McKnight.org Newsroom

Statement on President Trump's 2019 Federal Budget Request

2018-02-26T22:24:28Z

McKnight president Kate Wolford recently joined foundation leaders from across the country to sign this statement of support for the National Endowment for the Arts. This was originally posted by ArtPlace America, a collaboration of foundations, federal agencies, and financial institutions that work to position arts and culture as a core sector of comprehensive community planning and development.

President Trump has delivered his budget request to Congress for fiscal year 2019, which proposes significant cuts to and, in some cases, the complete elimination of key federal agencies – like the National Endowment for the Arts. This has the potential both to end valuable direct investments in our local communities and to dismantle tremendous partnerships with philanthropy that have strengthened our country.

As just one example, in 2011, we were so inspired by work that the National Endowment for the Arts was doing through its “Our Town” investments that we came together to capitalize ArtPlace America, which exists to extend and build upon the federal government’s work enlisting the arts and culture sector as an ally in creating equitable, healthy, and sustainable communities of all sizes across the country.

This partnership – which has invested more than $100 million to date in communities that span the country from Kivalina, AK to Boston, MA, from Bastrop, TX to Minot, ND – has allowed us an even closer look at what is possible only when private philanthropies have strong and robust partners in the federal government.

Some seven years ago, it was the then Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts who was able to bring us together as foundation leaders because his agency had a strong history of investing in each of our communities. He was also able to bring together senior officials from agencies like the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency because he was their peer in federal government.

Together, we have worked more effectively than we could have done alone exactly because the public sector and philanthropy are not meant to do the same thing.

Federal agencies are charged with serving all Americans in every community; no private philanthropy has the resources or the infrastructure to do that. Foundation dollars are meant to be risk capital; public funding exists to bring tested interventions to scale. Government is responsive to voters through election cycles; foundations are charged with thinking across longer timelines.

We coalesced around a shared commitment to strengthen local communities. And, in this case, we came together because we all understood that artists are a resource present in every community. We also understood that those artists help root us in our communities, help connect us with our neighbors, and help to drive civic participation. Quite simply, we understood that it is not possible to have strong local communities without having a strong arts and culture sector.

If we lose federal agencies like the National Endowment for the Arts, we will not only lose significant direct investments in communities across all 50 states, we also lose the infrastructure that brings us together as one United States of America.

James E. Canales
President and Trustee
Barr Foundation
Boston, MA

Patricia E. Harris
Chief Executive Officer
Bloomberg Philanthropies
New York, NY

Phillip W. Henderson
President
Surdna Foundation
New York, NY

Diane Kaplan
President and CEO
Rasmuson Foundation
Anchorage, AK

Earl Lewis
President
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
New York, NY

Shawn D. McCaney
Executive Director
William Penn Foundation
Philadelphia, PA

Rip Rapson
President and CEO
The Kresge Foundation
Troy, MI

Jennifer Ford Reedy
President
The Bush Foundation
St. Paul, MN

Douglas Bitonti Stewart
Executive Director
Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
Southfield, MI

Darren Walker
President
Ford Foundation
New York, NY

Kate Wolford
President
The McKnight Foundation
Minneapolis, MN

Deadline: 2019 Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award

2018-01-17T21:21:14Z

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience supports innovative research designed to bring science closer to the day when diseases of the brain can be accurately diagnosed, prevented, and treated. To this end, the McKnight Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award assists scientists working to apply the knowledge achieved through basic research to human brain disorders that affect memory or cognition.

Use of Award Funds

We are interested in proposals that address memory or cognition under normal and pathological conditions. This includes proposals that address mechanisms of memory or cognition at the synaptic, cellular, molecular, genetic or behavioral level in animals, including humans.We are particularly interested in proposals that incorporate fundamentally new approaches, as well as those that involve human experimentation. Collaborative and cross-disciplinary applications are encouraged.

Projects restricted to the creation of conventional mouse knockouts in candidate disease genes identified by association studies, or to broadly overexpress those genes, are discouraged. In addition, projects to perform genetic interaction screens on disease genes in model organisms (yeast, worm, fly, fish) will not be considered, unless the project includes substantive specific aims that investigate the disease relevance of any new genes discovered in human or mammalian model systems.

Eligibility

Investigators who are conducting research at institutions within the United States are invited to apply. Full-time appointment at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Professor ranks. Titles such as Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible. Applicants may not be employees of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute or scientists within the intramural program of the National Institutes of Health. Applicants may not hold another McKnight Award that would overlap with the Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award. We are interested in geographic, gender, and racial diversity and we encourage women and minorities, as well as scientists from all around the U.S., to apply. Funds may be used toward a variety of research activities, but not the recipient’s salary. The candidate’s other sources of funding will be considered when selecting awards.

