2014 2015 annual report - sheltering arms foundation...2014-2015 was a big year for young children...

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2014-2015 Annual Report

The Sheltering Arms Foundation

Our MissionThe Sheltering Arms Foundation invests in the lives of Minnesota’s children to help them reach their full potential. We fund non-profit organizations and support policies that benefit children and their families who have the least access to resources.

Our HistorySheltering Arms, founded in 1882 by Deaconess Annette Relf, is governed by a Board of Trustees composed of women members of the Episcopal Church of Minnesota. In response to the changing needs of children, Sheltering Arms successively operated an orphanage, a hospital for children with polio and a day school for special needs children. In 1983, Sheltering Arms was reincorporated as The Sheltering Arms Foundation. Consistent with the beliefs of the founders, the Foundation continues to be committed to the well being of children.

2014-2015 Board of TrusteesPresidentKay Kramer

President-electAnn Nerland

SecretaryBarbara Swan

TreasurerJulia Gutz Moller

Renee CampionJudith GoffMartha GraveLeslie HannaJennifer Haskin McCaffertyRebecca HawthorneBrenda HillWendy JohnsonMiranda KettlewellJudy Parr

Tina Pfau GonzalesRashmi SeneviratneJoy SkjegstadBarbara SwanJill ThompsonKim WisemanSandy WittmannSu-Fei Wong McKhann

StaffExecutive DirectorDenise Mayotte

Associate DirectorDiane Grossman

The Sheltering Arms Foundation1730 Clifton Place, Suite 100 Minneapolis, MN 55403612~871~9210 www.sheltering-arms.org

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Leadership Letter

Dear Friends,2014-2015 saw steady gains for the children of Minnesota. Using the tools of collaboration and collective impact, the Sheltering Arms Foundation and its partners increased access to early childhood opportunities for young children, helped to raise the visibility of opportunities to build parenting skills such as home visiting and began to lay the groundwork for support of afterschool programs. We aligned our strategies with our collective impact partners such as the Start Early Funders and Ignite Afterschool to see the greatest possible impact of our work.

It’s great to be able to look back over the last year and see the exciting results of the efforts that we have been involved with to help Minnesota children and families. We thank our grantees, trustees, donors and partners in non-profits, funder coalitions, education, government, communities and the Episcopal Church in Minnesota.

This past year, our efforts included:

• $484,000 in grants to 44 organizations as well as three grants to support work on behalf of children and families at Episcopal congregations.

• An expansion of our on-line grantmaking capability, separating out our early childhood and youth development funding priorities for the first time.

• Our second Sheltering Arms Sunday on February 8 , celebrated in numerous Episcopal communities around the state.

• A gathering of grantees and trustees to share stories of success.

• A Children and Youth Issues Convening in partnership with the Start Early Funders Coalition, the MN Council of Non-Profits and the MN Council on Foundations that attracted almost 1,000 participants.

• A Legislative reception, co-sponsored with MinneMinds and Start Early, to celebrate the accomplishments of the session and thank our champions.

• Work on behalf of children through the Governor’s Early Learning Council, The Start Early Funders, Minnesota Youth Funders Network, Ignite Afterschool, Mayor Hodges Cradle to K Cabinet and other

2014-2015 was a big year for young children at the Minnesota legislature. Through our work as a part of the Start Early Funders Coalition and MinnMinds, we participated in the efforts that secured an added $48 million for scholarships for the biennium to high quality care and education for low-income 3 and 4 year olds and their younger siblings. These new scholarships make additional opportunities available to children but at best, this funding can serve only 10% of the eligible children. We will be looking towards the next few sessions to make sure all Minnesota children have the opportunity to start kindergarten ready and prepared for success in school and life!

We thank you for your continuing involvement with the Sheltering Arms Foundation on behalf of our children and our future.

Sincerely,

Denise Mayotte Kay KramerExecutive Director Board President, 2014-15

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Project FINE is an organization that has been serving refugee and immigrant families in Winona for the past twenty years. It serves as the coordinator for a coalition effort called the Learning Together Program focused on introducing newcomer parents and their young children to the opportunities in the area available in early childhood programs. The program serves families in Winona and surrounding communities in the southeastern corner of the state. This area has seen rapid growth in Hmong and Latino families in recent years.

