New Research Highlights Top Nonprofits Increasing Access to Healthy Food in Minnesota
Nonprofit Rankings Result from Fourth Philanthropedia and Minnesota Philanthropy Partners’ Custom Research Project
St. Paul, Minn., and Washington, DC—April 29, 2013—Philanthropedia, a division of GuideStar, and Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, which supports The Saint Paul Foundation, Minnesota Community Foundation, and 1,600 other affiliates across Minnesota, today announced the results of custom research that identifies the top 15 nonprofits working to provide access to healthy food in the state of Minnesota.
One in every ten Minnesotans doesn’t know where his or her next meal is coming from – and of those, four are children – according to Hunger-Free Minnesota,” said Jasmine Marrow, manager of Philanthropedia research at GuideStar, the leading source of nonprofit information. “These are critical problems that require critical solutions. Our list of the top 15 high-impact nonprofits that increase access to healthy food in Minnesota not only offers recognition to high-impact nonprofits in the field, but also provides research-based recommendations for donors wanting to support the best organizations that are combating these vital social issues.”
Philanthropedia surveyed 99 experts from 80 organizations working in the field of local access to healthy food to identify these high-impact organizations. Experts were asked to recommend up to four high-impact nonprofits and two promising start-up nonprofits working in a variety of capacities in the field. The field is diverse and includes nonprofits working in the emergency food system, addressing geographic access problems, engaging in the agricultural policy system, working with school food programs, and supporting farmers markets.
“We’re happy to partner with Philanthropedia once again to recognize the most effective nonprofits addressing this important issue,” said Carleen Rhodes, president and CEO of Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. “While it may seem to many Minnesotans that we are surrounded by a wealth of food choices, the picture is different for many others. For example, we have vibrant farmers’ markets yet many are not equipped to accept or process food stamps. The research by Philanthropedia helps our donors find nonprofits that are working to bridge this gap.”
Experts reviewed 92 organizations and identified 15 as performing the best when it comes to meeting their missions:
To learn more about each organization, meet the experts, and read the reviews, please visit http://www.myphilanthropedia.org/top-nonprofits/minnesota/access-to-healthy-food/2012.
The research is an example of Philanthropedia's custom research offering, which utilizes Philanthropedia's unique methodology to harness experts' insight on nonprofits. Minnesota Philanthropy Partners also commissioned research to identify high-impact environmental nonprofits (released in October 2011), workforce development nonprofits (released April 2012), and nonprofits improving access to arts and culture (released October 2012).
“We are proud to partner with Minnesota Philanthropy Partners again on this important custom research,” added Marrow. “This is our fourth project with them to date, and area donors have been helped immensely through this process.”
The expert-identified nonprofits are highlighted on Philanthropedia's blog and MNSights magazine, a free bi-annual magazine published by Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. To see the results, please visit: http://myphilanthropedia.org/top-nonprofits/minnesota.
For the complete list of Philanthropedia rankings, visit www.myphilanthropedia.org. For more information about Philanthropedia’s ranking methodology, please visit: http://www.myphilanthropedia.org/how_we_rank. For those interested in working with Philanthropedia on a custom research project, please contact Jasmine Marrow at jasmine.marrow@guidestar.org.
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Media Contact:
Lindsay J.K. Nichols
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About Minnesota Philanthropy Partners
The Minnesota Philanthropy Partners network includes The Saint Paul Foundation, Minnesota Community Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation, Mardag Foundation and more than 1,600 additional charitable affiliates. Together, the MN Partners network shares expertise and services to make charitable giving thrive and benefit all Minnesotans. Learn more at mnpartners.org.
About Philanthropedia
Philanthropedia, www.myphilanthropedia.org, is an online resource for donors who want to make a bigger difference with their charitable giving. Philanthropedia was founded on the belief that experts working in the field, such as foundation professionals, researchers, and nonprofit senior staff, are best suited to evaluate nonprofits in a more holistic way. In April 2011, Philanthropedia was acquired by GuideStar.
About GuideStar
GuideStar, www.guidestar.org, connects people and organizations with information on the programs and finances of more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. GuideStar serves a wide audience inside and outside the nonprofit sector, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media.
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