Interfaith Action Of Greater Saint Paul Foundation

Programs: Interfaith action of greater saint paul foundation (the foundation) was formed as a 501(c)(3) organization to manage contributed gifts to fund the needs of interfaith action of greater saint paul. The foundation's policy is to grant interfaith action 5% of the 16-quarter trailing average market value of the investment portfolio. The foundation does periodically make additional descretionary grants per its distribution policy. Interfaith action of greater saint paul's program service accomplishments are as follows:on-the-ground work. Interfaith action's on-the-ground work focuses in several core program areas: project home. Project home provides approximately 11,000 shelter-bed-nights per year in twenty-four congregations (twenty-two churches, one catholic school, and one synagogue). This shelter is for families with children who are experiencing homelessness. Each house of worship transforms itself into a shelter for one month at a time. On the first of each month, project home arrives at the month's sites, bringing beds, linens, food, diapers, etc. Project home's staff along with 3,000 volunteers provide a warm, welcoming home to our guests, who stay with us an average of 55 days as they work to secure a stable housing arrangement that is right for them. Department of indian work (diw). Diw provides a wide array of welcoming services to the low-income native american community in the east metro. We provide emergency services including a culturally specific food shelf and a clothing closet. We provide a kindergarten through 5th grade (k-5) culturally specific after-school program at saint paul's american indian magnet school (aims). And we provide a hard-hitting diabetes prevention and management program which includes popular cooking classes taught by a native dietician using indigenous foods. Project spirit. Project spirit is a high-dosage, culturally specific, african-centered after-school experience for grades k-5 in four high-poverty saint paul public schools. All four schools have very high poverty populations, and almost all the students and faculty are african-american. The program spans three hours per day, five days per week, with parent contact every day. It has a curriculum which is academically challenging and culturally rich. Going home. Going home provides 4 to 5 months of stable housing and intensive life skills education to families trying to break the cycle of homelessness. Interfaith action shifted the going home program to another nonprofit in october 2016. Farm + faith. Our farm + faith program works in six local churches to support recent immigrants and refugees in their efforts to learn how to establish an economic foothold in agricultural work in our community. Many of these individuals farmed in their home countries, but find a steep learning curve to enter farming here because of language barriers and differences in soil, crops, growing seasons, and more. In partnership with hap and local churches, we support the individuals in a year of gardening on the grounds of the churches. Interfaith youth connection (iyc). This program engages high school youth from many faiths in a year-long leadership program that culminates in a "day of service" on a college campus on presidents' day each year. The youth learn about each other's religions and engage in service work together. Interfaith action's on-the-ground work also includes a free walk-in legal clinic, where community members can speak to an attorney and receive legal advice and resources. This clinic is staffed by our local civil legal aid provider (southern minnesota regional legal services [smrls]), and by a volunteer group of jewish lawyers through the cardozo society. On jewish holidays it is staffed by non-jewish volunteer lawyers who cooperate with and support the project. Systemic work: opportunity saint paul. Interfaith action's systemic work focuses on the building of an infrastructure of opportunity in the east metro. This work derives from concepts explained by mdc, a national nonprofit based in north carolina, in its book, state of the south. Our primary systemic program is called opportunity saint paul. In opportunity saint paul, interfaith action seeks to strengthen saint paul's infrastructure of opportunity. Interfaith action matches volunteers from the faith community with carefully vetted, highly effective nonprofit organizations, and involves the volunteers and the nonprofit leaders in a deeply motivating learning community. This "corps" of interfaith, multi-racial, inter-generational volunteers will multiply the horsepower of the selected nonprofits, accomplishing three important goals: (1) providing effective service to build our community's infrastructure of opportunity; (2) educating and activating faith community volunteers; and, (3) strengthening faith communities.