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Want to learn about MicroGrants? You’ve come to the right place! MicroGrants gives grants of up to $5000 for low-income people of potential to invest in their lives. The grants are designed to help people increase their income either through small business development or getting and retaining stable employment. We believe in eliminating poverty through work!
The investments in people are usually made in three areas: education, business development, and transportation.
Wealth accumulation, not debt accumulation, is the way out of poverty. The inspiration for MicroGrants came from the micro-lending programs of 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. But since many urban low-income people in the US have no capital and people in the US are already burdened by debt, MicroGrants gives grants rather than loans.
Keeping overhead low means more grants! MicroGrants works with existing community assets to avoid duplication of services and to allow the maximum possible percentage of donations to go towards grants. On average, 80% of spending went to the giving of grants.
Collaborating with Partner Agencies* is key. The advantage of working with reputable nonprofits is that they already have trusting relationships with the recipients. That relationship is essential to picking the right persons, mentoring them, holding them accountable and evaluating their success. It also allows MicroGrants to serve many different populations with different needs in a culturally competent way.
Giving in your own community empowers your neighbors! MicroGrants gives most grants in the Twin Cities. MicroGrants believes it is key for local money to stay local, so the Florida chapter is completely funded by restricted donations that come from Florida, and the Twin Cities chapter is funded with Twin Cities money. This model can be replicated across America because every area has people with generous donors and local “people of potential” who could use the investment as a springboard.
“Somewhere in the mid- to late-twentieth century a handful of social entrepreneurs in widely separate parts of the world made a discovery that led to a radical conclusion about low-income people. It attracted scant applause and even less visibility at the time. Their names included Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, Pancho and Maria Otero of Bolivia and Joe Selvaggio of Minnesota. Low-income people with ambition, they said, low-income people willing to dig in for a second chance, can be trusted. It didn’t matter whether they were low-income in Tanzania or India, South America or in south Minneapolis. They might live in the bleakest poverty in Africa or without wheels or credit in America.They are still worth a chance. If they make it, we all benefit.” – Jim Klobuchar, from the preface in our book, MicroGrants: It’s Working.
Inspired by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, MicroGrants was founded in 2006 by Joe Selvaggio, also founder of Project for Pride in Living. But rather than micro-LOANS through banks in Bangladesh, MicroGrants give cash GRANTS through existing Partner Agencies* who are already working with low-income “people of potential” here in the Twin Cities.** MicroGrants are not given for needs or emergencies, but for opportunities to get work, keep work or create work, moving individuals closer to their financial independence. MicroGrants has a small staff and gives on average 80% of its donations directly to motivated people in our communities. How can MicroGrants operate with such a low overhead? Because these like-minded Partner Agencies* are already working to boost people out of poverty and take no money for their service. They do, and they do the selecting, coaching and mentoring of the grantees. MicroGrants simply does the fund raising and the giving of grants. Since 2006, MicroGrants has boosted more than 5000 individuals closer to their self-sufficiency.
John Harrington, the former Commissioner for the Department of Public Safety for Minnesota, was appointed by Governor Tim Walz in January 2019 and served until January 2023.
Pam joined MicroGrants in early 2020 as a consultant to the Lights On! program and has since gotten involved in all of MicroGrants programming.
Sherman manages law enforcement relationships for the Lights On! program. Sherman served 21 years in the US Army.
Angie was born and raised in Chicago Illinois, moved to Minneapolis in 1997 and has lived in South Minneapolis ever since.
She works directly with current law enforcement and auto shop partners, and provides information to potential new partners who may be interested in participating in the program.
Ami joined Lights On! as a consultant in January 2023. She helps onboard auto shops who want to join the program.
Don spent 30 years in the toy industry as an R&D executive with major manufacturers, and as co-owner of a design studio.
Abou is a public affairs consultant and strategist that served in a variety of capacities in the public policy and lawmaking arena.
Rob joins the Board with a strong commitment to give back to the community, especially to those who are in need.
Donald Hall, now retired, has worked as a financial analyst and stockbroker most of his life. In that activity he has had to sort out the genuine and possible from the hopeful and unlikely.
Allen currently serves on four non-profit boards: Minnesota Orchestra, Pacer Advisory Board, Schulze Family Foundation and Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities.
Tom Welch is principal and owner of Palisade Asset Management, LLC, a registered investment advisory firm.
Throughout Joe’s forty-plus-year career Selvaggio has received more honors than we can list here.
Throughout Joe’s forty-plus-year career Selvaggio has received more honors than we can list here.
An Advisor is a MicroGrants volunteer with a special area of expertise, who has committed to give opinions and make suggestions to improve our performance. Advisors commit to about two phone calls, four emails and one face-to-face meeting per year, at their convenience. Advisors allow us to identify them in all our publications.
Mike Ciresi | Burt Cohen | Norm Coleman | Judson Dayton | Joe Errigo | Archie Givens | Jim Graves | Peter Heegaard | Berit Johnson | Steve LeBeau | Charlie Maxwell | Art Rolnick | Chuck Slocum | Dane Smith | Jim Weichert
*Partner Agencies take no money for their service
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John Harrington, the former Commissioner for the Department of Public Safety for Minnesota, was appointed by Governor Tim Walz in January 2019 and served until January 2023. Before becoming the Commissioner of Public Safety, Harrington served
as the Chief of the Metro Transit Police from 2012-2019, helping to create the Homeless Action team and increasing diversity from 5-50%. Commissioner Harrington is a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 67, which includes the East area of Saint Paul. Harrington was the 39th Police Chief for St. Paul Police Department, serving from 2004-2010, where he began his police career in 1977. As St. Paul Police Chief, Harrington tackled some of the city’s most challenging problems, developing programs that significantly reduced domestic violence and gang involvement.
John grew up in Chicago, graduated from Dartmouth College, and earned a master’s degree at the University of St. Thomas. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Harvard Senior Management Institute. He is also a founder of Ujamaa
Place, a nonprofit organization in Saint Paul that serves African American men who are economically disadvantaged and have experienced repeated cycles of failure. He is currently working on his doctorate in Administration of Justice, focusing on the
George Floyd Riots.
Pam joined MicroGrants in early 2020 as a consultant to the Lights On! program and has since gotten involved in all of MicroGrants programming.
Sherman manages law enforcement relationships for the Lights On! program. Sherman served 21 years in the US Army. After his years of service, he obtained his masters’ degree in Public Safety Administration from Saint Mary’s University. Sherm worked for eight years as a Public Safety Policy Liaison to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and also worked for Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau. In 2014, Sherm started his own social outreach program called Lead By Example with the mission to reduce gun violence by working with young men to become leaders in dismantling the gun culture in their neighborhoods. He received the 2008 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Boards Martin Luther King Award, and a Bush Fellowship in 2014.
Angie joined MicroGrants as an Administrator in July of 2021
Angie was born and raised in Chicago Illinois, moved to Minneapolis in 1997 and has lived in South Minneapolis ever since. She has worked for many nonprofit organizations as an administrative assistant for more than 20 years. Angie enjoys helping out the community and volunteering, spending time with her daughters, and traveling and doing outdoor activities.
Char joined Lights On! as a consultant in June 2022. She works directly with current law enforcement and auto shop partners, and provides information to potential new partners who may be interested in participating in the program. Passionate about the work Lights On! does, she enjoys learning about each partner she works with and helping to build and strengthen the community.
Based in Texas, Char previously served as a business consultant for another nonprofit. When not working, she enjoys learning about other cultures, being outdoors, spending time with others and volunteering.
Don spent 30 years in the toy industry as an R&D executive with major manufacturers, and as co-owner of a design studio. He later joined the Minneapolis City Council, serving as chair of the Public Safety Committee, where he led 6 consecutive years of double-digit crime reduction, and the board of Minneapolis Public Schools. Don is also an ordained minister.
Among his many initiatives, Don cofounded The PEACE Foundation, which eventually became the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), serving 1,100 families and their 2,300 kids, with wrap -around services for academic success. Don spearheaded the Ban the Box legislation to help ex-offenders gain employment. He currently serves on the boards of The Center for Action and Contemplation, Luther Seminary, and Twin Cities Rise, The Trust for Public Land and is a member of the Minneapolis Chief’s Citizen Advisory Council.
