The purpose of neighborhood organizations is to empower community members to make priorities known, influence City decisions, and get involved in civic and community life (Minneapolis 2040). To ensure that neighborhood groups are able to do this well, we need to be adequately funded. If you missed it, the City is restructuring the way that neighborhood groups are funded. You can read more about what they’ve proposed and how PPNA is responding here.
Tabitha Montgomery, PPNA Executive Director, speaks at a Public Meeting about CPP funding held on March 11, 2019
Right now, the public comment period is open. That means you can let the City know how you feel about the proposed plan and advocate for strong, healthy neighborhood groups. We encourage you to tell the City how you feel, and we’ve included some ideas below as a starting point. Each is part of the central message that we need to focus on the health and sustainability of neighborhood organizations.
Only healthy organizations will be able to drive healthy community outcomes.
Nonprofits that are entirely reliant on one funding source (the City) are simply not healthy organizations. With diversified income sources, neighborhood groups can serve their communities instead of their funders, but they need help getting there.
This is an opportunity to step back and build a system that will be sustainable for the future of neighborhood engagement work.
The current framework targets only a symptom of an unhealthy neighborhood system, rather than addressing the root problem.
Healthy neighborhood groups need sustainable staffing models that allow them the capacity to accomplish their mission and to compensate their workers accordingly.
Please halt the process to allow for time needed to build out an alternative framework.
Of course, we want you to tell the City how you feel about the plan, so if your feelings land outside the recommendations above, share those!
To submit your comments:
Leave text message or voicemail: (612) 440-5762.
In person: Attend a public comment session.
Write to: Neighborhood and Community Relations 105 5th Ave South, Suite 425 Minneapolis, MN 55401
Call: 612-673-3737