McKnight Foundation

04/27/2026

After 12 remarkable years, we are celebrating Elizabeth McGeveran as she prepares to step down as McKnight's Vice President of Investments this June.

During her tenure, Elizabeth transformed our endowment into a mission-aligned engine for change—with half of our endowment now mission aligned and a dedicated portfolio of roughly $500 million invested in renewable energy infrastructure and solutions that advance climate and equity goals.

Her leadership helped position McKnight among the first foundations in the country to commit its entire portfolio to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions—and her contributions to our historic All In On Mission effort resulted in back-to-back years of the highest charitable payouts in our Foundation's history.

As President Tonya Allen shares: "Elizabeth has demonstrated what is possible when you invest in a stronger future and how endowments can be leveraged as powerful tools for social and environmental change."

We are deeply grateful for Elizabeth's vision, her integrity, and the lasting mark she has left on McKnight and the broader field of mission investing, and McKnight remains sharply focused on the power of our endowment to drive change.

We celebrate Elizabeth as she moves into her next chapter—bringing her expertise to a wider range of organizations working to align capital with climate solutions and more equitable economies.

Thank you, Elizabeth. 💚

🔗 Read the full announcement here: https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/celebrating-elizabeth-mcgeveran-for-12-incredible-years-driving-impact-at-mcknight/

04/25/2026

Local news keeps our communities informed, connected, and prepared for whatever comes next.

On April 30, we’re joining Local News Giving Day to celebrate and support local newsrooms across Minnesota. When you give, you’re investing in fact-checked reporting, watchdog journalism, and stories that reflect your neighbors and your neighborhood.

Early giving is open. Give now or on April 30 to help keep local news strong for our state’s future: https://www.givemn.org/community/local-news

04/24/2026

⏰ One week left ⏰

Nominations for the 2026 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award must be submitted by May 1 to be considered for the 2026 awards.

Know an artist or culture bearer whose lifelong work has shaped and enriched Minnesota? We welcome nominations from across the state and the 11 Native Nations that share its geography!

Submit a nomination today: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7CEkYIF3aM4jff3pt3H53Pp1o3uoqq82Bo1nma0MDs811RQ/viewform

04/24/2026

"I came to the States because it's the premier place in the world to do science…we're facing a threat where we're going to lose that talent, we’re going to lose that edge."

The latest video from our series, The Minds Behind a Better Tomorrow, features 2024 McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Awardee Jason Shepherd, Ph.D., from The University of Utah. As an immigrant scientist drawn to the U.S. by the promise of world-class research, Dr. Shepherd speaks candidly about what's at stake if that foundation erodes—for science, for patients, and for the next generation of researchers.

🎥 Watch Dr. Shepherd's video and explore the full series: https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/the-minds-behind-a-better-tomorrow/

04/23/2026

Since 2021, a loon has watched over this corner of Minneapolis — wings outstretched, colors rippling like water, a familiar and beloved presence in the neighborhood.

Created by artist Yiqiao Wang, the mural transformed a recognizable Minnesota symbol into something expansive and alive. Long rooted in Minnesota’s identity, the loon has taken on renewed meaning in recent months, emerging as a symbol of strength, unity, and hope.

When McKnight moved into our new headquarters last year, the loon was already here as part of a rotating art series commissioned by the building’s previous tenants. While the installation was always meant to be temporary, we loved it so much that we decided to keep it while we developed plans for what would come next.

During its time here, the loon became something special. People stopped to photograph it. Neighbors shared it with visitors. It brought a moment of surprise, beauty, and connection to thousands of passersby. We’re deeply grateful for the joy the loon brought to this place and to our community and visitors.

As we continue to make this building our home, we’ve been thinking a lot about what comes next for this wall — and how it can reflect who we are and what we value. Public art is woven into Minnesota’s civic and cultural life, from the bold murals in downtown Minneapolis to the vibrant works that line West Broadway, Lake Street, and the West Side of St Paul – as well as other communities across the state. These artworks reflect who we are, help us process moments of challenge, and invite us to imagine what could be.

At McKnight, public art is one way we can make our mission visible and tangible, honoring our long history of supporting Minnesota’s arts ecosystem, and creating a place that welcomes curiosity, reflection, and connection.

Next month, we’ll carefully uninstall the loon to make way for a new original mural by Leslie Barlow and the launch of McKnight’s own rotating public art series. Each cycle will showcase the work of a different artist, offering a large (literally) and highly visible platform to share their vision with our neighborhood and visitors.

