Marquette Financial Companies (MFC)

Prior to 2001, retail and commercial banks made up most of the MFC businesses. Today, fourteen specialty finance and asset management companies make-up MFC.

MFC and its companies have been members of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce Keystone Program since 1988. During 2006, MFC businesses dedicated 5% of pre-tax profits (almost $1.5 million) to its community involvement programs.

MFC community support is provided through Regional Giving Committees, Corporate Giving programs, directly from businesses, and in support of employee charitable and volunteer interests.

Regional Giving. MFC's Regional Giving provides annual operating and other support to nonprofit organizations. Grant requests are considered by Regional Giving Committees made up of MFC employees. The committees are based in the Midwest, Southwest, and South Central regions of the country and each considers requests from community organizations as follows:

Operating Grants. During 2006, Regional Giving Committees approved 51 general operating grants, totaling $450,000 to organizations that develop affordable housing, participate in community economic development projects, deliver financial education to youth and adults, and provide other basic human/social services in their communities. Click here for a complete list of 2006 Regional Giving Grants. Click for Regional Giving Guidelines. Click for a Regional Giving Grant Application.

Corporate Giving. MFC’s corporate giving includes support for programs, select charitable event sponsorships, and, from time to time, special initiatives.

Program Grants. Four years ago, MFC supported the development and implementation of the Nonprofit Excellence Award. The award selects two nonprofits that exemplify best business practices and adherence to the high standards of conduct found in the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Standards for Nonprofit Excellence. 2006 Award Winners were the Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis and Volunteer Lawyers Network . To read more visit www.mapfornonprofits.org

To increase nonprofit participation in the Accountability Wizard, an online tool to build public trust and improve management practices, MFC supported the Charities Review Council. In less than three months, 92 nonprofits enrolled in the program. For more information on this program visit, www.smartgivers.org.

MFC’s special interest in increasing business support for the community led it to provide support for expansion Minnesota Business Gives, a program of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Since 2005, 26 local Chambers of Commerce have enrolled in the program; 275 businesses have attended educational workshops and more than 50 businesses have been recognized for giving 2% of more of their pre-tax profits to community organizations. For more information on these programs, visit www.minnesotabusinessgives.com.

MFC also supported the Keystone Program of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce for the second year in 2006.

The People’s University, a program of the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library, was underwritten by MFC during 2006 and 2007. During 2006, the support allowed the library to expand these free classes, most were filled to capacity, and attended by more than 650 students.

Support for the 2007 Texas Grow Home program of the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service (see www.texashousing.org/growhome.pdf) and the 2007-2008 St. John’s Bible Exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum (see www.phxart.org/exhibitions/current.asp) were also approved.

Charitable Event Sponsorships. MFC sponsors a small number of events for nonprofit organizations that have significant MFC executive or employee volunteer involvement. During 2006, MFC sponsored two events: InnerCity Tennis KidSpeed and the Children’s Theatre Company Curtain Call Ball. Sponsorship of the Feb. 10, 2007 Neighborhood Development Center “The Heat is On” fundraising event was approved to supplement significant employee volunteer time in organizing this first-time event.

Business-Directed Support. Each MFC business makes contributions to local organizations. Most business contributions, which range from $50-$1,000, are directed to organizations in which employees are personally involved. During 2006, MFC businesses made 145 contributions, totaling almost $321,000 to community organizations.

Supporting Employee Community Interests. MFC supports the personal community interests of its employees. It also creates and supports meaningful volunteer opportunities for its employees. Both of these efforts are an important part of the MFC community involvement portfolio.

Employee personal community interests are supported through two programs: ShareTime Gifts, which matches employee volunteer time with financial support to the organization in which the employee volunteers and Employee Gift Matching, the Pohlad Family Foundation’s dollar for dollar match (up to $1,000 per employee per year) for monetary charitable contributions of MFC employees.

Company-created or sponsored volunteer opportunities also support community organizations, residents, and provide opportunities for MFC employees to spend time together outside of work. MFC employees participated in a large number and variety of volunteer activities last year, including holiday drives to support families and children; neighborhood clean up and painting projects, and fundraising walks, runs and other events. In most cases, financial support from MFC businesses was provided to support these employee volunteer projects.

For the first time in 2006, a select group of MFC employee volunteers (representing all businesses and located around the nation) participated with employee volunteers of other Pohlad-owned businesses in two Hurricane Katrina projects in New Orleans, Louisiana. Each four-day trip consisted of difficult work – gutting houses destroyed during Hurricane Katrina and meeting and listening to many survivor stories. The MFC employees that participated in this project also had an opportunity to spend time and meet each other, creating lasting friendships across company lines and locations.

A fun and employee-planned and led workplace community giving campaign also occurs each fall in the Twin Cities. Employees participate in a variety of fundraising events and some pledge their personal financial support for one or more federated funds that support local arts, environment, social action, health and human service organizations. The 2006 campaign raised almost $450,000 from 622 employees.