness of GrantAdvisor.org, and will coordinate the production of the Minnesota Grants Directory. Grace has past experience in graphic design, marketing, and communications work with both Minnesota and Nebraska-based nonprofits. She earned a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology, with concentrations in Film and Media Studies, from St. Olaf College.
Georgina Chinchilla Gonzalez is the corporate and foundation relations officer at Think Small. She has an undergraduate degree in violin performance and graduate degree in musicology, and recently completed an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas, where she focused on social entrepreneurship. She has also served as a Peace Corps volunteer, where she taught English and designed youth empowerment camps in a small village in Jordan.
Naomi Munzer is the director of the Office of Grants Management. The Office of Grants Management provides policy leadership and direction to promote consistent grants administration between state agencies, funders, and grantees. They develop, coordinate, and share effective resources to support standardized, streamlined, and improved state grant-making practice.
Jon Pratt is the executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. He has worked at Minnesota Public Interest Research Group as an attorney and lobbyist, as regional director at the Youth Project, and as director for the Philanthropy Project. In 1982 he was campaign manager for Paul Wellstone candidacy for Minnesota State Auditor. In 1987 he became director of MCN, an association of 2,000 organizations that sponsors research, training, lobbying, and negotiated discounts to strengthen Minnesota's nonprofit sector. Jon has consulted with nongovernmental organizations on the development of NGO associations and services in Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, and Turkey. Jon has a law degree from Antioch School of Law, and a M.P.A. from Harvard University.
Erik Torch is the director of grantmaking at Northland Foundation. The Northland Foundation invests in people and communities to support a thriving Northeastern Minnesota. Erik was previously served as executive director of Damiano Center and the program manager for Catholic Relief Services. Erik has a B.S. from Northland College and an M.S.W. from University of Minnesota – Duluth.