Selection Process

There is a two-stage selection process, beginning with a letter of intent (LOI). The selection committee will review the LOIs and invite a few applicants to submit full proposals. Up to four awards are made annually, each providing $100,000 per year for three years. LOIs are due on March 26, 2018 (midnight in the last time zone on earth). Full proposals will be due September 10, 2018. Funding begins on February 1, 2019.

How to Apply

The application process is completely online. Please copy/paste the URL https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_5768?SA=SNA&FID=35006 to access the Stage One LOI form. One investigator (the primary contact for the proposal) will be required to set up a user name and password (please retain your username and password as you will need it throughout the process), complete an online face sheet, and upload a two-page project description with no more than two pages of references; any images must be within the two-page limit. Please single-space in 12-point font using one-inch margins. Project description, references, and NIH Biosketches for each PI should be uploaded as a single PDF.

Finalists will be invited via email to submit a full proposal, and a Stage Two URL will be provided. Competition is very intense; applicants are welcome to apply more than once.

If you do not receive email confirmation of receipt of your LOI within a week of submission, please contact Nan Jahnke at 612-333-4220 or njahnke@mcknight.org

The McKnight Foundation Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

2018-01-08T21:45:09Z

Imagine a world where every child recognizes the sacredness of their humanity. And every family has enough to eat, and a place to call home, no matter the color of their skin or the zip code of their birth.

Imagine how much higher we could soar in our arts and sciences if we realized that ingenuity comes from all quarters, and we sought out hidden assets.

Imagine if everyone could enjoy the bounty of the land that has sustained us for generations, and we could come together to preserve our one and only Earth.

Guided by this vision, The McKnight Foundation is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values.

Diversity: We appreciate and leverage our differences, and we involve and reflect the communities we serve.

Equity: We align our policies, practices, and resources so that people of all races, cultures, and socioeconomic statuses have genuine opportunities to thrive.

Inclusion: We create an environment in which everyone feels valued and respected.

This commitment is critical to deepening our relevance, credibility, and effectiveness, and it will strengthen our mission to improve the lives of present and future generations. The civic and economic vitality of our home state of Minnesota, known as Mni Sota Makoce to the Dakota, depends on inclusive and equitable opportunities for everyone.

We see many ways to realize this vision as a funder, convenor, thought leader, and as an employer, economic entity, and institutional investor.

In all we do, we seek to be conscious of and address the deeply entrenched practices, cultural norms, and decisionmaking structures that perpetuate inequities. Racial discrimination is a legacy of our nation’s painful history, and institutional racism and unconscious bias persist. Equity means receiving what one needs to succeed, as we are not all born with the same opportunities.

We approach our work on diversity, equity, and inclusion with courage and optimism—knowing it requires a sustained commitment. When we make mistakes along the way, we will adapt and continue to learn.

This work is our shared responsibility—and our shared opportunity —because what is at stake is nothing less than our shared fate.

Read the contextual notes for further background on McKnight’s DEI statement.

Eastern African Collaborative Crop Research Among 4th Quarter 2017 Grantmaking Highlights

2017-12-21T21:13:19Z

January 9, 2018

The McKnight Foundation awarded 139 grants totaling $18,608,000 in its fourth-quarter 2017 grantmaking. Of the $18.6 million approved, $2,078,000 went to organizations working in Eastern Africa in the Collaborative Crop Research Program (CCRP), which works to ensure access to nutritious food sustainably produced by local people, a key strategy of our international program.

CCRP works through a community of practice approach in four geographic regions, including Eastern Africa. The program’s focus is on collaborative agroecological systems research and knowledge sharing to strengthen the capacities of smallholder farmers, research institutes, and development organizations. Food Tank recently named CCRP as one of its top "118 Organizations to Watch in 2018." We highlight a few of this quarter’s approved grants below; a full list of approved grants is available in our grants database.

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization in Nairobi received $450,000 over three years to support the diversification of smallholder farms. The project focuses on planting multipurpose legumes, which can diversify household diets and improve nutrition, increase yields and income, provide forage material, enhance soil fertility, and suppress weeds.

McKnight also awarded Rongo University $450,000 over three years to diversify Eastern African sorghum varieties. Sorghum is a major food crop in Eastern Africa, and the project is identifying the most suitable strains for the area’s variable growing conditions and developing varieties that are more resistant to pests and diseases encountered by area farmers.

"McKnight’s Collaborative Crop Research Program increases food security for people in developing countries,” says Meghan Binger Brown, then board chair. “We do that by taking a holistic, ecosystem approach to agriculture, and by supporting research and partnerships that lead to increased productivity, improved livelihoods, better nutrition, and equity.”

