Upper Midwest GPA Chapter

08/04/2025

We're thrilled to announce that the Upper Midwest GPA Chapter has launched a new website - www.uppermidwestgpa.org. Here, you'll find information on our programs and events, membership, Chapter engagement, and more. Check it out!

Nurturing your grant professional head and heart through peer connection and support, professional enrichment, inspiration, and humor.

06/17/2025

Join the Upper Midwest GPA Chapter, Minnesota Gift Planning Association, and APRA-Minnesota on July 31 from 8:00 am - 10:30 am for an in-person networking event. Our program - Growing Up in Different Worlds: A Journey Though Generational Lenses - delivered by Professor David Schultz, Distinguished Hamline University Professor, will help frame philanthropy within the relationships, perspectives, and experiences of different age groups - Baby Boomers, GenX, Millennials, GenZ, and even GenAlpha.

Date: July 31, 2025
Time: 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Location: Hamline University - Anderson Room 112, 774 Snelling Ave N, St. Paul, MN 55104
Cost: $25 per ticket, includes breakfast
Registration: https://mngpa.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1964990&group=

05/29/2025

COMPRESSION PLANNING FOR THE GRANTS PROFESSIONAL
Successful grant proposals start with strong program and project design. Compression Planning® is a dynamic, visual-thinking process that helps grant professionals quickly organize ideas, clarify objectives, and develop effective strategies. This session will introduce you to Compression Planning techniques to enhance your ability to design impactful programs that align with funder priorities. Learn how to streamline decision-making, improve collaboration, and create clear, compelling project plans that strengthen your grant applications. Whether you’re developing a new initiative or refining an existing program, this session will equip you with practical tools to enhance your efficiency and effectiveness.

SPEAKERS: Jillain VeilEhert, Ed.D, GPC and Stacy N. Fitzsimmons, MBA.
CEU CREDITS: 1.5 GPC and CFRE
DATE: June 12, 2025TIME: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm CT (program); short business meeting to follow (30 mins)
COST: Free to GPA members; $25.00 to non-GPA members
REGISRATION LINK: https://grantprofessionals.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1956269&group=

08/30/2024

Join us for the next Grantwriter Incubator on September 17 @ 9:30 am CT. This event offers an opportunity to virtually connect with other grant professionals and “talk shop”? Join this free, lightly facilitated gathering of nonprofit grantwriters for a unique venue of interactive input and feedback from peers.

The Grantwriters Incubator is offered quarterly and each meeting focuses on grantseeking and grants management through the lens of our current context. This may include fundraising in a time of inflation, equity and justice, self-care for fundraisers, and cracking the “invite only” nut. Bring your burning questions, tips, and tricks.

Registration is required: https://minnesotanonprofits.org/event/grantwriters-incubator

05/23/2024

HOT TOPIC: DONOR ADVISED FUNDS
Quarterly Program: June 20 @ 11:30 am CT
Quarterly Business Meeting to follow.

More and more donors are embracing Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). Join the Upper Midwest GPA Chapter for a panel discussion where you will learn what DAFs are, why they are so popular with donors, how this trend may affect fundraising, and how (or if) grant professionals and nonprofit fundraisers can establish relationships.

Panel ParticipantsJon Pratt, Senior Research Fellow, Minnesota Council of NonprofitsZach Tabatt, Community Philanthropy Manager, Initiative FoundationMartha West, Director of Philanthropy, Covenant Living of Golden Valley

DATE/TIME: June 20, 2024 / 11:30 am CT - 12:30 AM CT A brief business meeting will follow.

LOCATION: Virtual (Zoom link provided once you register.)COST: Free for GPA members; $15.00 for non-members

REGISTER HERE: https://grantprofessionals.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1846418&group=

05/08/2024

Grantwriter Incubator
May 23 @ 9:30 AM CT
A Minnesota Council of Nonprofits / GrantAdvisor.org / Upper Midwest GPA Chapter / AFP MN quarterly co-hosted event.

The Grantwriter Incubator is offered quarterly and each meeting focuses on grant seeking and grants management through the lens of our current context. This may include fundraising in a time of inflation, equity and justice, self-care for fundraisers, and cracking the "invite only" nut. Bring your burning questions, tips, and tricks. This is a free event, but registration is required.

https://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/events/event-detail/2024/05/14/default-calendar/grantwriters-incubator-may-2024

03/08/2024

CELEBRATING ALL GRANT PROS TODAY!! You bring your best everyday doing life-changing work in the communities you serve. Rockstars!!

02/27/2024

March Chapter Program Notice
INSIDE THE BELTWAY: NAVIGATING CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS

Earmarks, also known as “Congressionally Directed Spending” or “Community Project Funding,” allow legislators to allocate funding to specific projects in their jurisdiction. The process of applying for these one-time funds can seem a bit daunting, and applicants are often given a very short window of time to submit a request.

Join the Upper Midwest GPA Chapter on March 13, 2024, @ 11:30 am CT to hear Olayemi (Yemi) Fadahunsi, Senior Outreach Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Energy & Climate Justice for U.S. Senator Tina Smith, provide an overview of this federal funding tool. Yemi will share with us how the appropriations process works, what organizations are eligible to apply, how to locate and make an appropriations request, and how to determine if your program or project is a good match for funding. She will also share with us how grant professionals can cultivate relationships with their Congressional delegates.

REGISTER HERE: https://grantprofessionals.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1839634&group=

02/12/2024

We have set our 2024 Program Schedule. Mark your calendar and save these dates; program details will be coming out soon:

FEBRUARY 13 @ 9:30 AM CT: Grantwriter Incubator
MARCH 13 @ 11:30 AM CT: Quarterly Program/Business Meeting
APRIL 11 @12:00 PM CT: Lunch and Learn
MAY 14 @ 9:30 AM CT: Grantwriter Incubator
JUNE 20 @ 11:30 AM CT: Quarterly Program/Business Meeting
JULY 17 @ 4:00 PM CT: Chapter Virtual Social Hour
AUGUST 21 @ 12:00 PM CT: Chapter Virtual Bag Lunch
SEPTEMBER 17 @ 9:30 AM CT: Grantwriter Incubator
OCTOBER 15 @ 11:30 AM CT: Quarterly Program/Business Meeting
NOVEMBER 12 @ 9:30 AM CT: Grantwriter Incubator
DECEMBER 5 @ 11:30 AM CT: Year-End Program/Business Meeting