Minnesota Comeback

Programs: Minnesota comeback is a coalition of education and philanthropic leaders committed to transforming k-12 education in minnesota by improving education outcomes and supporting the growth of high-performing schools accessible to all children. It was initially funded as an internal project of the minneapolis foundation, and has now gained enough of a groundswell of support among minnesota education leadership to operate as a separate legal organization. The guiding vision of minnesota comeback is that by 2025, all minneapolis children will be enrolled in rigorous and relevant schools that prepare them to thrive in college, their career, and the community. Minnesota comeback advances its mission primarily through research and coalition building around high-impact education grant investments and through assisting in a program of grantmaking. We conduct research and publish reports to educate other education leaders and general public on issues of education transformation in minnesota. We use data system mapping to identify the specific factors that drive success in education systems. Other organizations use the corporation's research and advice as a platform to inform their decisions regarding placement of resources in their own education systems to achieve the most high-impact investments in education. Minnesota comeback's coalition of education and philanthropic organizations comes together to analyze and implement initiatives based on this research to improve education systems in minnesota. Another way we advance our mission is by focusing resources on attracting and growing proven school models and by building capacity in the minnesota education ecosystem primarily around talent, facilities, and community engagement needed to sustain a system of high-performing schools. We use critical data to identify policy change and other community-wide improvements that will strengthen the education ecosystem in minnesota. Minnesota comeback also supports grantmaking aimed at strategic investments in minnesota education. It does this by performing the "legwork" of the grantmaking process for a fund held by the minneapolis foundation. Specifically, we review grant applications and make recommendations to the minneapolis foundation as to distributions from the fund that will be used to make grants to public schools, public charter schools, and independent schools, and any other supporting grants aimed at improving the minnesota education system.