In other news, McKnight welcomes Laura Salveson as our new director of reception and facilities. We are also thrilled that long-time board member Debby Landsman has been elected as our new board chair. We offer our heartfelt gratitude to Meghan Binger Brown for her three years of leadership as board chair and for her service as a board member since 1996. We also salute Bill Gregg, who stepped off the board after nine years of dedicated service.

ABOUT THE McKNIGHT FOUNDATION

The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations. We use all our resources to attend, unite, and empower those we serve. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based family foundation had assets of approximately $2.2 billion and granted about $90 million in 2017. Learn more at mcknight.org, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

McKnight awards $1.2 million for study of memory and cognitive disorders

2017-12-14T21:13:09Z

December 15, 2017

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience has selected four projects to receive the 2018 Memory and Cognitive Disorders Awards. The awards will total $1.2 million over three years for research on the biology of brain diseases, with each project receiving $300,000 between 2018 and 2020.

The Memory and Cognitive Disorders (MCD) Awards support innovative research by U.S. scientists who are studying neurological and psychiatric diseases, especially those related to memory and cognition. The awards encourage collaboration between basic and clinical neuroscience to translate laboratory discoveries about the brain and nervous system into diagnoses and therapies to improve human health.

The awards will support studies of genes, genetic mutations, and areas of the brain involved in memory formation and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Members of our selection committee are particularly enthusiastic about the wide range of approaches we were able to fund this year, from projects that marry virtual reality technology to the neuroscience of memory, to high level cognitive physiology, to genetic approaches,” said Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., chair of the awards committee and Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University. “All are trying to get at just how our brains respond to and are influenced by the environment.”

The awards are inspired by the interests of William L. McKnight, who founded The McKnight Foundation in 1953 and wanted to support research on diseases affecting memory. His daughter, Virginia McKnight Binger, and The McKnight Foundation board established the McKnight neuroscience program in his honor in 1977.

Up to four awards are given each year. This year’s awardees are:

Elizabeth Buffalo, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Chief, Neuroscience Division, Washington National Primate Research Center 

Neural Dynamics of Memory and Cognition in the Primate Hippocampal Formation

Mauricio R. Delgado, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Psychology, Rutgers University
The Regulation of Negative Autobiographical Memories via Positive Emotion-focused Strategies  

Bruce E. Herring, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Section of Neurobiology, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California
Understanding Synaptic Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Steve Ramirez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences,

Boston University, Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering
Artificially Modulating Positive and Negative Memories to Alleviate Maladaptive Fear Responses  

With 96 letters of intent received this year, the awards are highly competitive. A committee of distinguished scientists reviews the letters and invites a select few researchers to submit full proposals. In addition to Suzuki, the committee includes B.J. Casey, Ph.D., Yale University; Robert Edwards, M.D., University of California, San Francisco; Ming Guo, M.D., Ph.D., UCLA; Steven E. Petersen, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis; and Matthew Shapiro, Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Please note that the late Howard Eichenbaum, Ph.D., Boston University, served on the committee through July 2017.

Letters of intent for the 2019 awards are dueby March 26, 2018.

ABOUT THE McKNIGHT ENDOWMENT FUND FOR NEUROSCIENCE

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience is an independent organization funded solely by The McKnight Foundation of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and led by a board of prominent neuroscientists from around the country. The McKnight Foundation has supported neuroscience research since 1977. The Foundation established the Endowment Fund in 1986 to carry out one of the intentions of founder William L. McKnight (1887–1978), one of the early leaders of the 3M Company.

The Endowment Fund makes three types of awards each year. In addition to the Memory and Cognitive Disorders Awards, they are the McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Awards, providing seed money to develop technical inventions to advance brain research; and the McKnight Scholar Awards, supporting neuroscientists in the early stages of their research careers.

Director of Learning

2017-11-06T14:38:53Z

The McKnight Foundation is a 4th generation, Minnesota-based family foundation founded in 1953 that seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations using all its resources to attend, unite, and empower those they serve. In 2016, McKnight had assets of approximately $2.2 billion and made grants of $87 million.

Program interests are diverse and include regional economic and community development, Minnesota’s arts and artists, education and learning, Midwest climate and energy, Mississippi River water quality, neuroscience research, international crop research and rural livelihoods. The primary geographic focus is the state of Minnesota (approximately 60% of grantmaking), with significant support directed to strategies throughout the U.S., Africa, Southeast Asia and South America.

Staff at McKnight make meaningful contributions to some of the major challenges of our time. They are guided by McKnight’s mission and values of Accountability, Innovation, Integrity and Respect, developing and adjusting strategies based on a process of ongoing learning, reflection, and adaptive action. This allows the Foundation to take adaptive action over time in response to changes in cultural, demographic, economic, environmental, political, scientific, and technological landscapes.

The Foundation cares about what gets accomplished as well as how it gets done. Staff are encouraged to bring deep content knowledge and the self-awareness, empathy, and intellectual curiosity to be collaborative learners and co-creators with others internally and externally; interpersonal savvy; excellent problem-solving and effective communication skills. Staff are expected to work smart and get results. The Foundation supports employees with meaningful work, inspiring and supportive colleagues, and the resources and tools to do the work well.

McKnight enjoys an exemplary reputation. McKnight’s most recent Grantee Perception Report from The Center for Effective Philanthropy places the Foundation in the top 10 percent of funders for its impact on grantees’ fields and effect on public policy and in the top 20 percent of funders for its impact on grantees’ organizations. McKnight also received a 2016 “Great Rated!” designation from the Great Place to Work Institute.

The McKnight Foundation has an explicit commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. This commitment is critical to deepening our relevance, credibility, and effectiveness, and it strengthens our efforts to improve the lives of present and future generations. The civic and economic vitality of our home state of Minnesota, depends on inclusive and equitable opportunities for everyone. We see many ways to realize this vision as a funder, convener, thought leader, and as an employer, economic entity, and institutional investor.

Director of Learning

McKnight is seeking to hire for a newly created staff position focused on learning. The Strategic Framework and our approach to emergent learning and adaptive action demonstrate the foundation’s deep commitment to strategic learning as a means to achieve its core values of accountability, integrity, innovation, and respect in pursuit of our mission.

The Director of Learning position is an opportunity to cultivate a highly integrated practice that can be responsive to programs’ emergent needs and adaptive opportunities in real-time in order to build durable capacity for ongoing learning. Staff are fully engaged and eager to use learning and evaluative thinking to adapt and improve their strategies as conditions change in order to drive better planning, strategy, grantmaking, and impact.

McKnight’s approach to philanthropy

At the core of McKnight’s approach to philanthropy are quality relationships and deep understanding of place. There is a strong shared belief that how staff go about their work is just as important as the grants they make. Each program pursues its own ambitious goals, drawing upon abundant resources of creativity, research and data, existing and emergent knowledge, and collaboration with diverse grantees, partners, and multiple program stakeholders. The Foundation uses not only grantmaking, but all of the tools and resources at its disposal, including investments, convening, and credible influence, to support systems change.

The Opportunity

As McKnight’s programmatic work has evolved, we have an increasingly explicit foundation-wide commitment to adaptive action and emergent learning as key aspects of our approach. We intend to deepen our program-wide commitment to cultivating a system of learning that supports programmatic coherence and leads our work to be more effective, credible, and relevant.

The new staff position of director of learning will provide support to staff to help them:

· Learn and adapt faster and more efficiently

· Use data from a variety of sources and perspectives to “reality check” program and team hypotheses and assumptions

· Understand and communicate how the programs’ full portfolio of grants and non-grant activity add up to a balanced strategy for systems change

· Assess interim indicators of impact and act adaptively through adjustments to the portfolio and strategies as needed in real time

Learning Strategy

· In partnership with the vice president of programs, develop a coherent approach to learning and evaluation that builds upon and strengthens current frameworks rooted in adaptive action and emergent learning, with a preference for developmental evaluation approaches. This includes refining the Foundation’s core learning and evaluation vision, principles, strategic tools, learning frameworks, and structures;

· Capturing and disseminating knowledge, including from research, to improve organizational effectiveness;

· Partnering with the director of communications and program directors to identify, strategize, and share learnings publicly, for the benefit of Foundation partners and the broader fields of interest to McKnight.

Learning Approaches

· Provide consultation to program directors to develop hypotheses, learning questions, and indicators and metrics for strategies and initiatives;

· Work with program directors to identify priorities for in-depth learning and adaptive action at the grant, field, or Foundation level; partner on the development of strategies, approaches, and plans for learning/evaluation;

· Advance learning at the board level focused on understanding program strategy, impact and performance;

· Support program teams to ensure that learning is considered and integrated into ongoing efforts as well as future strategy and program planning;

· Identify and cultivate partnerships with external evaluators and resources that are situationally tailored to McKnight’s program areas and the level of rigor required.

Systems and Capacity Building

· Build the capacity of McKnight’s program teams and grantees through a range of approaches, which may include individual and group training, outside workshops, consultants, etc.;

· Partner with the Operations/Grants Management team to create and support internal structures and systems for cross-program sharing; and develop specific tools and technology supports that anchor a culture of learning, both organizationally and within each program.

