By Tim Harlow APRIL 18, 2017 — 12:51PM Charles Kingsley had finished his overnight shift as a security officer and was driving home on a recent weekday when he passed a police car heading in the opposite direction. The squad did a fast U-turn, came up behind him, flashed the lights and pulled Kingsley over […]
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10th Anniversary Congratulations from Senator Amy Klobuchar
Nonprofit MicroGrants selects Don Samuels as CEO
In his latest career, think of Don Samuels as kind of a venture capitalist to the working poor. Samuels is the former 10-year City Council member from north Minneapolis who years before in his Jordan neighborhood, confronted drug dealers and troublemakers with a calm demeanor. He and his wife mentored kids, championed small business development […]
Movers & Shakers: Don Samuels, MicroGrants
A look at the people behind the numbers in area business: DON SAMUELS MICROGRANTS Title: Chief operations officer Age: 66 Don Samuels hopes to help award more than $500,000 in grants to low-income recipients by year’s end as chief operations officer of Minneapolis-based nonprofit MicroGrants. MicroGrants gives $1,000 grants to support recipients who show potential […]
How investing in the poor creates wealth for all
Millionaires stand to gain by funding nonprofits and creating jobs for the poor. By Joe Selvaggio JUNE 14, 2015 — 2:37PM The rich can get richer by investing in the poor. When I tell my rich friends this, their first reaction is: “Are you crazy?” Adam Smith, the founder of capitalism, taught us […]
MicroGrants Featured on PBS
FRED DE SAM LAZARO, correspondent: The billboards and signs in the Jackson Heights section of Queens, New York, reflect dozens of languages, cultures, and nationalities. It’s an immigrant community of rich diversity, but also plenty of poverty. And there’s a store for that too: an American version of Bangladesh’s famous Grameen Bank. No fancy lobby […]
Think of the poor as part of the solution
It’s a pleasant relief to take a break from some of the issues of the past election– the rich paying more taxes, the freedom of choice in a marriage partner or an unwanted pregnancy, voter registration … but one issue was conspicuously absent in the political debates, and now I’d like to hear more […]
Microlending Makes Jump to Developed World, Funding Small U.S. Entrepreneurs
PBS television features MicroGrants on NewsWeekly – aired Sept. 2, 2012!
Beautify cities for one and all
Article by: JOE SELVAGGIO Counterpoint While it is hard to disagree with Barbara Flanagan’s beautification projects (“A few pleas for pleasing updates around town,” April 2), I think I am up to the challenge. Barbara’s suggested improvements remind me of my hometown, Chicago. When I go back every summer, I take the “L” from a […]
