FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota and the Minneapolis Foundation are pleased to announce a strategic operating partnership that will enable both organizations that focus on closing equity gaps to deepen their alignment and enhance their impact in the community.
Under the agreement, the Phillips Foundation will receive a range of administrative and impact services from the Minneapolis Foundation while remaining an independent philanthropic entity. The Phillips Foundation anticipates continuing its current initiatives while working with the Minneapolis Foundation to enhance them and identify new opportunities to address unmet needs.
“Since its founding in Minneapolis in 1944 by Rose and Jay Phillips, our foundation has pursued a mission of combatting discrimination, addressing inequities, and supporting the unmet human and social needs of communities,” said a group of third- and fourth-generation members of the Phillips Foundation Board of Directors. “During these challenging times for our country and community, we are thrilled to partner with one of America’s premier community foundations and inspired by the promise of increased ideation, collaboration, and innovation.”
R.T. Rybak, CEO and President of the Minneapolis Foundation, said, “These two foundations have been collaborators for many years, and we agree this new partnership will help us do even more to create a more just community. We have deep admiration for the work of the Phillips Foundation, which aligns extremely well with our focus on bringing an equity lens to criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, education, community health, climate, and more.”
The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation is dedicated to honoring the legacy of its founders by supporting efforts that address the unmet human and social needs of individuals, families,
and communities that have the least access to resources. Since 2016, the Phillips Foundation has been focused on education efforts, specifically student-centered learning and parent engagement, and supporting a thriving local economic ecosystem and BIPOC wealth creation in North Minneapolis.
Among its marquee projects and programs are the Phillips Scholars Program and Eddie Phillips Scholarship for African American Men, in partnership with the Minnesota Private College Fund; Village Financial, a black-led credit union; public school improvements at Patrick Henry High School and Olson Middle School; the Commercial Land Trust; and The 927 Building rehabilitation project in North Minneapolis. All these efforts are the result of the Phillips Foundation’s community design process, which engages community members in ongoing conversations to identify solutions to deeply entrenched community challenges.
As the two organizations move to this new partnership, they want to acknowledge the excellent work of the Phillips Foundation staff over the last five years to build the relationships on the Northside that make these efforts possible. These staff members include Patrick Troska, President; Joel Luedtke, Program Director-Education; Tracy Lamparty, Director of Administration; and E. Coco, Program Director-Economic Ecosystem. They will be partnering with the Minneapolis Foundation on a plan for staffing and administration going forward.
The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities, cultivating generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs. The Minneapolis Foundation partners with nonprofits, facilitates grantmaking, drives research and advocacy, and provides services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.
The majority of the Minneapolis Foundation’s 1,400 funds are held by individuals and families. However, it also provides a wide range of customized philanthropic services, including administrative support to family foundations, Employee Assistance Funds for companies of all sizes, and fulfillment of national and international grants for major companies.
CONTACT:
Sarah Lemagie
PR & Communications Manager
(612) 672-3877
slemagie@mplsfoundation.org
