The Minnesota NOW Foundation is the educational and charitable arm of the Minnesota chapter of the National Organization for Women. It is a qualified 501(c)3 organization under IRS rules. All contributions made to the Minnesota NOW Foundation are tax deductible under 501(c)3 guidelines.
The Foundation may hold programs, conduct research, collect and publish facts, and engage in other work to combat discrimination. Unlike Minnesota NOW, it is not engaged in political lobbying nor grassroots political organizing. Here are the details on some of our projects:
In 2022 our Board approved a number of donations supporting groups that align with NOW’s core issues:
- Power Girls Program, Girls Scouts of River Valley – Opportunities for girls to learn and use trade skills hands-on; committed to diversity and those without financial resources
- The Transparent Alliance – Formed in response to anti-trans actions in Hastings, including the “outing” of a child of a school board member; developing “Guide to Becoming Your Child’s First Ally”
- Code Savvy – Working with girls and people of all backgrounds in computer science and technology; coding clubs; pairing with mentors
- Black Girl Advocate – Mentoring girls of color, focusing on the wholeness of black girls; Cultural and College Tour for girls who would not otherwise be exposed to colleges
- MN Unbounded and Hockey Niñas – Supporting girls of color to learn and participate in ice hockey, developing self-esteem and team-building skills [website in development; see Color of Hockey: MN Unbounded, Hockey Niñas open doors for girls (nhl.com)]
- Several donations requested by the MN NOW Reproductive Rights Committee, to Our Justice and to the Clinic Vest Program.
In 2021 we targeted some of our funding to groups with programs for girls:
- We helped fund scholarships for Brave Bold Girls, a Youth Advantage program designed to help pre-teen and teenage girls grow healthy and confident from the inside out, creating safe environments for girls to explore their interests and talk about choices to make better decisions. See https://www.youthadvantage.org/bbg.
- We donated scholarship funds for girls participating at She Rock She Rock. See their programs at https://sherocksherock.org/ and https://sherocksherock.org/grrr-studio-edition.
- We contributed to Girls Are Powerful for their scholarship fund for their event day. See https://www.girlsarepowerful.org/girls-are-powerful-day-event/.
- We helped fund scholarships for after-school science-related programs for girls at Dodge Nature Center. See their website at www.dodgenaturecenter.org. Scholarship detail can be found at https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/scholarships.
More:
- We joined efforts with the Minnesota Billboard Project to fund billboards educating the public about safe abortion as a health care right. Billboards appeared near the State Fairgrounds, near Duluth, and in Mankato and St. Cloud, both on heavy-traffic routes.
- In this time of rampant disinformation campaigns designed to sway public opinion, the Minnesota NOW Foundation has taken on a role in delivering fact-based issue education and advocacy to the public. We have had info campaigns about the need for an Equal Rights Amendment and for safe and legal abortion access. We connect with people at community events and conferences, and at the State Fair.
We have helped further NOW’s goals and support NOW core issues by funding ERA/Equality Day, ERA billboards, and chapter networking; as well as shared some administrative expenses with Minnesota NOW. We also support two efforts that align with NOW goals, by serving as fiscal sponsor for ERA Minnesota and West St Paul Pride.