Working with a wide group of community partners, the Learning Together Program consists of large group sessions held every other month for thirty parents, parent mentoring sessions in between and several site visits to early childhood programs in the community to introduce parents to what is available.

Sessions are held in both Winona and St. Charles at the local elementary schools. Project FINE has spent years building trust with immigrant and refugee groups in the community and is

an entry point for most of the parents although other partners will also refer them. The Learning Together Program is a great collaboration of the kind that thrive in small Minnesota towns.

“The Learning Together program meets a very unique need in our community by working with refugee and immigrant parents to support early learning. Newcomer parents are often unfamiliar with the concept of early childhood education and less likely to access available programs due to language and cultural barriers. This program is a great access point, empowering parents to support their child’s education from birth. Learning Together has been very successful at bringing together parents, children and early childhood educators to promote parental involvement and learning. ”

~ Fatima Said, Executive Director, Project FINE

Early Childhood

Early ChildhoodA Chance to Grow

Southern Minnesota SMART Pre-K Alliance

Greater Minnesota • $15,000

AmazeMNTRECC Collaboration

Statewide • $10,000

Bright Water Montessori SchoolInfant-Parent AcademyMinneapolis • $8,000

Centro, Inc.Siembra Family Resource Circle

Minneapolis • $10,000

Child Care Aware of MinnesotaParent Aware


The Children’s Theatre CompanyEarly Bridges Parent Engagement

Minneapolis & St. Paul • $15,000

Duluth Area Family YMCALittle Treasures Preschool

Duluth • $10,000

Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners

Caring for Kids InitiativePlymouth • $10,000

Joyce Preschool

Home Visiting ProgramMinneapolis • $10,000

LDA MinnesotaLearning Connections – Early Literacy

Golden Valley • $10,000

LifetrackTargeted Home Visiting Coalition


MACC Alliance of Connected Communities

Healthy Eating Healthy Minds InitiativeMinneapolis • $15,000

Miller-Dwan FoundationAmberwing Birth to Kindergarten

ProgramDuluth • $10,000

Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children

(MnAEYC)Emerging Leaders in Advocacy

St. Paul • $10,000

Montessori American Indian Montessori Childcare Center

Family Language NestSt. Paul • $15,000

Montessori Training Center of Minnesota

Parent Education InitiativeSt. Paul • $10,000

Neighborhood HouseEarly Childhood Education

St. Paul • $10,000

Project FINELearning Together Program

Winona & St. Charles • $10,000

Serve MinnesotaBuilding Early Literacy


St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development

Multi-Disciplinary Assessment TeamMinneapolis & St. Paul • $15,000

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Early Childhood Youth DevelopmentKeystone Community Services is a St. Paul based human services agency with seven community locations since its recent merger with the West 7th Community Center. Program coordinator Hlee Thao founded the program to provide Hmong youth living in McDonough Homes, a public housing community on St. Paul’s East Side, with culturally based programming.

The program has traditionally focused on cultural elements such as Hmong dance as well as recreation. Recently, Keystone added an tutoring literacy curriculum called the Sonday System with assistance from the St.

Paul School Foundation’s Tutoring Partnership. Hmong high school students are hired and trained to serve as tutors for 40 children in grades K-6. SAF helped Keystone add a summer term for the program and strengthen partnerships with schools attended by the Hmong youth.

The St. Paul Public Schools Foundation sees this project as a successful pilot and hopes to expand it to other out of school time partners. Keystone has also strengthened its parent engagement program and added a youth gardening program. The Hmong Youth Tutoring Program is an important, well attended and needed program that is building momentum and providing critical reading and math support for low-income Hmong youth.

“The kids are more into their education and have taken more interest in their culture”

~ Parent of program participant

“The Keystone Community Services Hmong Youth and Family Program provides after-school programming that creatively combines support for school success, tutoring, youth employment and supportive cultural integrity. Keystone does this by drawing on its diverse multi-service youth programming. Parents are pleased that their elementary aged children are getting the tutoring they need; Hmong teens are getting quality training and a meaningful first paid employment experience. This is a win, win, win proposition. Sheltering Arms support has led the way.”