Abou is a public affairs consultant and strategist that served in a variety of capacities in the public policy and lawmaking arena. Most recently, he served as a policy co-chair to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s Transition Team. Prior to that he served as the Public Policy Director for a North Minneapolis and non-profit and as an advisor to the Speaker of the House in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In 2015, was named by Twin Cities Business Magazine as “100 Minnesotans to Know” and listed as a “Next Generation Leader” and “Shaper of the Future” by the publication.
As the child of immigrants from Sierra Leone, Abou also serves as a board member of African Immigrant Services of MN and the West African Collaborative, organizations focused on building civic capacity for the west African immigrant community in the Twin Cities region.
Abou currently holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy (MPP) with a focus on economic policy from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and an undergraduate degree in sociology and economics from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. He is also pursuing his law degree from the University of St. Thomas.
Rob joins the Board with a strong commitment to give back to the community, especially to those who are in need. For Rob, it is an opportunity to “pay it forward” by helping people who can use a little help to get them on their feet and be productive. Rob has had a long career in the business world and believes that being on the Board is an opportunity to utilize the business acumen that his mentors passed down to him for the support of others outside of his everyday world. Rob earned a BS in marketing from Moorhead State University along with completing the New Leader Course at the University of St. Thomas. Outside of work, Rob enjoys spending time with his family, being outdoors and traveling.
Donald Hall, now retired, has worked as a financial analyst and stockbroker most of his life. In that activity he has had to sort out the genuine and possible from the hopeful and unlikely. Doing his own investigation he has supported numerous non-profits over the years, including Joe Selvaggio’s initial work as a social advocate, then PPL and then the 1% Club. Joe’s work has always met the test. “I hope I can be useful on the MicroGrants board,” he said, “as I am proud to serve on it.”
Allen currently serves on four non-profit boards: Minnesota Orchestra, Pacer Advisory Board, Schulze Family Foundation and Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities. He has been involved with Boys and Girls Clubs for 28 years, serving as Chair of the Board and also as a National Trustee. Prior to his retirement in 2007, he was employed for 25 years at Best Buy Company serving at various times as CFO, President, Vice Chairman and Board Member. Allen is married with three children and five grandchildren.
Tom Welch is principal and owner of Palisade Asset Management, LLC, a registered investment advisory firm. Tom is on the investment committee that reviews and analyzes investment portfolios of clients, many of which are trust accounts for which our firm is the investment manager. Tom was President of BNC National Bank, Minnesota region, head of the Wealth Division for 3 regions (ND, MN and AZ), was a member of the Board of both BNC National Bank and BNC Corp., the publicly held holding company, responsible for all corporate and retail banking.
Throughout Joe’s forty-plus-year career Selvaggio has received more honors than we can list here. Some highlights are Founder of Project for Pride in Living-1972, Doctorate of Human Letters, honoris causa (Macalester College)-1991, Minnesotan of the Year (Minneapolis Monthly)-1997, Huffington Post’s Greatest Person of the Day (Huffington Post)-2011 “These $1000 Microgrants” are not ‘transfers of wealth’, but life-changing investments from the ‘haves’ to the ‘have-nots’ of potential. I hope we can educate more ‘haves’ to make this productive investment. I know of no better use for money.”
Meet Keiona Cook a multitalented artist. She is a Couture Fashion Designer. She creates one of a kind garments for women and little girls at her for-profit business Qe’Bella Couture. She loves to make women and little girls feel beautiful from the inside out. She has been designing and sewing since the age of six. Fashion has always been her way to uplift and empower herself and others around her.
She is a mix medium artist, mixing acrylics with African wax print fabrics and found objects.
Keiona is the founder and Executive Director of Lovely’s Sewing & Arts Collective where she works with youth from all over the twin cities ages 4-16.
She is an author, she self- published, illustrated and wrote, “Lovely Helps Mommy Fold the Laundry.” And last but certainly not least she is a thought-provoking motivational speaker.
She is a former graduate of North High school (Go Polars). She has her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from the Savannah College of Art & Design. To her core she loves connecting our communities through her work as an artist, instructor and motivational speaker. She has been advocating and working with parents and their kids in our communities for the last 20 years.
“When You Give Someone your Time, You’re Giving them a Moment in Your Life you can Never Get Back, so spend each Moment in time Wisely”
~ Keiona Cook