Hello everyone. I'm Dr. Eric Jolly, and I'm here to share with you a brief update from the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

It's fall in Minnesota, which means the kids are back in school, farmers are managing their harvest, fall sports are in full swing, and the work continues here at the Foundation.

In recent weeks, I've had the great pleasure of visiting several Minnesota communities. I've listened closely to people across several sectors about the challenges and opportunities they face.

I've met with leaders in public safety, universities and school administration, volunteers who are supporting their community, and people who are running the nonprofits that give us a higher quality of life.

A few observations that have stood out to me in my travels. Well, first, we are a state full of incredibly hardworking, creative, and committed problem solvers. And while our communities are different in so many distinct and quite frankly beautiful ways, we share many common challenges such as access to childcare, available healthcare and housing shortages just to name a few.

The responsiveness and resilience of our nonprofit ecosystem in Minnesota is critical to our state's health and our ability to face these challenges. In truth, this is an incredibly challenging time for nonprofits.

This is not news to those of you who are leading and working in nonprofits, and I want to thank you for all your work and all that you do to strengthen and build our community.

For those of you who are not as familiar, our nonprofits are facing several issues, including government reimbursement rates that are lagging behind inflation, and many organizations cannot meet the commitment to pay competitive wages and keep their workforce stable.

There's a shifting public perception about the value of nonprofit work. Nonprofits across the state are facing challenges in recruiting board members and volunteers.

In all of this as we all know, there's a rising cost of doing business and all of this in the context that we are seeing overwhelming and growing community need for our services.

For those of you who are fund holders, I hope that this provides additional context and insight as you make your year end giving decisions. Minnesota is a generous state and our continued support of the work of our nonprofit partners will benefit all of us.

Now, I want to close my time with you on a high note.

Fall also means it is time for our annual Facing Race Awards. For the last 17 years,

the Foundation has recognized those in our community who are taking concrete action to combat racism.

This year's recipients are Trahern Crews, Rayona Kardell, Rose McGee, and Asha Shoffner.

The Facing Race Awards are available for streaming on our website at facingrace.org.

Let me share that this is not your typical award show. Instead, we've put together a documentary that shares the moving and beautiful stories of the recipient's respective work of advocating for change, providing compassionate care, delivering pies, and making nature accessible to everyone.

I left the show reminded of how so many actions, big and small can be tools for addressing racism and advancing equity. I invite you all to watch it at facingrace.org.

Thank you for taking a moment to keep up to date with our work at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.