For those paying attention, it’s not a surprise to learn that according to research done by the Federal Reserve, the median wealth of white households is roughly eight times that…
BY: Calvin Littlejohn, CEO, TRI-Construction; Lester Royal, COO, TRI-Construction; Chris Webley, CEO, New Rules; and Patrick Troska President, The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota There’s a pretty…

By Me’Lea Connelly, Director of the Association of Black Economic Power and Patrick Troska, Executive Director of the Foundation How many of you can relate to this experience? It was…
In January, our Foundation lead a workshop at the Minnesota Council of Foundation’s annual conference. The session was entitled “From Empathy to Strategy: Co-Designing Grantmaking with Community.” It was our…
by Patrick J. Troska, Executive Director It’s not entirely clear to me who coined that phrase. A Google search was inconclusive, although Stephen Covey wrote a book entitled “The Speed…
by Elizabeth Coco and Patrick Troska Months ago we engaged a local consulting group to lead us in a Human Centered Design process. This required us to commit to listen…
By Patrick Troska, Executive Director Strategic planning is often not a linear process. You believe you’re headed down one path, and then new information or a line of inquiry unexpectedly…
By Patrick Troska, Executive Director When people ask me how my 3-month sabbatical was, the answer is more complicated than the one I usually give. Time doesn’t generally allow for…
BY PATRICK TROSKA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Twenty-one years ago, representatives of the Foundation and the Minnesota Private College Council (MPPC) got together to explore ways the Foundation’s previous 30+ years of…
Dear Colleagues and Stakeholders, After 15 years with the Foundation, four and a half as Executive Director, Patrick Troska will embark on a 12-week sabbatical beginning June 25, 2015. He…