“The Keystone Community Services Hmong Youth and Family Program provides after-school programming that creatively combines support for school success, tutoring, youth employment and supportive cultural integrity. Keystone does this by drawing on its diverse multi-service youth programming. Parents are pleased that their elementary aged children are getting the tutoring they need; Hmong teens are getting quality training and a meaningful first paid employment experience. This is a win, win, win proposition. Sheltering Arms support has led the way.”

~ Eric Nyberg , Keystone President/CEO

“I’ve been coming here [to the Keystone Hmong Youth tutoring program] since the program began. I had been getting bad grades and having trouble reading. Ever since I started here, I have been getting more and more into school. I have been getting better grades and staying caught up on homework.”

~ Anusorn, Hmong Youth tutor program participant, age 14

“The program and tutors helped increase my child’s reading skills which is a really big plus for us. Everything you do, you need to know how to read first before following instructions”

~ Parent of a program participant

St. Stephen’s Human Services, Inc.The Incredible Years


Think SmallParent Advocacy

St. Paul • $15,000

Way to GrowGreat by 8


YWCA of MankatoReady to Learn

Mankato • $15,000

YWCA of MinneapolisPublic Policy Program


Educational Enrichment

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities

Hmong Mentoring InitiativeSt. Paul • $10,000

Bridges Kinship MentoringSite-based Mentoring Program

Grand Rapids • $10,000

Camp Fire MinnesotaIgniting Youth Sparks


Centro GuadalupanoAndale! Readers


Hope Community, Inc.Learning in CommunityMinneapolis • $10,000

InnerCity Tennis FoundationAcademic Creative Engagement (ACE)

ProgramMinneapolis • $10,000

Keystone Community ServicesHmong Youth Program

St. Paul • $10,000

Mentoring Partnership of MinnesotaPolicy & Advocacy Engagement


RESOURCE, Inc.Building Resilient Families – Out of

School Time ProgramMinneapolis • $15,000

So How Are The Children?Mind Up!

Faribault • $15,000

Youth Farm and Market ProjectFamily Engagement Program


Family SupportAppetite for Change

Community CooksMinneapolis • $11,000

St. Anne’s PlaceHealthy Child Development


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Organizations that provide home visiting to vulnerable families of young children have long needed a consistent set of practice standards and a coordinating system to track and measure outcomes for children and families. SAF supported Lifetrack, acting as a fiscal agent for the Minnesota Targeted Home Visiting Coalition (MTHVC) to build infrastructure and develop training around a set of standards and outcomes for home visiting that used New Mexico’s work as a guide. A grassroots coalition was built to advocate for home visiting standards across the state and trainings were conducted on topics on best practices, social emotional development and program advocacy.

The effort partners with the Department of Health (MDH) and the Department of Education (MDE). These agencies, in addition to the Minnesota Initiative Funds in greater Minnesota did much of the outreach to programs. All of the programs that would be included in the standards are voluntary, long-term, intensive and relationship-based. The best time to prevent opportunity gaps for children is ages pre-natal to three. The adoption of standards and practices will ensure higher quality home visiting and set the stage for greater public funding of these efforts.

Advocacy

From Joan Brandt“The Coalition has helped us work more collaboratively in the early childhood arena, advancing the message of the benefits of targeted home visiting. I believe that because of the work we have done as a Coalition, we have policymakers talking about and interested in home visiting as a strategy to promote positive parenting; enhance child growth and development leading to improved school readiness; and prevent childhood unintentional injury/maltreatment.

The trainings that the Coalition has offered allows for broader and improved access by home visitors to quality education to advance their skills in working with families.”

From Molly Kenney“The coalition has created an opportunity to build consensus regarding best practices for a variety home visiting models. Because of the coalition, we are better equipped to promote Home Visiting as a strategy for supporting high risk families to enhance child and family well-being, improve school readiness and reduce child abuse and neglect.”

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Sheltering Arms is an active member and funder of the Start Early Funders Coalition that supports the MinneMinds campaign. MinneMinds is a statewide campaign to increase public funding for access to high quality early care and education programs proven to prepare our children for success in school and in life. To do this MinneMinds advocates for scholarships for low-income three and four year olds and younger siblings to attend high quality early education programs.

