Great MN Schools is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit education organization founded in 2015 (IRS ruling year 2016) that works to ensure every child in Minneapolis attends a great school. The organization partners with promising schools, families, and communities to improve educational outcomes and close opportunity gaps. Great MN Schools operates as an education administration program with a staff of approximately 14-18 employees.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$216K
-77.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.1M
+13.5% YoY
Grant Count
24
+20.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$46K
-5.4% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: Ensure every child attends a great school that prepares them to thrive in their lives, career, and community.
Great MN Schools addresses significant educational inequities in Minneapolis, where only 15% of students benefit from a great school. The organization focuses on:
- School Improvement & Partnership: Partnering with promising schools to guide their improvement and growth, providing expert guidance and funding resources
- Student Learning: Strengthening students' learning experiences and advancing educational outcomes
- Family Engagement: Supporting families in making informed decisions about school enrollment and advocating for their children within schools
- Community Building: Engaging the community as partners to build support for proven educational solutions
- Student Connectivity: Operating the Emergency Student Connectivity Fund to ensure students can continue learning through technology and resources for uninterrupted education
The organization emphasizes addressing historical inequities and systemic challenges. Current disparities include fewer than 33% of BIPOC students and 30% of low-income students reading at grade level, compared to 75% of white students. The organization notes that students who cannot read by the end of third grade are 4x more likely to drop out of high school.
Grantmaking
Great MN Schools makes grants to schools and educational organizations. Recent grant activity includes:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Minneapolis, Minnesota. The organization's work focuses specifically on Minneapolis children, with a partnership goal to increase access to great schools and close the opportunity gap for 30,000 Minneapolis children.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
2024 Financial Data:
- Total Revenues: $5,930,581
- Total Expenses: $5,691,975
- Total Assets: $944,896
Rating: Three-Star rating with an 81% score based on Accountability & Finance metrics.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $216,430 | $944,896 | $435,285 |
| Revenue | $5,298,851 | $5,930,581 | $5,152,626 |
| Expenses | $5,784,020 | $5,691,975 | $4,839,133 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $2,317 | $17,631 | $38 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
105 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Great Mn Schools
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Jennifer Stern: CEO
- Karn Engelsgjerd: Senior Director of External Affairs
- Carrie Roby: Portfolio Director (joined October 2025)
- Heidi Reed: Portfolio Director
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAN ALLEYNE | CHAIR | 4 | — |
| BECKY ERDAHL | VICE CHAIR | 1 | — |
| SARAH CLYNE | TREASURER (THRU 9/24) | 1 | — |
| AL FAN | TREASURER (AS OF 9/24) | 1 | — |
| HABON ABDULLE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ROB ALBRIGHT | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JULIE BAKER | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ROSITA BALCH | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| SIMONE HARDEMAN-JONES | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| BERNADEIA JOHNSON | DIRECTOR (THRU 9/24) | 1 | — |
| ALBERTO MONSERRATE | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ADAIR MOSLEY | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| TAD PIPER | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| SONDRA SAMUELS | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| PHIL SORAN | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| BEN WHITNEY | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JENNIFER STERN | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $329,193 |
| SHEILAH KAVANEY | SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS | 40 | $183,107 |
| KYLE PARSONS | VP OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | 40 | $166,853 |
| KARN ENGELSGJERD | SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS | 40 | $172,193 |
| MELISSA LONG | DIRECTOR OF LITERACY | 40 | $159,199 |
| MORGAN BROWN | PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR | 40 | $155,195 |
Contact Information
- Address: 901 North Third Street, Suite 350, Minneapolis, MN 55401
- Phone: (612) 361-1309
- Email: info@greatmnschools.org
- Website: greatmnschools.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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