Minimum Education and Experience

Master’s degree in related field and a minimum of 7 years related full-time professional work experience of progressively responsible positions, including work as team leader or equivalent, or a combination of equivalent experience and training.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

· Ability to facilitate strategic learning with all levels of staff, many of whom are experts in their fields.

· Knowledge and skill in using tools and resources for learning and evaluation and the ability to support others in developing knowledge and skills with these tools.

· Knowledge of one’s own cultural competency orientation and commitment to on-going skill development.

· Ability to develop, maintain, and evolve a body of concepts and learning that continuously informs and reflects the thinking and knowledge of the Foundation and specific program areas.

· Ability to clearly communicate concepts, research findings, issues analysis and data interpretations and to see relationships and patterns and express them clearly.

· Skill in proactive action, independent thinking, and problem-solving with demonstrated initiative in launching a complex program.

· Ability to work in a collegial environment with people and groups with many facets of diversity in an inclusive manner.

· Ability to meet tight deadlines.

· Knowledge and understanding of The McKnight Foundation’s programs, mission, values, strategic framework, structure, and culture.

· Ability to work with high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Foundation-wide Competencies:

Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, Manages Complexity, Builds Networks, Being Resilient, Drives Results, Strategic Mindset, Instills Trust

Position-specific Competencies:

Nimble Learning, Manages Ambiguity, Cultivates Innovation, Drives Engagement

Applying:

The McKnight Foundation has engaged Ballinger Leafblad to manage the search process. All inquiries and applications should be directed to lars@ballingerleafblad.com.

Priority consideration will be given to candidates who submit materials by Friday, December 8, 2017.

Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River among 3rd Quarter 2017 Grantmaking Highlights

2017-09-15T16:01:52Z

October 2, 2017

The McKnight Foundation awarded 51 grants totaling $11,642,000 in its third-quarter 2017 grantmaking. Of the $11.6 million approved, $445,000 went to organizations working to reduce agricultural pollution in the Upper Mississippi River (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois), a key strategy of our Mississippi River program. We feature a few of this quarter’s approved grants below, and the full list of approved grants is available in our grants database.

The Center for Rural Affairs received $350,000 over two years to support its work through the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. NSAC is leading local and national efforts to develop a strong and unifying message on the important role that sustainable agricultural practices play in protecting our country’s soil and water. In addition, NSAC continues to serve as a leading national advocate for agricultural policies that conserve natural resources, in particular practices such as growing cover crops and diversifying cropping systems.

McKnight also made a single year grant of $45,000 to Freshwater Society to develop a set of recommendations on the best management of Minnesota's Clean Water Fund, convinced that strong management will result in optimal clean water outcomes.

In addition, McKnight awarded $50,000 to Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation to create a plan for northwest Illinois that targets permanent land protection, land retirement, and other interventions to reduce agricultural pollution and improve water quality in priority watersheds.

“The restoration of the Mississippi starts with a thriving agricultural economy that not only produces abundant food but also healthy soil and clean water,” says board chair Meghan Binger Brown. “We believe these grants will help revitalize the river by supporting sustainable agricultural practices in the Upper Mississippi River states and reducing agricultural pollution.”

In other news, we’re pleased to welcome Latosha Cox as our new Education & Learning program assistant, and Madeleine Asher as our new part-time receptionist.

ABOUT THE McKNIGHT FOUNDATION

The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations. We use all our resources to attend, unite, and empower those we serve. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based family foundation had assets of approximately $2.2 billion and granted about $87 million in 2016. Learn more at mcknight.org, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Deadline: 2018 Technology Awards

2017-09-26T14:35:25Z

Use of Award Funds

These awards encourage and support scientists working on the development of novel and creative approaches to understanding brain function. The Endowment Fund is interested in how a new technology may be used to monitor, manipulate, analyze, or model brain function at any level, from the molecular to the entire organism. Technology may take any form, from biochemical tools to instruments to software and mathematical approaches. Because the program seeks to advance and enlarge the range of technologies available to the neurosciences, research based primarily on existing techniques will not be considered.

A goal of the Technological Innovations awards is to foster collaboration between the neurosciences and other disciplines; therefore, collaborative and cross-disciplinary applications are explicitly invited. For descriptions of previous awards, visit our web site at www.neuroscience.mcknight.org/award-recipients/technology-awards.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold full-time appointments at the rank of assistant professor or higher, e.g. associate professor or professor, at institutions within the United States. Scientists holding other titles such as research professor, adjunct professor, professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible. Applicants may not be employees of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute or scientists within the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health. Funds may be used toward a variety of research activities, but not the recipient’s salary. Applicants may not hold another type of McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience award that would overlap with the Technological Innovations award.

