Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) works to celebrate, protect, and restore the Minnesota River Basin. They are a rural organization with a holistic approach to their clean water work, engaging the community in finding transformational and systemic solutions to the problems threatening Minnesota’s watershed environments. CURE’s relationship with their community requires that they be …
Note: Last month, we announced that Aimee Witteman, Midwest Climate & Energy program director, will step down from her position on July 30, 2020. After 10 years with McKnight, Aimee is pivoting to new adventures. Following are Aimee’s parting reflections on the climate movement and climate philanthropy, including her thoughts on McKnight’s newly expanded climate …
During this extraordinary moment in history, our communities must contend with two pandemics. The first is a deadly novel coronavirus that confounds experts. The second is systemic racism—an infliction that led to the murder of George Floyd. The convergence of the coronavirus with the senseless police killings of more Black Americans has forced our country …
Recent events have generated difficult conversations about the issues of racial justice and police-community relations. Cities are grappling with an increasingly important question: How can we keep youth, particularly youth of color, safe? The Community Ambassadors Initiative, a grassroots movement in St. Paul — backed by the St. Paul Police Department and the city and …
Minnesota is at an inflection point: We know communities thrive when they have clean drinking water and swimmable, fishable lakes and rivers, but agricultural production, a bedrock part of Minnesota’s economy, continues to contaminate water with high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. Cities and small towns across the state are grappling with a combination …
Tim Hemphill, a corn and soybean farmer in Iowa, leases a portion of his land to a company that installed wind turbines, adding $20,000 a year to his income. Matt Grocoff charges his family’s electric vehicle via an outlet on their nearly zero-net-energy house in Michigan, which is powered by rooftop solar panels. And thanks …
The McKnight Foundation Midwest Climate & Energy program focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, at scale, as quickly as possible in the Midwest. In the last year, the program has been expanding support for climate solutions on natural and working lands—our rangelands, farms, and forestlands—that support life and livelihoods, recognizing that we need to partner …
There are changes happening in the electric system that touch everything from what we drive to how we use, manage, and source our energy. These changes impact our daily life and have major implications for the health of our communities, economy, and environment. To keep pace with the evolving system — and to plan for …
Protecting our planet so everyone can thrive requires transforming how we produce and use electricity. The McKnight Foundation supports bold action on the climate crisis, recognizing the urgent need to reduce carbon pollution, at scale, as quickly as possible in the Midwest. Through its Midwest Climate & Energy program, McKnight supports clean energy policies, regulatory …
EMERGE helps youth and young adults who are facing significant obstacles to finding work, housing, and financial stability. With a special expertise in serving ex-offenders, at-risk youth, and homeless parents and their families, EMERGE’s staff and AmeriCorps service members serve more than 3,000 low-income people every year. One example of a life that has been …