To date, the campaign has been successful in advocating for $103 million per biennium to serve approximately 10,000 children a year. While this is a significant increase in the number of low-income children able to access high quality early learning programs of all types, estimates suggest that there are still at least as many children still in need. In the upcoming years, MinneMinds will make a case to fully fund scholarships for those remaining children and also build a case to support funding for home visiting programs for children birth to three years old.

MinneMinds supporters celebrate a successful year at the legislature for young children at the Montessori Center of Minnesota’s Cornerstone Childcare Center.

Advocacy

Sheltering Arms trustees visit their legislators at Voices for Children Day at the Capitol to advocate for increased funding for early childhood scholarships.

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The Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Stillwater has

been working to fill the void left for low income families in Washington County since the closing of Episcopal Community Services in December 2012. It does this through a secular social service program called Ascend that collaborates with non-profit and governmental social service providers. One of Ascend’s programs is an after-school tutoring and music program that serves families involved in other Ascend programs. It provides families an opportunity to form healthy community connections in a learning environment of tutoring, music lessons, home-work help, and supper preparations. The program is provided without cost to participants and transportation is provided as needed to and from the program. It is led and organized by volunteers from Ascension and St. Mary’s Episcopal churches. SAF provided support for curriculum, educational games, guitars and music supplies and healthy snacks.

Episcopal Community Grants

Gethsemane Episcopal Drake Hotel Youth Programming

Minneapolis$1,000

MessiahGreat Adventure Days

St. Paul$1,000

St. George’s Episcopal ChurchPerspectives’ Summer Basketball in

the Park St. Louis Park

$1,000

“Through the Ascend After-School Tutoring and Music Program, volunteers from the Episcopal Church of the Ascension and the community enjoyed engaging families in need with tutoring and homework help, preparing healthy suppers and playing educational games. It was a joy to see the many healthy community connections between so many different ages and backgrounds.”

~ Cindy Parsons Director Ascend

Episcopal Church of the Ascension

After-school tutoring and music program

Stillwater • $1,000

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$1,000+Myra Barrett and Harry Brull

through the J. Peter Brull Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation

Adelaide ClinePeter and Rebecca HawthorneKay Kramer and Sally JohnsonKatherine LewisAnn and Bruce NerlandKenneth and Ann PetersFiona and Ravi PradhanLeonard and Jane SladeSarah W. Sweatt through the Sarah

Wilson Sweatt Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation

$500-999Laura BathkeBill and Ann CrewsGreg and Janice DamesBev DumasChristabel and James GrantMargo HermanCara and David HolmbergSherry LundJenni and Ed RyanKim and Greg Wiseman

$100-499AnonymousEileen AdamsBonnie and Brian AltonMargaret BarkerTom and Catherine BeringerCindy BeukemaDana BrewerSally BrownLaura BuddRenee CampionLaura and Mark CapaldiniJoan ClearyTed and Elizabeth ColburnTed and Carol CushmoreMark DanielsonLaurie DavisJohn and Marcia DiraclesDan and Diane DodgeDoug and Donna EichtenCarol and Mark EngebretsonMartha and Ron EricksonPhil and Jane Falconer

Barbara and Ken FordAnn GibsonJudith M. GoffJulia Gutz MollerLeslie HannaRobert HarveyJennifer Haskin McCaffertyBarb and Steve HauckTimothy Hawthorne and Laya

Schzaetzel-HawthorneRuth and Don HaydenBrenda HillJane Hopkins GouldJoan IngramCarla JohnsonGary Johnson and Joan HershbellWendy JohnsonMary Jones and Dominic PapatolaHeidi Joos and Ivy BoothBeth and David KaluzaElaine KillenBarbara KirbyDoug and Anna Mae LambertRuth LandrumPeggy LarsonAnna Love-MickelsonJoAnn LuedtkeDusty MairsStephanie MalcyDan and Kris MayDenise Mayotte and Warren HansonLeana Medina-Beltz and John BeltzJoseph and Arleeta MessickJane NandyKris NewcomerBob and Ginny PadzieskiJudith ParrJames and Joanne PfauTina Pfau GonzalesDean and Molly ReichardLinda and David RosedahlRashmi SeneviratneElizabeth ShiptonJoy Skjegstad and Bradley SchragKaren StarrCarol Stender and Philip GraveLindsay and Mike StrandJacqueline and John SullivanBarbara SwanCynthia SwanTom and Kathy SwanJill ThompsonJohn and Amy Tillotson

