On August 27th our conference room was buzzing with good food, good conversation and much-missed colleagues and friends. Past staff members and interns of the Improve Group gathered to catch up and reminisce. Alumni in attendance were: Kari Schuch, Brooke Ahlquist, Nathan Paine, Nathan Salzl and Collin Cunningham along with Steve Mayne who was on his last day of his internship. Staff members Leah Goldstein Moses, Marian Kimball-Eichinger, Rebecca Stewart, Susan Murphy, Samantha Hagel and Danielle Assy were also part of the luncheon.

It was a pleasure to hear about the alums’ current work at great organizations like the Minnesota Department of Health, Greater Twin Cities United Way and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Another one of our recent co-workers took the Barr Exam this summer. There was no surprise to any of us that the prospects were so bright for our former co-workers.

The afternoon ended with a lot of laughs and containers of Thai Food to take home. For those interns and alumni that couldn’t make it to the lunch, we hope you will stop by and see us soon.

Above – Standing left to right: Collin Cunningham, Leah Goldstein Moses, Kari Schuch,
Brooke Ahlquist and Nathan Paine. Kneeling left to right: Steve Mayne and
Nathan Salzl

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The Improve Group is currently working with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota on a strategic planning initiative. I am impressed when I meet with the bright, dedicated people who work there and those that volunteer their time to help immigrant populations in Minnesota. The funder I am highlighting today wants to be sure there is an understanding of the immigrant struggle and their place in the community.

This week’s pick: The American Immigrant Law Foundation (AILF) provides a Teacher Grant Program to fund creative classroom programs that involve education on issues of immigration and multiculturalism. “The Foundation seeks to fund activities that are innovative and support AILF's mission of promoting the benefits of immigrants to our nation.”

Grants between $100 and $500 will be given to K-12 educators teaching in public or private primary, intermediate, and secondary-level schools. Special consideration will be given to applications on classroom-based programs containing the following:

• Innovative use of technology
• Underrepresented minorities
• Community outreach and partnerships with community-based organizations
• Math and science

The deadline to respond is November 28, 2008 and more information can be found by clicking here.

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Through our work at the Improve Group we have been very fortunate to meet and work with a great many dedicated and involved educators. Professional development, networking opportunities, and finding the time and funds to be part of programs that increase their abilities and effectiveness as teachers are very important to them. The following grant brings funding to schools to help develop educator skills.

This week’s pick: the Minnesota Office of Higher Education administers the funding for the competitive Federal Higher Education Improving Teacher Quality Program. This funding supports in-service programs affecting K-12 educators in the subject areas of science, economics, mathematics, geography, history or civics/government.

Requests must come from partnerships composed of “an accredited Minnesota private or public higher education institution and the division of the institution that prepares teachers, a school of arts and sciences within the higher education institution, and a high need Local Education Agency (school district).”

Total Minnesota support available for activities for 2009-2010 is $1,000,533. Proposals are due by 4:30 p.m., Monday, November 17, 2008. For additional information on this opportunity, click here.

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I just took a Dream Weaver 8 class from a woman who told me she has been in computer education since the early 80’s. I was impressed. With the passing of Randy Pausch I have been even more aware of the great things that have been accomplished through education and collaborations in the technology field. His contribution to merging the artistic and technological sides in computer science has left some great tools and opened doors for all youth to get excited about computer programming and the virtual world. For those of you who want to learn more about this work, check out the Alice Project for high schools and colleges, and Storytelling Alice for middle school youth. My pick this week is a nod to Professor Pausch because it highlights fellowships merging the arts and technology.

This week’s pick: Artists on the Verge (AOV), a new fellowship program of The Jerome Foundation, Northern Lights and Forecast Public Art, who have recently announced this “new two-track fellowship and mentoring program for emerging Minnesota-based artists working experimentally at the intersection of technology, with a focus on practices that are social, collaborative, and/or participatory.” The two fellowships are as follows:

1. The AOV program looks to support emerging Minnesota artists that are producing exciting, experimental work. Commissions of $6,000 each will be awarded to three selected artists. Projects forms might include:
• broadcast; citizen science;
• demo scene; DIY practices;
• gaming;
• hypertext;
• immersive environments;
• interactive art;
• interactive television;
• Internet art;
• mixed media;
• mobile devices;
• pod-casting;
• responsive architecture; virtual worlds; and,
• Web 2.0.

2. The AOV Mentorship Program will select three artists to receive $4,000 each with an additional $2,000 each available for technical assistance.

Applicants must be Minnesota residents and emerging artists. The deadline to submit an application is September 8, 2008. The application and guidelines can be accessed through the Northern Lights website.

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I think we all admire an organization that turns the world upside down by the energy they put toward doing good for others. I am awed by a great lady who runs a grief and loss group through a local church. She and the volunteers for the group go far beyond the call in assisting the families who attend the meetings. Non-profit organizations are filled with dedicated people and could not function nearly as well without this devotion and assistance. The funder selected for today recognizes the importance of those who strive to help others.

Today’s pick: This grant opportunity comes from the Reader’s Digest Foundation. “Every month for ten months, Reader’s Digest (RD) will choose one individual whose story of giving back serves as an inspiration to others.” The Make It Matter initiative is collecting stories about individuals who have inspired others by their ability to give back to the world around them. Reader’s Digest will donate $100,000 to a charity in the name of each person whose story is chosen for publication in the magazine. The deadline to submit entries is January 9, 2009. Articles will appear in a new Make it Matter column starting in April 2009.

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