Selection Process

There is a two-stage selection process, beginning with a letter of intent (LOI). The selection committee will review the LOIs and invite a few applicants to submit full proposals which will be evaluated on the basis of creativity, the potential benefit of the new approach, and the significance of the problems to be addressed. Up to three awards are made annually, each providing $100,000 per year for two years. LOIs are due on December 4, 2017 (midnight in the last time zone on earth). Full proposals will be due April 23, 2018, and funding begins on August 1, 2018.

How to Apply

The application process is completely online. Please copy/paste the URL —https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_5768?SA=SNA&FID=35002 to access the Stage One LOI form. The PI will be required to set up a user name and password (please retain your username and password as you will need it throughout the process), complete an online face sheet, and upload a two-page project description with no more than two pages of references; any images must be within the two-page limit. Project description and references should be uploaded as a single PDF.

Finalists will be invited via email to submit a full proposal, and a Stage Two URL will be provided. Competition is very intense; applicants are welcome to apply more than once.

If you do not receive email confirmation of receipt of your LOI within a week of submission, please contact Nan Jahnke at 612-333-4220 or njahnke@mcknight.org.

Deadline: 2018 McKnight Scholar Awards

2017-09-14T15:18:01Z

September 12, 2017 - Applications for the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience Scholar Award due January 8, 2018.

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience supports innovative research designed to bring science closer to the day when diseases of the brain can be accurately diagnosed, prevented, and treated. To this end, the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience invites applications for the 2018 McKnight Scholar Awards.

Background. These awards were established to encourage emerging neuroscientists to focus on disorders of learning and memory. Applicants for the McKnight Scholar Award must demonstrate interest in solving important problems in relevant areas of neuroscience, including the translation of basic research to clinical neuroscience. Awards are given to exceptional young scientists who hold the M.D. and/or Ph.D. degree and who are in the early stages of establishing an independent laboratory and research career. Traditionally, successful candidates have held faculty positions for at least one year. For the names of previous recipients and their projects, click here.

Eligibility. In this competition, up to six McKnight Scholars will be selected to receive three years of support, beginning July 1, 2018.

Applicants must have:

An M.D., Ph.D., or other suitable doctorate
A record of meritorious research
Evidence of a commitment to a career in neuroscience
Full-time appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, and must have served at that rank for less than four years at the application deadline. Scientists holding other titles such as Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible, and time spent in service in those ranks does not count against the four years of service for determining eligibility
No more than four years of experience in an independent faculty position (exceptions may be made to allow for parental leave)
Documentation that the sponsoring institution has government approval for the applicant to work in the U.S.

Applicants may not:

Be employees of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute or of the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health
Apply in more than two rounds of competition
Have already been granted tenure
Hold another award from the McKnight Endowment Fund

Amount and purpose of support. Each McKnight Scholar will receive $75,000 annually in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Funds may be used in any way that will facilitate development of the Scholar’s research program, but not for indirect costs.

Selection process. A review committee will evaluate applications and invite a select few to interview with the committee. Applicants selected will be notified by mid- to late-March. The interviews are scheduled for Thursday, April 19, 2018, in New York City. The committee will then recommend candidates to the Board of Directors of the Endowment Fund for final decision. Awards will be announced on or before May 15, 2018.

Download application and guidelines.

MS Word format (48 KB)
If you receive a pop-up password box, simply click "Cancel" to access and/or save the document.

St. Paul's Seitu Jones takes home $50K for this year's McKnight Distinguished Artist award

2017-08-23T13:10:28Z

http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-s-seitu-jones-takes-home-50k-for-this-year-s-mcknight-distinguished-artist-award/441315193/

McKnight Distinguished Artist Seitu Jones on the power of love, and good public art

2017-08-23T21:21:25Z

https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2017/08/mcknight-distinguished-artist-seitu-jones-power-love-and-good-public-art

Artist/activist behind Frogtown dinner for 2,000 wins $50,000 prize

2017-08-21T13:40:29Z

http://www.twincities.com/2017/08/19/artistactivist-behind-frogtown-dinner-for-2000-named-mcknight-winner/

McKnight Names Visual Artist Seitu Jones as 2017 Distinguished Artist

2017-08-02T15:35:31Z

Photo: The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA)

The McKnight Foundation has selected visual artist Seitu Ken Jones to receive the 2017 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award. The annual honor, now marking its 20th year, provides $50,000 cash to an individual Minnesota artist who has made a significant contribution to the state’s cultural life.

“With grand-scale designs that have been built into the foundation of Minneapolis’s Nicollet Mall and St. Paul’s Green Line transit system, Seitu Jones’ artistic vision has become an indelible part of Minnesota’s cultural landscape,” said Kate Wolford, president of McKnight. “Over the course of a wide-ranging career in painting, sculpture, theater arts, public works, and environmental design, Seitu Jones has demonstrated what’s possible when an artist with a hopeful vision and a generous spirit sets down deep roots in his community. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of this award, it’s especially exciting to be honoring an artist like Seitu, who has contributed so much to our sense of place here in Minnesota.”

