Recently we had a data security issue in our office; a flash drive with client data was lost. All of us involved were very devastated; we felt horrible that it happened and worried about the risks to our client and the people they serve. Although our client was understandably upset, and we felt horrible, we did the best we could under the circumstances to make amends. We actually received compliments (!) on how we handled the issue. We also were told by several people that this sort of thing happens all the time.

We did a number of things to address the loss that I think might be useful to others if they find themselves in the same situation--this process was useful to us and our client. Although I hope this never happens to any of our readers, if it does, I hope these lessons can be useful.

1. We notified our client immediately and made ourselves available to do whatever remediation they felt necessary. This meant clearing our calendars for several days to respond to questions, draft answers, research the problem, etc.

2. determined the risk involved with the data that was lost. For example, in our case we felt that the data would not likely be used to financially hurt the individuals, but could make the individuals feel like their privacy was violated.

3. We determined the likelihood that those risks would come to fruition. In this case, the flash drive was mistakenly discarded, rather than stolen, so it was unlikely that someone would access it with the intended purpose of doing harm.

4. We created a response to both the actual and the perceived risks, including purchasing a credit protection plan for any individuals involved when requested; this was explained in a letter that went to everyone involved.

5. We were very apologetic, and let everyone involved (the client, their program participants, and other stakeholders) know how sorry we felt that it happened. We took responsibility immediately and made ourselves available to answer any questions that came up.

6. We identified weaknesses in our security procedures and worked with our client to address them. This included some minor investments on our part of new encryption equipment and time to write new policies and procedures.

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Three Improve Group staff members completed degrees in the last week. Becky Stewart completed her Masters in Public Health from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at UMN; Deborah Mattila completed her Bachelors of Arts in Geography from the University of Minnesota; and Brooke Ahlquist completed her Masters of Arts in Geography from the University of Minnesota. Congratulations ladies! All of us at the Improve Group are very proud of our accomplished staff!

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I will soon be off on my holiday adventures with my sons and I hope all my fellow grant gazers will take some time to slow down and enjoy the moment. You can find me back in the search in January of 2007 but I’ll leave you with a very intriguing opportunity for rural America.

This week’s pick: The Kellogg Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2007 Rural People, Rural Policy Cohort program. This multi-year national initiative “is based on the premise that rural America has abundant assets and that the brightest potential for rural America emerges when a critical mass of rural people are stronger, more organized policy actors.”

A primary component of the initiative are the Rural Policy Networks which are a cohort of up to 25 organizations selected every year, with five organizations joining each of the five networks. Any non-profit that seeks to improve rural people and places may apply but a commitment to all activities through the end of the initiative is required (which currently is expected to continue through 2012).

Benefits of participation in this effort are:

• Peer Learning Sessions
• Annual Rural Assembly
• Network Member Organization Participation Grant
• Network Development Assistance
• Network Coordination

The submission deadline is January 22, 2007. More detailed information and the application form can be found at
http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=274&NID=61&LanguageID=0

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In our on-going work with Performing Arts Workshop, we've been asked to conduct a quasi-experimental evaluation of their arts residency program, Artists-in-Schools. Based on results in the last three years, they created the ARISE program, designed to bring arts residencies to classrooms with some students with special needs (called inclusion classrooms in California).

We are using a variety of approaches to evaluate the program, including action research, secondary analysis of attendance and test score data, observations and surveys. However, surveys with young children (below grade 5) have presented a challenge in the past.

To address this challenge, we are using an adaptation of the Internal Learning System, previously described by Becky in the October 2006 issue of our newsletter. This pictoral diary gives people without strong literacy skills another way to share their ideas. Deborah will be posting a sample of our ILS youth survey when it is further developed.

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I started off this series on funding opportunities with a couple of granting organizations that cover a national audience. Last week I recounted some of the information I learned about the current state of the Minnesota funding community. This week I will highlight a local funder as a follow-up on Minnesota prospects.

This week’s pick: The Gannett Foundation – This corporate foundation makes grants in those communities in which Gannett Co., Inc. has a local daily newspaper or television station. For our state that would be KARE 11 in Minneapolis and the St Cloud Times newspaper in St Cloud. Grants and matching gifts are given to nonprofit organizations for improving education, health and quality of life in the community. Submission deadlines are on January 15, May 15 and August 15 of each year with an average granted amount of $1,000 to $4,000. A brief application request is available at http://www.kare11.com/life/community/gannett_foundation/.

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The Improve Group received a welcome break from a busy winter workday with the arrival of fresh Panera sandwiches, pickles, salad, chips, bread and cookies from LiteFM. Two very cheerful staff members delivered the treats right to our conference room yesterday. The Improve Group were lucky recipients of the LITE Lunch Break from 102.9 LiteFM. Thanks and Happy Holidays to the good folks who make their listeners feel so appreciated. For more information on what fun things are happening at the LiteFM go to http://1029litefm.com/.

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Instead of highlighting a specific grant this week I’d like to comment on a valuable workshop I recently attended. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) presented their “Minnesota Foundations 2007” overview on December 6th at the University of Minnesota Campus in Saint Paul. This highly-attended event gave nonprofits the opportunity to examine the newly published 2007 Minnesota Grant Directory page by page and learn the current practices and future predictions for grant-making in Minnesota.

With Minnesota being acknowledged as one of the 5 best philanthropic markets in the country it is imperative that organizations seeking funding keep on top of who is giving the grants, what type of programs or projects are they funding, and what is the best approach to the individual corporation or foundation. The presenters, Jon Pratt, Leslie Nitabach and Reid Zimmerman gave a focused look into their findings from speaking with the program officers and directors of community foundations, private foundations and corporate giving programs.

The increasing trend of foundations and corporations towards donor advised funds as opposed to unrestricted funding opportunities was emphasized at the workshop. This trend can present a challenge to the non-profit fund raiser. The areas of interest for donor advised funds are often not disclosed and therefore make it difficult to submit a proposal that fits the donor’s requirements or interests. Also, the charitable organization may conduct their own investigation to determine whether their donor's recommendations mesh with the nonprofit organization's needs therefore presenting no opportunity for any open application process.

One other point of note from the MCN workshop was that applicant organizations should always pay close attention to the guideline on funders’ websites. Many granting organizations are moving to online applications only and most ask for a call or letter of intent before any formal approach should be made. I would encourage all non-profits to acquire the Grants Directory and find time to attend this workshop next year to give themselves an edge in finding the right opportunities and communicating their best effort for each proposal submitted.

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For the past eight months, we have been working closely with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to review Medicaid-funded programs in all of Minnesota's counties and health plans. There are six Home and Community Based Services programs in each county, and they allow individuals with long-term needs to be served in their homes or other residential setting rather than a nursing home.

Reports from eight of our reviews to-date are available on-line, along with a short description of the review process and of each instrument we use.

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Although it has been a busy time around the Improve Group office (our staff have been all over Minnesota and the country these past few weeks) we did take a moment to celebrate some birthdays, including Marian, Sarah Shannon, Eric and Nathan. We ate at the very good restaurant called Natural Escape in Richfield - delicious Latin American food.

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