Success Stories

Region: Midwest

A FEW WORDS WITH Shannon McNeely Whitaker, McNeely Foundation

In this A Few Words With, SmartLink speaks with Shannon McNeely Whitaker about strategic giving. McNeely Whitaker is the Chairperson of the McNeely Foundation, founded in the early 1960s by Harry G. McNeely, Sr. and his wife, Adelaide Frenzel McNeely. Over the years, the Foundation has supported a broad range of giving throughout the Twin Cities (MN): education, neighborhood development, environment, community institutions, the arts and individual and family sustainability. Harry's company, St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company, a pioneering warehousing, logistics and real estate business, provided initial funding for the foundation; today, the family business is known as Meritex Enterprises. In 2002, the Foundation began to focus on strategic giving with a concentration on the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota, a culturally diverse neighborhood where, historically, new immigrants came to learn a trade, get a job in one of the many booming manufacturing and industrial corporations, and make new lives for themselves and their families.

Hugh J. Andersen Foundation: quiet philanthropy bucks trends and credit

Created in 1962 “to better people's lives and strengthen communities”, the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation does pretty much the opposite of what many foundations do. “The Hugh J. Andersen Foundation is not about making a huge, immediate impact and leveraging big dollars; we’re about doing many small, good things in our area,” says program director Brad Kruse.

Created by Andersen Family members, founders and owners of the Bayport, Minnesota-based Andersen Corporation, the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation's primary geographic area of focus is the St. Croix Valley, a mix of rural, suburban and urban communities that span the Minnesota/Wisconsin border just east of the Twin Cities. The Foundation primarily supports nonprofits in Washington County in Minnesota, and Pierce, Polk and St. Croix Counties in Wisconsin.

A Few Words with Regina McGraw - March 2009

Each month, SmartLink introduces a leader from a SmartLink issue or foundation.  In this series of brief, candid interviews, the leader offers his or her advice for donors looking to make a difference in a particular field or in response to a particular circumstance.

This A Few Words With offers reflections and advice from Regina McGraw, executive director of the Wieboldt Foundation in Chicago.  Among other things, SmartLink asked Regina:  How do donors and foundation leaders, especially those committed to working in low-income communities, regroup after their own philanthropic dollars are dramatically reduced?

The Siebel Foundation: strategic focus achieves groundbreaking results

When Woodside, CA-based software developer Tom Siebel and his wife Stacey established the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation in 1996, they did something few philanthropic organizations do:  they chose not to accept grant proposals. Investing primarily in projects it creates and operates, the Siebel Foundation’s strategic philanthropy focuses on community-based organizations that benefit the homeless and underprivileged, methamphetamine prevention as well as creative educational, research and alternative energy initiatives.  “I have the opportunity to work with some very talented people...where the consequences of failure are actually very low, and the consequences of success are almost unbelievable.”  Unbelievable success is exactly what the Siebel Foundation has achieved since launching The Meth Project in Montana in 2005.

Needmor Fund: A Long-Term Commitment to Local Community Leadership

When they started their family foundation, Duane and Virginia Secor Stranahan drew upon their parents' legacy of community stewardship. In the late 19th century, the Secors were pivotal to Toledo, Ohio's economic, intellectual, and cultural formation. In 1910, Frank Stranahan and his brother Robert founded The Champion Spark Plug Company, which was to become a leader in corporate accountability and philanthropy.  Leadership and strategies change; yet the Needmor Fund remains faithful to one goal: to empower those individuals whose basic rights to justice and opportunity are systematically ignored or denied.

Helping donors achieve impact

You have questions, when it comes to your community giving.  All over the country, your fellow donors have similar goals and face similar challenges. Learn how other donors are navigating their way to effective, satisfying community giving.

The Gulf Coast: Lessons on Community Building and Re-building

Hurricanes and subsequent levy breaks and flooding devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005.  This natural and man-made disaster was particularly destructive in low-income communities.  Years later, communities continue to re-build and engage all residents in envisioning a new future for the region.  Donors like you, from the Gulf Coast region and around the country, have made a real difference in shaping a brighter, more equitable future for the Gulf Coast.  Along the way, lessons have been learned which can help instruct community building efforts all over the United States.

Wieboldt Foundation helps neighborhoods organize for change

The Wieboldt Foundation was established to support "charities designed to put an end to the need for charity.”  This was the goal of William and Anna Wieboldt, owners of Chicago area department stores, when they established the Wieboldt Foundation in 1921.  For over 75 years, the foundation has worked to end poverty in Chicago. 

Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, Weiboldt's current generation supports efforts to organize low-income people to participate in public policy and programs affecting their struggling neighborhoods.