Born in north Minneapolis in 1951, Seitu Jones was deeply influenced by the Black Arts Movement and its central belief that artists have an obligation to leave their communities “more beautiful than they found it.” In his five-decade career, Jones served as the first-ever artist-in-residence in the City of Minneapolis, transported audiences with set designs as an original company member of Penumbra Theatre and other stages, and recently set the table for a diverse cast of 2,000 guests at “CREATE: The Community Table,” a half-mile-long public art installation designed to spark conversation about access to healthy food.

A fixture in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood for more than 20 years, Jones has also been a guiding force behind five-acre Frogtown Farm and other urban “greenlining” initiatives. He has sought to raise awareness of environmental justice and to improve access to greenspace in one of the Twin Cities’ most culturally diverse neighborhoods. Part of a network of green activists working to plant 1,000 trees in Frogtown, Jones is a master gardener who has also helped cultivate new intersections between nature, art, and civic infrastructure. He is currently serving his third term on the Capitol Region Watershed District board. He is also one of the founders of Urban Boatbuilders, a nonprofit youth development program that teaches woodworking and other skills.

Nationally recognized as a dynamic collaborator and a creative force for civic engagement, Jones has been honored with numerous awards and fellowships, including a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, a McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship, a Bush Artist Fellowship, a Bush Leadership Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Designer Fellowship, and a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Jones recently retired from the faculty of the Interdisciplinary Arts MFA program at Goddard College in Port Townsend, Washington. He lives and works in St. Paul with his wife, Soyini Guyton, a poet and fellow master gardener.

Jones was selected by a panel of community members with broad perspective and knowledge about the region’s diverse arts and cultural landscape, including Lori Pourier, president, First Peoples Fund; Sandra Agustin, choreographer and arts consultant; Eleanor Savage, artist and program director, Jerome Foundation; Rohan Preston, performing arts critic, Star Tribune; Brian Frink, Artist and Chair, Department of Art, Minnesota State University, Mankato.

ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARD

The McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes artists who have chosen to make their lives and careers in Minnesota, thereby making our state a more culturally rich place. Although they have the talent and the opportunity to pursue their work elsewhere, these artists have chosen to stay — and by staying, they have made a difference. They have founded and strengthened arts organizations, inspired younger artists, and attracted audiences and patrons. Best of all, they have made wonderful, thought-provoking art. The goal of McKnight’s arts funding is to support working artists who create and contribute to vibrant communities. The program is grounded on the belief that Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive. The McKnight Distinguished Artist Award, which comes with $50,000, goes to one Minnesota artist each year.

ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION

The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based Foundation had assets of approximately $2.2 billion and granted about $87 million in 2016. Of that total, about $9 million went to support working artists to create and contribute to vibrant communities.

MEDIA CONTACT

Na Eng, Communications Director, (612) 333-4220

A Statement in the Aftermath of Charlottesville

2017-08-18T16:32:01Z

August 18, 2017

The following statement was released jointly today by board chair Meghan Binger Brown and president Kate Wolford of The McKnight Foundation.

White supremacy and neo-Nazism, and the violence and terror they sow, have no place in this country. It is disquieting that these words need to be uttered given how many veterans, abolitionists, civil rights activists, and ordinary citizens have sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom and equality. And yet, it turns out these words do need to be said — clearly, emphatically, and repeatedly.

We have seen acts of organized hate in our own state. Sacred spaces were defiled with the bombing of a mosque just before morning prayers and with threats to Jewish community centers where children receive care.

In condemning these events, let us not forget the many routine, nearly invisible forms of prejudice our nation must overcome. Even as brazen displays of hatred rightfully appall us, subtle, everyday acts of racism and bigotry need to be rendered just as unacceptable. This is our shared responsibility.

We are heartened to see the multitudes of people of good will in our state and elsewhere who are standing up for the human rights of all. We are also inspired by the many community leaders, public officials, and business leaders we have the great privilege to work with who are working toward a vision of shared well-being and prosperity.

Equity work is personal, institutional, and societal. At McKnight, our entire staff has been examining how we can deepen our understanding of cultural differences and the role of implicit bias. This process has led to penetrating and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. And yet, we know it is necessary to look at ourselves in the mirror and, with great humility, ask how we can more fully embody the values and vision we seek for our community and nation.

