Minnesota’s P-20 Education Partnership Receives $473,000 in Grant Funding to Advance Work Supporting Minnesotans from Birth to Career

2/24/2025

 

From housing to education to health, there are many factors that can impact a person’s path to success. If we want to increase equity and opportunity for all, it is critical that Minnesotans have access to the supports they need to thrive. This belief is what drives Minnesota’s P-20 Education Partnership (MNP20), a public-private collaboration that examines services and data across sectors with a goal of improving alignment of those supports and identifying policy recommendations to improve the lives of Minnesotans.

In recognition of the importance of this work, MNP20 has received two grants totaling nearly $473,000 to advance their efforts.

A $224,125 grant from The Joyce Foundation will support the creation of the strategic plan. The strategic action plan will establish clear priorities for MNP20's work. In particular, the plan will look at what gaps in support currently exist for Minnesotans from birth to career. The strategic plan will look at how to strengthen current efforts around statewide educational data use and educational access and affordability, as well as opportunities for new innovative and cross-organizational educational initiatives.

“There is a tremendous opportunity and imperative to ensure that young people in Minnesota succeed in college and the workforce,” Joyce Foundation Senior Program Officer Chibuzo Ezeigbo said. “For more than five years, the Joyce Foundation has been proud to support MNP20's equity-focused work to make progress on this goal. We look forward to the strategic plan and value our shared focus on racial equity, economic mobility, and cross-systems partnerships to improve outcomes for Minnesota’s next generation.”

A $248,600 grant from the ECMC Foundation will support staffing needs to help ensure MNP20 is able to realize the strategic plan.

“ECMC Foundation is dedicated to fostering postsecondary educational equity and innovation,” ECMC Foundation Program Officer Laura Boche said. “Our partnership with MNP20 and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education exemplifies our commitment to these values. We are working to create a brighter future for Minnesota’s students and communities by supporting MNP20 in building infrastructure, developing a strategic plan, and contributing to the next generation of the state’s education attainment goal. Through our collaboration, we aim to inspire similar initiatives nationwide, contributing to a more equitable and innovative postsecondary educational landscape.”

Both grants will be dispersed over a two-year period.

“Minnesota is fortunate to have organizations across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors who are committed to improving the lives of everyone who calls our state home,” OHE Commissioner and current MNP20 Chair Dennis Olson said. "MNP20 seeks to break down silos and align these efforts. I am grateful to ECMC Foundation and the Joyce Foundation for their support and am excited to get to work planning the next steps of this collaboration.”

“MNP20 exists to enhance lifelong learning opportunities and improve outcomes for each and every Minnesotan. This project will ensure our ability to develop a robust set of strategies to do just that. The funding will also provide us the necessary resources to deliver tangible results in collaboration with our members, as we work together to create impactful and innovative educational outcomes for all our state’s learners," said Josiah Litant, MNP20 Executive Director.

About the Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership: The Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership is a multi-sector, independent coalition of leaders representing early childhood, K-12, higher education, nonprofits, workforce development, and government. Partnership members collaborate to influence change, foster innovation, and advocate for policies affecting learner success and outcomes from birth through workforce. In 2009, legislation was first enacted to formally create the Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership by bringing together major statewide educational groups and other organizations with a stated interest in P-20 education. Today the partnership totals 26 member organizations, agencies, institutions, and legislators, working to strengthen educational access and opportunities for all of Minnesota's learners. See the full list of partner organization on the OHE website.

About The Joyce Foundation:

The Joyce Foundation is a private, nonpartisan philanthropy that invests in public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region. The Foundation was founded in 1948 and has grown with the times, developing strategies that evolve to reflect critical issues in the Great Lakes region.

About the ECMC Foundation:

ECMC Foundation’s mission is to improve higher education for career success among underserved populations through evidence-based innovation. ECMC Foundation makes strategic grants and program-related investments to support both nonprofit and for-profit ventures, guided by a strategic framework which aims to advance systemic change by removing barriers to postsecondary completion; building the capacity of organizations, institutions and systems; and transforming the postsecondary ecosystem. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org.