We’re excited to share Leslie’s work as it comes to life. Stay tuned for teasers in the coming weeks and a final reveal once it is installed.

As the loon takes flight from our building, we send it forth with immense appreciation and gratitude — and with excitement for what comes next.

Thank you, loon. Fly onward.

04/23/2026

“As the season changes and the headlines fade, it is tempting to believe the worst has passed. But Minnesotans know better. The strength and resolve that carried us through this winter will need to carry us further still. Because this is not over.”

Powerful words from our president, Tonya Allen. The crisis in Minnesota is not over—and the work of repair, healing, and building something more just is only beginning. The impacts continue to ripple across families, neighborhoods, and communities, long after the headlines have moved on.

As attention shifts elsewhere, the need remains. Across the state, community organizations, grassroots leaders, and neighbors continue to show up for one another with care, courage, and determination. We are grateful to be part of that work alongside so many extraordinary partners and community leaders. More recent research underscores the impact on the region’s economy. According to researchers at UC San Diego, Twin Cities businesses lost an estimated $610 million in revenue and workers lost $240 million in wages as a result of the surge.

At McKnight, we are committed to supporting this work for the long haul—helping to sustain recovery, strengthen community resilience, and advance a more just and equitable future.

Read her full reflection: https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/minnesotas-man-made-disaster/

04/22/2026

We’ve got some big news to share 🎉

We’re launching a new rotating mural series on the outside of our headquarters—and Minneapolis-based artist Leslie Barlow has been selected to create the first mural.

The series will transform our south-facing exterior wall, spanning nearly 60 feet wide, into a prominent public canvas for Minnesota artists and culture bearers, with a new large-scale work planned approximately every three years. For this inaugural commission, McKnight opened the opportunity exclusively to current and former McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellows.

Leslie was selected through a collaborative process with Forecast Public Art and brings a practice deeply rooted in community, care, and lived experience. Her work draws from art as a space of refuge, survival, and possibility—extending personal stories into shared visual language shaped by culture, place, and connection. Leslie is also a two-time McKnight Visual Artist Fellow (2019, 2025).

This fellows-only commission reflects McKnight’s 40-year commitment to supporting artists and culture bearers across Minnesota. Since 1982, the Foundation has supported more than 1,145 Artist and Culture Bearer Fellows, helping build one of the most vibrant and diverse arts ecosystems in the country.

Installation begins shortly, and we can’t wait to share more as this work comes to life. Stay tuned for teasers and a full reveal soon! 👀🎨

04/22/2026

This Earth Day, we’re reminded that climate action doesn’t begin with charts or technology—it begins with people and place. 💖🏘️

McKnight is proud to share a new storytelling series in partnership with Jothsna Harris at Change Narrative LLC featuring five Midwest climate leaders whose work—and lives—reflect the many paths into climate and energy leadership:

👷🏽‍♂️ Rick Martagon, Executive Director of Building Strong Communities (Minnesota), on hard work, mentorship, and legacy: “This Is Generational Wealth, Too.”

👩🏻‍🌾 Alanna Koshollek of Climate Land Leaders (Wisconsin), on farming, family, and stewardship: “The Four Oaks: Majestic and Enduring.”

👩🏼‍💼 Sarah Spence, Midwest Regional Director at Conservative Energy Network (Ohio), on rural vitality, perseverance, and perspective: “When the View Is Worth It.”

👩🏾‍💼 Marnese Jackson, MA, CEO of the Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition (Michigan), on health, justice, and speaking up: “A Closer Look, A Revealing Truth.”

🙋🏼‍♂️ Casey Hudek, Co‑Director of the Workers Confluence Fund (Minnesota), on solidarity, labor, and leadership: “The Role of Unions in a Shifting Landscape.”

As Ben Passer, our Midwest Climate & Energy program director, writes: “These stories remind us that climate action in the Midwest is personal, practical, and rooted in care for one another and the places we call home.”

This Earth Day, we invite you to explore these stories—and reflect on your own. We all have a climate story to tell. And we all have a role in shaping a better future for people and our planet. 🌎

🔗 See the full series and read their personal essays: https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/midwest-climate-leaders-share-stories-of-people-and-place/

Hear from five voices shaping climate and energy solutions in the Midwest. Their journeys reflect the winding paths people often take to leadership.

04/21/2026

How this moment is recorded will shape more than memory.

