#93 Jon Pratt, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

Jon Pratt builds community, influence and power every day. He leads the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, a trade association for nonprofit organizations that provide services in the arts, education, affordable housing, health and the environment. Just as chambers of commerce represent the interests of the business community, MCN amplifies the voices of the nonprofit community. It is where members learn about legislation affecting their mission and tax status, new research from the field, and resources for building advocacy capacities. And their considerable collective power is making an impact. MCN members meet regularly with elected officials, identify unmet needs and recommend policy solutions to solve them. Now they are upping their game with Grant Adviser. This new initiative will resonate with anyone who has ever applied for a grant or reported to a funder on grant outcomes. Think of Grant Adviser as Yelp for philanthropy. Nonprofits provide anonymous feedback about foundations, from the application process to their communications with applicants. And foundations are (mostly) taking the feedback seriously. There's more to come from MCN and Grant Advisor. That is always the case when change makers are at the helm.