West Central Initiative (WCI) is one of six community foundations in Minnesota created by the McKnight Foundation in 1986 to response to the farm crisis. Together, we cover the area of the state called “Greater Minnesota.” We have cities and towns in all of our regions, but we are commonly understood to be representative of rural Minnesota.
Sustainable Development Goals
On September 25, 2015, 193 countries formally adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations. The Council’s president, Vikki Spruill, published an op-ed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy last week, which urged philanthropic organizations to partner with others to help achieve the SDGs by 2030. The Council is committed to connecting our members with resources to learn more about the SDGs and understand how these global goals are relevant to their existing programs and strategies, globally and in the US, and provide an opportunity for philanthropy to lead together towards 2030.
During the United Nations General Assembly in late September, Heads of State, government officials, civil society, and the philanthropic and commercial private sector are convening in New York with a focus on Universal Health Coverage (UHC). UHC is a key part of Sustainable Development Goal 3 and a shared commitment by United Nations member states to ensure everyone has access to health services without undue financial hardship. The vision is lofty and worthy, but the barriers are plentiful.
The world faces pressing challenges that require global responses – the climate crisis, entrenched inequality, migration, and more. But with international cooperation increasingly at risk, actions taken at the local level are ever more vital.
Listing of 2019 UNGA side-events that philanthropy and foundation leaders might be interested in attending.
Listing of 2019 HLPF side-events relevant for foundations and philanthropy.
The alphabet soup of global regulatory acronyms – FARA, FATF, and De-Risking to name a few – can lead to confusion for grantmakers. Join us for an update and discussion for how these regulations affect global grantmakers today.
With the theme of Accelerating Impact, the 2018 IMPACT2030 Summit celebrated the next evolution of IMPACT2030’s strategic priorities to Activate, Collaborate, and Measure. They have compiled key outcomes and calls-to-action in an Executive Summary.
This Brookings Institute's 2018 report shows that while progress is being made on the SDGs, much more -- and faster -- work needs to be done to ensure nobody is left behind.
The Goalkeepers Report is published every year and charts the progress toward the Global Goals. This year’s report focuses on youth population growth that will affect future world progress.
Natalie Ross previews the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York, highlighting three of the topics the Council will be focusing on during the event.