The McKnight Foundation will continue to support efforts to advance equity, stand in solidarity with communities that have been particularly targeted, and support meaningful systems change that allow all to thrive. Our country is stronger when we stand together, united in upholding the dignity and value of every life equally.

Photo credit - Karin Dalziel

2017 McKnight Technology Awards

2017-07-14T14:21:25Z

July 14, 2017

Three research projects with the potential to expand available technologies in the field of neuroscience have just been recognized with $600,000 in grant funding from the prestigious 2017 McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Awards. Aimed at advancing the range of tools neuroscientists have to map, monitor, and model brain function, this annual award bestowed by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience will provide a total of $200,000 over two years to the following awardees:

Jose M. Carmena, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences at the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and Michel M. Maharbiz, Ph.D., Professor Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California Berkeley, "Neural Dust: an ultrasonic, low power, extreme miniature technology for completely wireless and untethered neural recordings in the brain."

Ali Gholipour, Ph.D., staff scientist at the Computational Radiology Laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital and Assistant Professor in Radiology, Harvard Medical School, "Motion- robust imaging technology for quantitative analysis of early brain development."

Alexander Schier, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, "Recording the history of neuronal activity through genome editing."

Since the technology awards began in 1999, the Endowment Fund has contributed more than $13 million to innovative technologies for neuroscience. The Endowment Fund is especially interested in work that takes new and novel approaches to advancing the ability to manipulate and analyze brain function. Technologies developed with McKnight support must ultimately be made available to other scientists.

"Again, it has been a thrill to see the ingenuity at work in developing new neurotechnologies," said Markus Meister, Ph.D., chair of the awards committee and the Anne P. and Benjamin F. Biaggini professor of biological sciences at Caltech. "This year's awards sponsor an inspiring range of projects: from imaging the brain of the human fetus, to developing electric probes the size of a dust grain, to writing the history of neural activity into a cell's DNA. Innovation in brain science is alive and well."

This year's selection committee also included Edward Callaway, Adrienne Fairhall, Timothy Holy, Loren Looger, Liqun Luo, and Mala Murthy, who chose this year's McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Awards from a highly competitive pool of 89 applicants.

Letters of intent for the 2018 Technological Innovations award are due Monday, December 4, 2017. For more information about the awards, please visit https://www.neuroscience.mcknight.org

2017 MCKNIGHT TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS IN NEUROSCIENCE AWARDS

Jose M. Carmena, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley

Michel M. Maharbiz, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California Berkeley

Neural Dust: an ultrasonic, low power, extreme miniature technology for completely wireless and untethered neural recordings in the brain

Drs. Carmena and Maharbiz are collaborating to create the next generation of brain-machine interface (BMI) using so-called "neural dust"-implantable, mote-sized, ultrasonic sensors that could eliminate the need for wires that go through the skull, and allow for untethered, real-time wireless cortical recording. While researchers in their labs as well as other colleagues at the University of California Berkeley's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute are studying the potential of neural dust technology as applied to muscles and the peripheral nervous system, funding from McKnight will allow researchers to apply the concept to the central nervous system, a method they believe could revolutionize neurology in the same way the pacemaker revolutionized cardiology. Through closed-loop operation of neural dust technology, Carmena and Maharbiz envision a future in which the brain could be trained or treated to restore normal functionality following injury or the onset of neuropsychological illness.

Ali Gholipour, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Director of Radiology Translational Research and staff scientist at the Computational Radiology Laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital

Motion-robust imaging technology for quantitative analysis of early brain development

The motion of fetuses, newborns, and toddlers poses a special challenge for researchers focused on advanced imaging to analyze early brain development and identify possible disruptions. Dr.

Gholipour's research group in the Computational Radiology Laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital is working to develop, evaluate, and disseminate new, motion-robust magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology and software that will allow researchers to study and characterize in-utero, perinatal, and early childhood brain function and structure. New imaging and image analysis tools can lead to dramatic improvements in the neuroscience community's ability to collect and analyze big data to improve understanding of early brain development and establish a clearer link to disorders that may originate from the earliest stages of life.

Alexander Schier, Ph.D., Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University

Recording the history of neuronal activity through genome editing

Dr. Schier's lab is pursuing a novel technology to test whether genomic editing technologies can record the history of neuronal activity. The proposed approach, called GESTARNA (for genome editing of synthetic target arrays for recording neuronal activity), has the long-term potential to record neuronal activity of millions of neurons over extended periods. Using zebrafish as the model system, the tools and concepts generated by Dr. Schier and his team could eventually be applied to other neuronal systems in which genome editing and next-generation sequencing is possible. A past recipient of McKnight Foundation support, Schier earned early career recognition as a McKnight Scholar (1999-2002), and was a recipient of the Brain Disorders Award (2006-2008).