Early Childhood Education

Updated Early Childhood Education Classroom Environment: $1,800,000. Inspirational learning tools, bold design and stimulating technology will be incorporated into the classrooms to aid and inspire both children and teachers and encourage children to stretch themselves and achieve their highest potential.

Expand the Use and Impact of YWCA of Minneapolis’ Anti-Bias Curriculum: $800,000. Communities nationwide have expressed interest in our acclaimed anti-bias culturally celebratory curriculum. Funds will be used to develop a training series, curriculum package, and consulting opportunities, creating a profitable business model that will ensure a broad national impact, as well as earned income to benefit our local programs.

Girls and Youth

Expand Healthy Life Choices Programs: $1,000,000. These proven programs help combat the health disparities many of our youth face, including higher rates of obesity, diabetes and teen pregnancy. Additional funds will allow us to integrate our successful sexual health curriculum into all youth-serving programs and to formalize our Strong Fast Fit program model, which currently serves Latino and Native American youth, and bring it to additional cultural communities.

Increase the Reach of Girls Inc.: $1,000,000. Our highly successful Girls Inc. a the YWCA of Minneapolis is the only Girls Incorporated program in Minnesota. This funding will allow us to expand our work in the Twin Cities for upper elementary and middle-school girls with a focus on Latina, Somali, Native American and Hmong girls. Our reach will increase throughout the state by developing partnerships and providing training in other Minnesota communities.

Racial Justice

Develop Racial Justice Assessment Tools: $300,000. To help us share our expertise in creating dialogue about racism, we plan to survey the marketplace for existing tools, then create and market custom tool kits that will empower organizations, locally and nationally, to address diversity issues themselves.

Curriculum Development and Resources for Racial Justice Training Initiative: $400,000. A Racial Justice Training Initiative will build on our wealth of relationships with community leaders to connect people, conduct outreach, and build our capacity to extend the reach and impact of It’s Time to Talk: Forums on Race. Funds are needed for dedicated staff and equipment, and to implement the design, production and marketing of the developed educational curriculum and teaching tools.

Downtown YWCA Facility

Administrative Offices and Renovation of Rooftop: $3,400,000. Updated administrative offices, meeting rooms and adding conferencing technology will enhance the organization’s professional presence and support efficient business performance with improved use of space. A new rooftop will update an essential part of the structure, providing a variety of energy efficiencies.

Building Façade: $500,000. The YWCA is an anchor organization on the corner of Nicollet Mall and 12th Street. Improvements to the façade of the Downtown building will strengthen the presence of the YWCA as a downtown asset and make it a proud neighbor to the new Peavey Plaza, refreshed Orchestra Hall and the development of the Westminster Presbyterian Church campus.

Update Early Childhood Education Classroom Environment: $1,800,000. Inspirational learning tools, bold design and stimulating technology will be incorporated into the classrooms to aid and inspire both children and teachers, and encourage children to stretch themselves and achieve their highest potential.

Health and Wellness

Health and Fitness Facilities: $2,100,000. High-quality, up-to-date fitness facilities and equipment help us maintain our current members, attract new ones, and make it more inviting for people to participate in healthy activities. It also keeps the YWCA competitive in the marketplace, providing stability for all the work we do in the community. Capital renovations will create greater energy efficiencies, update locker rooms and studio spaces, and support necessary building repairs.

Develop and pilot an outcomes-based wellness program that meets the growing needs of women: $900,000. Promoting health and well-being for women of all ages and abilities is an ongoing inspiration for gender-specific workshops, classes, sports leagues and races. With the changes in federal health care policy, the YWCA knows that we have a bigger role to play in providing community access and empowering people, especially women, to improve their health and wellness.

The YWCA plans to create a pilot program targeted at women in the communities we serve, particularly those who have been excluded by age, race, culture and economics. To do this, outreach partnerships will be developed with clinics and health care providers to include and reach beyond the women already accessing our programs and services. The YWCA believes that women are the chief medical officers for their family, and improving access and wellness outcomes for women has a magnified impact on their families and households. Our goal is to to make an even greater impact on the wellness of women in the community, refine our program model and develop a sustainable business plan for the YWCA.

Public Policy

Expanded Public Policy Work in Institutional Racism: $300,000. The YWCA’s public policy efforts focus on engaging people directly affected by child care subsidies in effective political advocacy in support of access to high-quality, affordable early childhood education for all Minnesota children. In partnership with the MinneMinds coalition to expand access to early education, the YWCA supports low-income working parents and caregivers, single parents, child care workers, children and familieis in having a voice in the political decisions that affect their lives.

As part of the Power to Soar vision, the YWCA is also creating original research to inform policymakers and the general public. The YWCA of Minneapolis partnered with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Policy Fellow Chandra Plowden to conduct original research exploring the intersections of racial equity, economics and early childhood policy in Minnesota.

The YWCA believes that, given clear evidence of how disparities in access to early education impact children and families of color, most people will want change. By making this information public, backing it up with solid research that includes clear policy recommendations, and by supporting the people most affected in sharing their stories, our community can build the political will for change.

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