Southwest Initiative Foundation

Filing Period

Jul 1, 2011 to Jun 30, 2012

Signed

Dec 14, 2012

Return Version

2011v1.2

Gross Receipts

$41,644,090

Major Activities

Activity 2

Community foundations and designated funds: many donors find community and designated funds attractive options to support their charitable interests while relieving them of the administrative responsibilities that can often become overwhelming for families and volunteers. Swif currently serves 24 community foundation fund partners and more than 80 designated fund partners. Swif's community foundation program is a true partnership between swif and the local community - one that has proven to be mutually beneficial and an effective means to retain charitable dollars for the benefit of southwest minnesota communities. Swif provides the administrative and 501(c)(3) infrastructure to its community foundation funds. It also provides ongoing technical and professional support in areas such as strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, public relations and grantmaking. Community foundation funds are advised by local committees of community leaders who are responsible for raising funds, recommending grantees and raising public awareness. Since swif's grantmaking is targeted to projects related to its current priority areas, community foundation funds often fill a valuable niche by funding worthwhile projects that don't fit within swif's current grant criteria. Swif offers a variety of designated funds designed to help donors meet their unique philanthropic goals. Designated funds can be endowed or non-endowed (pass-through) and are created with a specific purpose in mind. In most cases, a designated fund is advised by a local committee of volunteer leaders. The committee raises money for the fund, recommends grant distributions, and raises public awareness. Swif provides assistance in the planning and development of designated funds. It also administers the funds and provides ongoing technical and professional support as needed, in areas such as fundraising, marketing, public relations and grantmaking. Designated funds can receive many types of gifts, including cash, appreciated stock, real estate and planned gifts, such as charitable gift annuities and bequests. For the fiscal year, community and designated funds made 220 grants totaling $1,141,785.

Activity 3

Leadership & community development programs: swif takes a leadership role in helping the southwest minnesota region advance economically by identifying and supporting key asset sectors and preparing regional, business and community leaders to capitalize on them. Swif is working to further facilitate advancement of key asset sectors and keep the resulting wealth in the region. Our work has focused recently on programs that support business development, business leadership development and youth energy summit (yes!) program. Yes! Is a team-oriented youth program that uses hands-on, experiential learning and energy action projects to address energy opportunities and issues in rural minnesota communities. The program empowers youth and inspires widespread adoption of clean energy technology and energy conservation practices which contribute to the environmental and economic health of rural minnesota communities. Leadership forums, seminars and other convenings provide opportunities for business leaders to network and gain access to resources that will support and further their business and strengthen the region's economy. The nonprofit leader's academy is assisting nonprofit and organizational leaders in southwest minnesota build capacity by encouraging and providing personal leadership development. Nonprofit leaders are recruited to participate in an engaging and intensive development session and given tools to better accomplish their work and their organizations' missions. In addition, swif continues to hone its unique and effective facilitation model and created a facilitation and transfer field guide which ensures that all partners working with swif receive a coordinated approach to leadership development. Community foundation and designated fund volunteers also receive intentional leadership and capacity building training as part of the fund organizing process and through ongoing technical assistance. Swif is engaged in the minnesota early childhood initiative, a network of coalitions focused on quality care and educational opportunities for children ages birth to 5, to help ensure that all of southwest minnesota's youngest children thrive, and have a healthy life of learning, achieving, and succeeding. The minnesota thrive initiative is part of the minnesota early childhood initiative. The overarching goal of thrive is to create seamless systems or networks of local services that support the healthy social and emotional development of minnesota's youngest children ages birth to 5, with an emphasis on the first three years of life. Swif accomplishes these goals by working with 16 selected coalition communities located throughout the 18 counties of southwest minnesota. In addition, limited grant funds are available to pursue partnerships on early care and education projects that have a region-wide scope, which have included trainings for professionals, family-friendly events and other activities that engage the communities and raise awareness of young children's needs. In the past year, swif's regional impact grants supported the final honor flight southwest minnesota which in three flights since 2010, sent 300 southwest minnesota veterans to washington, d.c. On trips to see their memorials. Through a local impact grants effort in 2012, swif awarded $1,000 grants to each food shelf in southwest minnesota for a total of $34,000. The checks were delivered in person by swif board and staff to see what our local food shelves do in the community. Grants were awarded during march's food share drive so many of the gifts were leveraged and matched to increase the local impact.

Filer

EIN

41-1555592