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MinneapolisNEXT invests in determined, hard-working young people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, opening doors through which they can emerge as role models for the next generation.
MinneapolisNEXT funds need-based high school scholarships and life-changing extra-curricular sports and arts programming, allowing youth to reach their goals and pursue their dreams.
MinneapolisNEXT focuses on hard-working students who want to be challenged by coursework and prepare for college, but are hindered by financial obstacles. Since 1998, we’ve provided hundreds of scholarships, allowing these young people to attend local, private college-preparatory high schools, such as DeLaSalle, Saint Agnes, St. Croix Lutheran, Saint Thomas Academy, and Breck. We currently award over 45 scholarships per year.
The pride and self-esteem that blossoms in these kids is gratifying, as is the sometimes dramatic improvement in reading and other skills we often see as they thrive in their new environments. We’ve now seen years of MinneapolisNEXT scholarship recipients graduate from high school, and many have gone on to attend, and earn degrees from, institutions of higher learning such as Boston College, Drake University, St. Olaf College, Spelman College, the University of Minnesota, and others.
MinneapolisNEXT has worked hard to seek out and cultivate partnerships with successful, dedicated change-makers throughout the metro area. One long-term commitment to the Hollywood Studio of Dance in North Minneapolis provided funding for modern dance classes for hundreds of students. More recently, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with the Phelps Activities Council, a neighborhood park revitalization project founded in 2008, to help fund athletic teams, Boys & Girls Club activities, and other structured pursuits at Phelps Field Park and Phelps Recreation Center. You’ll find us beaming in the front row at recitals and cheering loudly in the bleachers at games, proud of the difference we are making in the lives of these young people.
Check out our Newsroom page for more information about these organizations. Contact Pastor Jim Halbur at phelpsactivitiescouncil@gmail.com to volunteer your time.
MinneapolisNEXT informally began in 1996 when Rex Holland started raising money to send members of his seventh grade basketball team to summer camps. In 1997, the organization was formally launched when his good friend Pat Conlin suggested they pay the tuition for a young man to attend a private high school. The motivated student, who played on the team Rex was coaching, had been unsuccessful in securing enrollment in a college prep magnet program in a Minneapolis public high school.
Pat and Rex’s assertiveness led to a meeting of a group of friends who, over coffee and eggs, brainstormed about ways to help fund not only the scholarship, but a cash-strapped youth basketball program in South Minneapolis. The other attendees, Dan Conrad, Greg Ewing and Steve Schaefer, were volunteer youth coaches in the city. The group recognized a shared passion and set in motion the paperwork to form MinneapolisNEXT, a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 1999, the five co-founders formally began raising funds for high school scholarships and other worthy causes.
NEXT, as it is affectionately called, helps students who are high in potential, despite being low on financial resources. The hardest part is having to say no, either because of limited funds or because the applicant does not meet our criteria. Our signature high school scholarship program requires that applicants show determination and a demonstrated ability to buckle down.
Initially, most applicants came from low-income families in South Minneapolis. In recent years, more applications are coming from immigrants, plus we have seen an overall increase in requests from families who have hit hard times. In addition, NEXT has grown to support promising youth in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. Clearly, the need for our services is growing, and we hope to keep pace.
As a volunteer-driven organization, MinneapolisNEXT operates in a highly cost-effective manner with very low overhead, and our Board of Directors covers 100 percent of our operating expenses (except for the nominal third-party fee deducted in processing online credit card donations), so you can be confident that the money you donate goes where it will do the most good.
MinneapolisNEXT, through informal partnerships with local churches, schools and community organizations, hones in on the students best qualified for our services, thereby maximizing the benefits of your contribution. We are making a real and immediate difference in the lives of young people who are too often overlooked in our society, and making dreams come true . . . one child at a time.
MinneapolisNEXT opens doors, and the young people we serve proudly stride through. As they fulfill their potential, they emerge as role models and leaders for the next generation of young people in our community.
Heartland Capital Group, Inc.
Milestone Investments, Inc.
Sora Neuroscience, Inc.
UBS Financial Services, Inc.
Macalester College
Securian Financial
Romone Penny
Pursuit Sports Group
Daniel Conrad, PhD
Gregory Ewing
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