Ripley Memorial Foundation Awards $90,890 in Grants Focused on Teen Pregnancy Prevention Efforts

The Ripley Memorial Foundation, a donor advised fund of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, has awarded $90,890 in general operating grants to advance the work of 10 organizations. The grant period is July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. The Ripley Memorial Foundation shifted their grantmaking timeline to support their current grantee-partners who are operating on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past year, Ripley Memorial Advisors have increased its responsive support for the health and well-being of adolescents and aligned its strategies with the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN), a partnership between the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and the Governor’s Office of the State of Minnesota to create a state where all young women thrive.

Ripley Memorial is engaging with recommendation 15 of the YWI MN’s Blueprint for Action, which proposes 20 community-led solutions to advance opportunities and start eliminating barriers for young women in Minnesota. In alignment with recommendation 15, Ripley grants aim to promote access to women’s health education and services built on cultural and community strengths so that young women know about their bodies and can make appropriate and healthy choices as they grow and age.

Grantees include:

Annex Teen Clinic (Robbinsdale) | $9,760 — To provide comprehensive sexuality education in Northwest Hennepin County. The Annex Teen Clinic helps young people take charge of their sexual health by providing confidential health services and education.

Centro Tyrone Guzman (Minneapolis) | $7,320 — To support Raíces Youth Development Program’s continued work on creating more supportive environments for LGBTQ+ Latine youth. Youth will work collaboratively to develop posters and educational material in Spanish on LGBTQ+ terminology, sharing with community members and local school partners. Centro Tyrone Guzman contributes to the well-being of Latines through education and family engagement.

Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) (St. Paul) | $9,760 — To fund the multi-generational sexual health education program for Latinx families. CLUES advances the capacity of Latino individuals and families to be healthy, prosperous, and engaged in their communities.

Division of Indian Work (Minneapolis) | $9,760 — To support the delivery of its Live It! Teen Pregnancy Prevention Curriculum through a train-the-trainer model. Live It! is a holistic Indigenous-specific curriculum developed and designed by the Division of Indian Work.

Family Tree Clinic (St. Paul) | $9,760 — To support the delivery of comprehensive sex education in Twin Cities Metro area schools with the goal of positively influencing sexual health outcomes among teens. Family Tree Clinic cultivates a healthy community through comprehensive sexual healthcare and education.

FamilyWise Services (St. Paul) | $6,100 — To support the Bright Beginnings program for teen parents ages 14 to 22 who have a history of out-of-home placement or involvement with the justice system. FamilyWise Services strengthens families by promoting the safety, stability, and well-being of children.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (St. Paul) | $9,760 — To support the Seeing and Exploring Life’s Future (SELF) pregnancy/STI prevention program. The SELF program focuses on educating self-advocates in the disability community about sexually transmitted infections, consent, and sexual health, including youth of all backgrounds who identify as having a disability and who pursue individualized education programs.

Way to Grow (Minneapolis) | $9,150 — To support the DreamTracks™ teen parenting program, working with teen parents and their extended families to break the cycle of teenage pregnancy and poverty to move teens towards self-sufficiency. Way to Grow works closely with parents and communities to ensure children from communities facing the greatest disparities are born healthy, stay healthy, and are prepared for school.

YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities (Minneapolis) | $9,760 — To support the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) club programming for youth, ages 12 to 18, which includes teen pregnancy prevention. The YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities believes that everyone deserves a chance to succeed — no matter their background or income, which happens only when we unite to nurture the best in all of us.

YWCA of Minneapolis (Minneapolis) | $9,760 — To support Contact Plus, a high-quality youth development program offering comprehensive sexual health education, leadership development, and school connectedness to youth in Minneapolis Public Schools. YWCA of Minneapolis eliminates racism, empowers women and girls, and promotes peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.