Ritchie and Robert Two BullsJohn and Melissa UppgrenNina UtneMartin Wessendorf and Molly

MunnikhuysenDan and Jane WhiteFrances and Frank WilkinsonJohn WilliamsMargaret Wirth-Johnson and James

JohnsonSandy WittmannFei Wong McKhann

$0-99Sandra AndersonAnonymousJody Bantley and Daniel AbebeJean Bielke-RodenbikerPhil BradleyDavid BraslauPaulette and Bruce BrieseCarol BrobackJean and William BrownGloria CarpenterPamela and Loren CaseNeal Cuthbert and Louise RobinsonLinda DahlquistJudith DevineNancy Haworth DingelSusan DingleJan and Clyde DoepnerMarcia DudleyDave EisenmannAnn EvansenKen and Roseanne FergusonChristine GanzlinLinda GarrettRay and Karen GerstBarb and Fred GorkaMary Jo GouldMartha GraveDiane Grossman and Dean TopliffJohn GutzMarilyn and Carl HalkerMargaret HansonBob and Darlene HaysMary HeltsleyJessica HernBirdie Hix CarterBarbara and Marshall JohnsonBeverly JohnsonKelly Jones and William Mahlum, Jr.

Jon and Irene JosephKathleen KulstadLaurel L’AllierAndrea LarsonMarilynn and Tim LeafMark and Jennifer LindbergS.K. and W. L. LundsgaardStephanie MannAdrienne MasonSusan McAninchMarjie McFarlandJudson MollerAnthony Morley and Ruth Ann

OlsonLaurelle Pearson and Jacqueline

WilliamsJanice PennauDouglas and Janice PritchardJill SandeenGary and Julie SavoldDana and Doug SparksAlex StephensonWilliam Sternberg and Tim ZuelMelissa and Tim StoddartJohn and Jean SweseyRenee TorbensonMary TurnerKristin VesseyKari and Ed WelterRuth WhiteJames and Eliza WilsonMildred Woodbury

Donors

With the generous support of these individuals and corporations, The Sheltering Arms Foundation is able to make a difference in the lives of children and families in the state of Minnesota. All gifts, regardless of size, are important to The Sheltering Arms Foundation and its future. We make every effort to ensure that each donor is properly recognized. Please let us know of any omission or corrections.

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Sister Annette Relf SAF Sustainers' CircleSister Annette Relf founded Sheltering Arms in the late 1800’s, and the Foundation we have today is her legacy. We have named our sustaining membership in her honor. You can become part of the Sustainers’ Circle simply by making a monthly donation of any amount. This is now your legacy, too. A special thank you to our Sustainers’ Circle members for your support!

Laura BathkeTom and Catherine BeringerRenee CampionGreg and Janice DamesJohn and Marcia DiraclesBev DumasJudith GoffChristabel and James GrantJulia Gutz MollerRobert HarveyJennifer Haskin McCaffertyRebecca and Peter HawthorneMargo HermanCarla JohnsonKay Kramer and Sally JohnsonKatherine LewisAnna Love-MickelsonStephanie MalcyDenise Mayotte and Warren HansonEdie MeissnerTina Pfau Gonzales and Victor GonzalesJames and Joanne PfauFiona and Ravi PradhanMelissa and Todd StoddartLindsey and Mike StrandBarbara SwanJill ThompsonFei Wong McKhann

