TPANC History

In 1998 nonprofits in the Duluth area organized to defeat a proposal before the Duluth City Council that would have levied a PILOT - payment in lieu of taxes - on property owned by nonprofits. Following that success, fifty-five nonprofit representatives from Duluth and Superior decided to join together as a coalition to provide Twin Ports nonprofits more opportunities for coordination and collaboration, joint purchasing power, and shared staff training and professional development opportunities. They invited the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) to work with the coalition to create a means to tap into MCN’s ongoing projects and resources. The organizations empowered a volunteer advisory committee to research their options and to set the coalition’s agenda. From June to December 1998, the advisory committee worked with MCN staff. They ultimately decided the Twin Ports Area Nonprofit Coalition would operate as a chapter of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

On June 1, 1999 the Twin Ports Area Nonprofit Coalition opened and office in Duluth. Mary Streufert was hired as the Regional Coordinator. The Coalition is now working to strengthen Twin Ports area nonprofits and to provide opportunities for shared benefits and strategic alliances. Every year the Coalition offers workshops at reduced rates for members, roundtable discussions with leaders from regional foundations, and informal brown bag lunch discussion with community leaders. Most importantly, the Twin Ports Area Nonprofit Coalition keeps abreast of public policies being considered at the city, county and state level, and disseminates this information to area nonprofit leaders in a timely manner.

An advisory committee, made up of elected representatives from nonprofits located in Cook, Lake, Carlton, and St. Louis Counties in Minnesota, and Douglas County in Wisconsin, oversees the Coalition. If you have any questions about Twin Ports Area Nonprofit Coalition, please contact Mary Streufert, Regional Coordinator, 424 West Superior Street, Ste. 500, Duluth, MN 55802, phone: 218-726-4887, fax: 218-726-4885, email: mstreufert@mncn.org.

 TPANC Links

Public Policy
History

Contact

Phone 218-726-4887
Fax 218-726-4885

mstreufert@mncn.org