Minnesota Chamber Foundation

TO BRING BUSINESS & COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO ACT ON ISSUES VITAL TO THE MINNESOTA ECONOMY

MINNESOTA: 2030THE MINNESOTA CHAMBER FOUNDATION PRODUCED RESEARCH ON MINNESOTA'S ECONOMY. MINNESOTA: 2030 WAS A STUDY OF THE STATE'S ECONOMY, DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR GROWTH IN THE NEXT DECADE AND BEYOND. THE REPORT WAS RELEASED IN MAY OF 2021.

THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY FINANCE PROGRAM (BESFP) IS A GRANT PROGRAM OF THE MINNESOTA CHAMBER FOUNDATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE BESFP GRANT PROGRAM IS TO MOTIVATE BUSINESS OWNERS TO COMPLETE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OR WASTE REDUCTION PROJECTS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE NOT GET DONE WITHOUT BESFP GRANT. GRANTS OF UP TO $3,000 MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-QUALIFIED ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECTS. BESFP GRANT PROGRAM WORKS CLOSELY WITH ENERGY SMART OR WASTE WISE STAFF TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS THAT MAY QUALIFY FOR A GRANT. ELIGIBLE PROJECTS INCLUDE ENERGY EFFICIENT PROJECTS THAT RECIEVE AN ENERGY UTILITY REBATE AND WASTE PROJECTS WHICH RESULT IN QUANTIFIABLE WASTE DIVERSION (WASTE KEPT OUT OF THE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE STREAM). NO MORE THAN ONE GRANT PER BUSINESS (OR BUSINESS LOCATION) PER CALANDER YEAR OR FOR ONE 12-MONTH PERIOD, WILL BE GIVEN. PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO BUSINESSES THAT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A BESFP GRANT AT ANY TIME IN THE PAST.

CENTER FOR WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS - THE CENTER FOR WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE PRIVATE SECTOR SOLUTIONS TO THE WORKFORCE CHALLENGE FACING MINNESOTA EMPLOYERS. THE CENTER HAS MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS. THE FIRST, IS THE BUSINESS EDUCATION NETWORK (BEN) FORMED IN 2015. BEN IS A PRIVATE-SECTOR SOLUTION TO EMPLOYERS' URGENT NEED TO FIND SKILLED, QUALIFIED AND READY WORKERS FOR JOBS AVAILABLE IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS OUR STATE. BEN IS DRIVEN BY LOCAL EMPLOYERS AND FUELED BY THE ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP OF STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS. IT CONNECTS EMPLOYERS WITH MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF AND PREPARE THEM FOR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. LOCAL EMPLOYERS THROUGH LOCAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE DEVELOP THEIR OWN PROGRAMS TO RESPOND TO LOCAL NEEDS. NEARLY 25 LOCAL CHAMBERS ARE BEN PARTNERS, AND THAT NUMBER IS GROWING. THE CENTER IS ALSO HOME TO THE FOUNDATION'S WORKFORCE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVE. THIS EFFORT IS DESIGNED TO ASSIST EMPLOYERS ACROSS THE STATE TO DEVELOP WELCOMING WORKPLACES. THE THIRD AREA OF FOCUS IS HIGHLIGHTING AND ADVANCING THE ROLE OF IMMIGRANTS TO MINNESOTA'S ECONOMY, BOTH AS WORKERS AND ENTREPRENEURS.

LEADERS LAB HAS CONCLUDED SEVEN YEARS OF THE PROGRAM WITH WELLOVER 200 ALUMNI. THE PROGRAM IS MODELED AFTER LEADERSHIP MINNESOTA BUT TARGETS DEVELOPING BUSINESS LEADERS. LEADERS LAB WILL TAKE 35 DEVELOPING BUSINESS LEADERS ON 4, 2-DAY SESSIONS. LIKE LEADERSHIP MINNESOTA, EACH SESSION WILL INCLUDE OPPORTUNITIES TO TOUR AND LEARN MORE ABOUT INDUSTRIES THAT DRIVE MINNESOTA'S ECONOMY AND HOW PUBLIC POLICY AFFECTS THE SUCCESS OF BUSINESS IN OUR STATE.