In Honor ofDannie Drinkwine by Martin Wessendorf and Molly Munnikhuysen

Judith Goff by Nancy Haworth Dingel

Martha Grave by Dan and Diane Dodge

Rebecca Hawthorne by Barbara Johnson by Elaine Killen

Cara and David Holmberg by Mary Jo Gould

Kay Kramer and Sally Johnson by Jill Sandeen

Elizabeth, William and Andrew Robertson by Richie and Robert Two Bulls

The Slade Children and Grandchildren by Leonard and Jane Slade

Thank you to our Episcopal Community Partners!Calvary Episcopal Church, RochesterSt. John’s Episcopal Church Outreach Committee,

MankatoSt. Luke’s Episcopal Church, RochesterSt. Mary’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul

In Memory ofJohn and Ora Hix by Birdie Hix Carter

Lisa Holmberg by Susan Dingle

Jean Hoover by Jean and William Brown

Delores Jones by Pamela and Loren Case

Marnie & Bill Lind by Andrea Larson by Peggy Larson

Barbara Mayotteby Sandra Andersonby Jodi Bantley and Daniel Abebeby Gloria Carpenterby Laurie Davisby Dave Eisenmannby Ann Evansenby Phil and Jane Falconerby Chris Ganzlinby Judith Goffby Christabel Grantby Diane Grossman and Dean Topliffby Cara and David Holmbergby Wendy Johnsonby Kelly Jones and William Mahlum, Jr.by Barbara Kirbyby Kay Kramer and Sally Johnsonby Kathleen Kulstadby Laurel L’Allierby Joann Luedkeby Susan McAninchby Jane Nandyby Laurelle Pearson and Jacqueline Williamsby Janice Pennauby Julie and Gary Savoldby Karen Starrby Barbara Swanby Jill Thompson

Jean O’Leary by Marilynn and Tim Leaf

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Year ended June 30,

Unrestricted Net Assets 2015 2014 Revenue and Support Investments Income $ 299,109 $ 228,395 Net Realized and Unrealized Gains on Investments (404,034) 1,917,195 Contributions and Other Income 37,230 42,900 Total Revenue $ (67,695) $ 2,188,490 Expenses Grants Awarded, Net of Refunds and Revisions $ 493,000 $ 474,000 Advocacy and Grants Management 188,370 195,844 Operational Expenses: Management and General 152,099 145,460 Fund Development 5,301 6,156 Investment and Custodial Fees 69,668 68,256 Total Expenses $ 908,438 $ 889,716

Net Change in Unrestricted Net Assets $ (976,133) $ 1,298,774

Permanently Restricted Net Assets Revenue Gain on Beneficial Interest in Perpetual Trusts $ (99,113) $ 122,921 Net Change in Permanently Restricted Net Assets $ (99,113) $ 26,651 ____________________ _______________ ____________________ _______________

Change in Net Assets $ (1,075,246) $ 1,325,425

The Foundation uses the accrual method of accounting for financial reporting purposes. Under the accrual method, revenues are recorded when earned, contributions are recorded when an unconditional promise to give has been received, and expenses are recorded when incurred. Grants are recorded when approved by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Grant awards that extend more than one year into the future are not recorded due to their conditional nature as the grantee needs to meet certain requirements before subsequent year awards are approved for payment.

Year ended June 30,

Assets 2015 2014 Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 382,386 $ 355,358 Investments 14,073,854 15,062,951 Beneficial Interest in Perpetual Trusts 1,744,473 1,843,586 Interest and Dividends Receivable - - Prepaid Expenses 2,734 2,841 Furniture, Equipment and Leasehold Improvements, Net of Accumulated Depreciation 14,110 24,067 ____________________ _______________ ____________________ _______________

Total Assets $ 16,217,557 $ 17,288,803

Liabilities and Net Assets Current Unpaid Grant Commitments $ 458,000 $ 454,000 Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities - - Total Current Liabilities $ 458,000 $ 454,000

Net Assets Unrestricted $ 14,015,084 $ 14,991,217 Permanently Restricted 1,744,473 1,843,586 Total Net Assets $ 15,759,557 $ 16,834,803 ____________________ _______________ ____________________ _______________

Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 16,217,557 $ 17,288,803 Complete audited financial statements are available upon request from the Foundation office. Audit performed by Wilkerson Associates.

Statement of Activities

Statement of Financial Position

Financials

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2014 2015 annual report - sheltering arms foundation...2014-2015 was a big year for young children...

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