1. Webinar on the
Topographical Policy Assessment
Economic Opportunity Policy
Landscape in Minnesota
by
Grassroots Solutions
and Headwaters Foundation for Justice
January 22, 2013

2. OVERVIEW
Assessment objectives and approach
Capacity of nonprofits to affect public policy change related to
“economic opportunity” for low-income people
Multi-dimensional and relational
Not an evaluation of any one organization or model
Methodology
Extensive one-on-one conversations with 87 people
Five network convenings

3. SNAPSHOT OF MN POLICY LANDSCAPE
Why a snapshot?
Political changes
Increased political polarization
Rapid changes in political representation and leadership
Increased influence of suburbs and exurbs
Racial and demographic changes
Aging and declining population in greater Minnesota
Increased racial diversity, increased poverty and extreme racial
disparities

4. MN NONPROFIT POLICY ECOSYSTEM
Nonprofit playing field
Productive, robust work and atmosphere of possibility
Shared analysis of poverty
“Economic opportunity” is not a field with which people and
organizations self-identify
Specialization and professionalization
Leads to fragmentation and silos
Crowded ecosystem
Existing funding incentives reinforce fragmentation

5. COLLABORATION
Strong collaboration even within competitive atmosphere
Rich spectrum of collaboration
Checklist: best practices for collaboration structure, process, and
strategy
Collaboration challenges and lessons
Coordination and management
Balance process and action
Establish criteria and avoid lowest common denominator problem
Determine when to stop collaborating

6. DISCONNECT BETWEEN COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS & POLICY ADVOCATES
Lack of involvement of communities of color and low-income in
policy change
Concerns about authenticity, lack of effectiveness, and accountability
General reality with some exceptions
Contributing factors
Focus of policy in neighborhood/community versus statewide concerns
Differing objectives and worldviews
Differing organizational and individual strengths
Potential solutions
Build on what already exists
Variety of ways to connect

7. POWER
Mixed comfort discussing power, but unanimous
recognition of importance
Navigating questions of power is difficult
Lack of consensus about definition of power
Perception that power of “field” overall is relatively weak
Some organizations possess power for large-scale policy change
Reactive tendency
Base is primarily urban white progressives
Foundations part of power equation
Encouraging dialogue about power for nonprofits, but not necessarily
participating themselves
Potential opportunities for foundations to consider roles in increasing or
leveraging power for “field”

8. GREATER MINNESOTA
AND NATIVE COMMUNITIES
Capacity challenges heightened in Greater Minnesota and
in Native communities
Non-metro organizations often less engaged in statewide
policy
Experience doing more with less
Challenge of developing effective leaders
Common sense of less heightened partisanship

9. CAPACITY ASSETS & DEFICITS
Assets
Collaboration
Intermediaries; capacity building and T/A
Policy research and implementation
Organizing
Deficits
Messaging and communications
Strategy and planning
Leadership development, staff capacity, and having flexible staffing
Lobbying and working collaboratively with policy makers

10. EQUITY LENS & IMPLICATIONS OF
CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
Equity realities and shifts
Projected increases in minority populations in Minnesota
Strong contingent of nonprofits led by or linked to communities of color
Central to policy efforts yet missing from policy tables
Discomfort talking about and addressing race
Equity opportunities
Race as key driver for economic opportunity policy change
Increased prominence of racial equity lens
Economic division is forefront issue amongst broad public
Suburbs and exurbs

11. RECOMMENDED ACTION STEPS FOR
FIELD
1. Important to share and discuss policy assessment findings
2. Invest in effective collaboration and strategic linkages
3. Foster and support strategic thinking around economic
opportunity policy change; opportunities to discuss power and
implications of policy, political and societal shifts
4. Explore implications of demographic changes in relation to long-
term leadership development and power-building
5. Bridging “worlds”; build capacity of community-based and
neighborhood-based organizations and encourage sector to
become more involved in regional or statewide policy efforts

12. RECOMMENDED ACTION STEPS FOR
FIELD (CONT’D)
6. Share, replicate and/or build upon examples of success
7. Build capacity in deficient areas (communications,
leadership, lobbying and relationship building, and strategy
development)
8. Focus on increased base building and power building in
suburbs, greater Minnesota, and other more conservative
centers of power
9. Cultivate or leverage partnerships with public and
private sectors
10. Consider newer and more flexible capacity/staff models for
policy work