During Operation Metro Surge and in the weeks that followed, Minnesotans showed up in many ways—through legal support, mutual aid, worker organizing, faith communities, and community‑led protection. Immigrants and refugees bore the greatest risk, and immigrant‑led leadership helped guide how others could show up without causing further harm.

This reflection from Muneer Karcher‑Ramos, McKnight’s Vibrant & Equitable Communities program director, names principles for how moments like this are documented—so future responses are grounded in lived impact, shared effort, and accountability, not simplified takeaways.

Read the full piece: https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/what-we-learn-and-who-we-see-as-minnesota-recovers-from-operation-metro-surge

With gratitude for all of the organizations and neighbors who continue to carry this work, including Unidos MN, COPAL MN, CTUL , CAIR-Minnesota (CAIR-MN), ISAIAH, and many others.

How this moment is recorded will shape more than memory. It will influence future funding, response, and whose experiences are treated as central.

04/20/2026

Clean energy progress in Indiana is being built through practical collaboration, one project at a time, making reliable, affordable power part of everyday life.

Across the state, community groups are making homes safer and healthier, modernizing local infrastructure, financing solar and battery projects, and making sure energy is more affordable and reliable for families, congregations, cities, and small businesses.

The result is clean energy that works in everyday life: power that’s more reliable, costs that are more predictable, and jobs that stay close to home. It’s a reminder that durable progress comes from people working together across sectors, rooted in place and guided by what communities need now.

That’s exactly what our new story shows:
⛪ A church putting solar to work in their neighborhood
🔌 Families benefiting from weatherization and lower bills
💡 City leadership focused on efficient, cost-saving infrastructure
💰 Financing that helps communities actually access upgrades
🧑🏼‍🌾 Farmers who can stay on their land by growing clean energy
⚡ People-powered organizations helping connect energy innovation to what Hoosiers already value—affordability, security, and opportunity

🔗 Read the full story of how Hoosiers are moving clean energy forward together: https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/hoosiers-work-together-for-a-brighter-future/

🙏🏽 We’re grateful to the farmers, youth, and local leaders in Indiana that are building what works, and everyone featured in the story: McKinney Family Foundation, Herbert Simon Family Foundation, Indiana Community Action Association, Indiana Energy Independence Fund, Shalom Mennonite Church, Faith in Place, Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry, Indiana Conservation Voters, Solar United Neighbors of Indiana (public), Earth Charter Indiana.

04/15/2026

“To fix the brain, to fix the body, we need to first figure out how [the] brain is assembled during development…it’s like fixing an engine, we need to know how [the] engine is put together.”

In our new video, The Minds Behind a Better Tomorrow, 2025 McKnight Scholar Mubarak Hussain Syed, Ph.D., aka the "Fly Guy", from The University of New Mexico - UNM, shares how studying fundamental developmental processes—using fruit flies—can reveal deep insights into sleep, navigation, and neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

By tracing how neurons and circuits are formed during development, Dr. Syed shows why basic science is essential not only for understanding how the brain works, but for unlocking future treatments—and for training the next generation of scientists. His work is a reminder that sustained investment in curiosity‑driven research lays the foundation for tomorrow’s breakthroughs.

🎥 Watch Dr. Syed’s video and explore the full series:
https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/the-minds-behind-a-better-tomorrow/
Neural Diversity Lab

04/14/2026

We're proud to follow the leadership of everyday Minnesotans whose courage inspired a nation. As a Foundation, that means working to respond to immediate needs in our communities, while keeping our eye on the long-term horizon.

Mike Scutari of Inside Philanthropy covered McKnight's decision to increase our 2026 grantmaking by an additional $20 million—on top of the $200 million grantmaking increase we made in 2023—to protect our communities and defend democracy in this consequential moment.

This latest funding increase is designated for 2026 because it is shaping up to be a defining year for communities across the country and for our democracy. Short‑term shocks are colliding with long‑standing pressures on housing, employment, and civic life at a time when public systems are stretched thin and trust is increasingly fragile.

So far, that has allowed us to provide immediate rent relief and longer-term housing stabilization for families impacted by Operation Metro Surge, in partnership with the Family Housing Fund, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Stable Home Fund, and Esusu.

And there's more to come: investment in nonpartisan efforts to bridge divides, protect free and fair elections, and build the civic participation our democracy depends on.

2025 was the highest grantmaking year in McKnight's nearly 75-year history. We intend to keep that momentum—because this moment calls for it.

Read the full story:

McKnight President Tonya Allen discusses why the foundation will disburse an additional $20 million in 2026 on top of an earlier five-year, $200 million payout increase.