Creative Support for Organizations-Round 2

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$30,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Merrick, Inc
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
May 2023
End Date
April 2024
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Hennepin
Ramsey
Washington
Hennepin
Ramsey
Washington
Project Overview

Creative Support for Organizations-Round 2

Project Details

Merrick, Inc. will provide high quality, in person music activities for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Uri Camarena: business consultant; Michael Charron: arts educator and an arts and civic leader; Richard Cohen: attorney in private practice and a former state legislator; Emily Galusha: arts and civic leader, former arts administrator; Anthony Gardner: vice president, marketing and communications at CentraCare; Ken Martin, political strategist and campaign manager; Philip McKenzie: team lead with Denver Air, adjunct college faculty; Nichole Melton-Mitchell: healthcare administrator; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Widdess: nonprofit consultant; former arts administrator; Christina Woods: executive director, Duluth Art Institute

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Eric Anderson: Anderson consults on philanthropic services, family philanthropy, donor stewardship, and related projects. He has worked in college recruiting, alumni and development relations, and philanthropic services. Most recently, at The Minneapolis Foundation (2000-2022), he oversaw philanthropic support to more than 1,000 fund advisors. Anderson provided an optimal experience for individuals, families, and organizations advancing their charitable work in the community. His responsibilities included overseeing programs and services for donor advisor engagement, assisting fund advisors in achieving their charitable goals, grant screening and selection, and facilitating various projects as a center for philanthropy advancing an equitable community.; Gwendolyn Barber: Barber is the founder and director of Right to the Solution, a consulting agency for individuals and organizations aiding in development, improvement, and training. Barber has also been the director for Resources, Justice & Management and the Conflict Resolution Center, both nonprofits, serving the Twins Cities metro area. Barber is an honors graduate of Walden University with a master's in business administration focused on management, development, and improvement. Barber is a candidate for her doctor's degree completing all her course work with a 4.0 GPA. She has been part of the National Honor Society since 2013.; Irene Green: Green became executive director of the O'Shaughnessy in July 2022, after nearly twenty years of professional work in the arts, both as an artist and administrator. Most recently, she was the managing director at Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vermont. During her nine year tenure at Northern Stage, Green served as director of sales and marketing and worked occasionally as a professional actor in the area. She was named a "Top 40 Under 40" by Vermont Business Magazine in 2020. Green holds a master of arts with distinction in musical theater from the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London (UK), and a BA in theater and music from Luther College (Decorah, IA).; Jlasnoti Jappah: Jappah is a singer songwriter whose musical style combines the soulfulness of R&B, the fluidity of pop, and the authentic rhythms of Afropop music. She's won the award for Female Artist of the Year at the annual Liberian Music Awards and Star Power of the year at the African Girls Rock awards hosted in Minnesota. With an immaculate stage presence, she's captivated audiences on stages such as the Poorhouse, Myth, and First Avenue. Jappah shows her versatility by including sounds from various genres while highlighting her African roots.; Thalia Kostman: Kostman is a coartistic director of Phantom Chorus Theater and has been a performer and creator in the Twin Cities theater community since 2012. During this time, she has worked with several organizations including her time coordinating with Brooklyn Center Community Center's Puppet Playhouse and serving as assistant director for American Immersion Theater's Minneapolis Troupe. Kostman also cocreated "Cecilies? with Jeesun Choi at Red Eye's Works In Progress series, produced shows at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and performs original mime acts with the Twin Cities Clown Cabaret. She studied physical theater and mime at Macalester College, graduating with a theater major and francophone studies minor. She further trained in mime at Studio Magenia in Paris.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2021, First Special Session, chapter 1, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Education

2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$30,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$30,000
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Adults with intellectual disabilities will improve or maintain their well-being through interactive music instruction and activities. We will survey staff and clients to learn: Did the client participate in a new musical activity? What are the preferred musical activities of the participants? Was the arts activities participation beneficial to the client? In what ways?

Measurable Outcome(s)

Adults with disabilities improved or maintained their well-being through their participation in Merrick's music instruction and activities. We surveyed clients. For clients who do not communicate verbally, staff shared their observations. We learned if they took part in a new musical activity, which activities they liked best, and if they felt the music activities helped them.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
Achieved proposed outcomes.
Recipient Board Members
Deb DeGreeff, Karen DeYoung, Erik Levy, Kristin Mahre, Maureen McGarry, Paul McHale, Heathe rMonnens, Jerome Sage, Philip Sanfilippo, Crystal Saric-Fashant, Dan Schneeman
Project Manager
First Name
John
Last Name
Barker
Organization Name
Merrick, Inc.
Street Address
3210 Labore Rd
City
Vadnais Heights
State
MN
Zip Code
55110
Phone
(651) 789-6200
Email
karenh@merrickinc.org
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency