Trisha Harms joined the McKnight Foundation in February 2023 as a senior communications officer after more than a decade of working in strategic communications for political, advocacy, and organizing campaigns. She is especially passionate about using storytelling, narrative strategy, and digital innovation to advance justice and equity. Most recently, she was communications director at TakeAction …
The Catalyst Fund deploys low cost flexible debt to improve the lives of low-income people and the communities where they live. Investment $3 million 10-year loan at 2%; originated in 2011. Exited 2022 (success). Rationale The Catalyst Fund provides low-cost loans to community development organizations. Its lending in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area strengthens low-income …
William L. McKnight and his wife, Maude L. McKnight, established the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis in 1953. One of the early leaders of 3M, Mr. McKnight rose from assistant bookkeeper to president, CEO, and board chair in a career that spanned 59 years, from 1907 to 1966. His philosophy on employee initiative and innovation still …
January 28, 2014 – Jay Walljasper, commissioned by McKnight. In this latest installment in our Food for Thought series, Walljasper explores why the vitality of the Mississippi River is crucial to the Twin Cities’ future.
Ben Goldfarb is the director of strategic initiatives for democracy, media, and policy. In this role, he advances programmatic alignment while also bringing a focus on specific bodies of work that help support and are critical to the success of overall programmatic strategies. This includes core efforts to strengthen democratic participation, bolster journalism and local …
With an endowment valued at $2.3 billion, the McKnight Foundation is a substantial client for fund managers. We can use this position to promote integrated thinking on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues among the asset managers we hire. Here’s how we do it: Evaluate and Rate Evaluate and rate all our investment managers …
Jacques Hebert joined McKnight as communications director in October of 2022. In this role, Jacques leverages the power of strategic communications to advance the mission of the Foundation and its program goals. He is a public relations expert with experience working in nonprofit and for-profit organizations across policy, environment, science, entertainment, and technology. Most recently …
We believe McKnight's four-point framework can help any investor contribute to a truly resilient economy. It is a practical framework that can be scaled up or down depending on financial and human resources, and it can assist experienced impact investors in flexing the muscle of their entire endowment. The McKnight Foundation grants over $100 million …
Katie Wehr joined McKnight in February 2022 as senior program officer with the Vibrant & Equitable Communities program. In this role, she oversees and develops innovative grant portfolios to build a vibrant and equitable future for all Minnesotans—a future with shared power, prosperity, and participation. Katie has dedicated her career to designing, funding, and evaluating …
Tonya Allen is a leader and a change agent with a passion for co-creating an equitable, sustainable world. In 2021, she became president of the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation that advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Tonya heads a majority women, majority people-of-color senior leadership team …