The Great Northern

“There is no committee that has the authority to act on behalf of the governing body.”

“990s are distributed in board materials prior to board meetings and reviewed at board meetings.”

“A transaction involving a conflict of interest may be approved by the board if the material facts of the transaction and the conflict of interest are fully disclosed or known to the board and the board approves the transaction in good faith by the affirmative vote (without counting the interested responsible persons) of a majority of the entire board at a meeting at which there is a quorum present, again without counting the interested responsible persons. A responsible person who knows he or she has a conflict of interest must not participate in the board's discussion of the matter except to disclose material facts and to respond to questions. The responsible person must not attempt to exert his or her personal influence with respect to the matter, either at or outside the meeting. The responsible person known to have a conflict of interest may not vote on the transaction and the person's ineligibility to vote must be reflected in the minutes of the meeting. If it is not possible to obtain a quorum of board members who do not have a conflict of interest with respect to the transaction, the transaction may be approved by at least two-thirds of all the board members that the proposed transaction is fair and reasonable to the great northern and in its best interests. A responsible person who does not plan to attend a meeting at which the board is likely to act on a transaction involving the responsible person's conflict of interest must disclose to the president, prior to the meeting, all facts material to the conflict of interest. The president must report the disclosure at the meeting and the disclosure must be reflected in the minutes of the meeting. If the responsible person with the conflict of interest is the president, then the required disclosure must be made to, and the required report to the board must be made by, the next highest ranking officer. If it is not entirely clear whether a conflict of interest exists, then the person with the potential conflict must disclose the circumstances to the president or the president's designee. The president or the president's designee must determine whether there exists a conflict of interest that is subject to this policy.”

“The board of directors hires the executive director and reviews the compensation package prior to hire. A comparability study is done to determine appropriate compensation. Compensation of the executive director is included in the budget and financial statements presented to the board for oversight.”

“The board of directors hires the chief program director and reviews the compensation package prior to hire. A comparability study is done to determine appropriate compensation. Compensation of the chief programing officer is included in the budget and financial statements presented to the board for oversight.”

“Governing documents are available upon request.”

“The great northern celebrates our cold, creative winters through ten days of diverse programming that invigorate mind and body. In an era of changing climate that threatens our signature season, we seek to create community, inspire action, and share the resilient spirit of the north with the world.”

“In fy25 the great northern (tgn) continued its mission to host an annual winter festival across the twin cities, inspiring conversations, fostering community, and bringing people together during the most isolating time of the year: minnesota's long, cold winters. Tgn encourages our audience to get outdoors, build connections, stay active, and celebrate the perspectives, communities, cultures, and ecosystems that make this region special. Through multidisciplinary events, tgn highlights the urgency of climate change, encouraging awareness, action, and shared responsibility. By cultivating authentic, reciprocal relationships with our audience and partners, we contribute to a broader cultural shift toward environmental stewardship and collective care. Tgn's 2025 festival programming continued to celebrate what winter gives us, while exploring our changing climate through the lenses of culture/heritage, the economy, and social equity. Tgn hosted dozens of festival events including meaningful arts presentations, invigorating outdoor events, and unique dining experiences. More than 50% of these events were free and open to the public. The great northern produced and coproduced events that drew over 10,000 attendees into the cold to experience the festival. The way the great northern combines arts events with a climate focus is unique and transformative. Our attendees can experience the beauty of winter on a cellular level and be inspired and motivated to preserve it. The festival's climate solutions series featured a dozen in-person conversations that investigated climate action and advocacy from multiple perspectives. These conversations were attended by over 1,500 people. Our outdoor programming remains the most popular with more than 5,000 people in attendance. In 2025, in response to community feedback, we increased our family programming with family programming across the festival. Tgn's family programming drew over 1,500 attendees and will be a mainstay of the festival. Our dance performances, live music, and visual art experience drew nearly 2,000 attendees. In the lead-up to and during the great northern's 2025 festival, we secured dozens of pieces of coverage that garnered millions of estimated views.”

“Consultant & prof fees 57,985 0 0 videography 8,729 0 0 festival producers & support 97,748 19,707 0 total 164,462 19,707 0”