[Community Hightlights] [Survey Highlights] [Press Release]

Contact: Lisa D. Winkler
The Saint Paul Foundation 651.224.5463

The Saint Paul Foundation took part in a national survey called the Social Capital Community Benchmark survey, the largest-ever survey on civic engagement. The survey - a national sample of some 30,000 respondents in 40 communities (of which the East Metro was one) - was conducted by Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone: Collapse and Revival of the American Community and principal investigator of the Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America, a project at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The results are the culmination of a yearlong project promised by Putnam during his visit to Saint Paul last summer.

This survey clearly supports the strategic direction of The Saint Paul Foundation and its grantmaking plan: Connections: Commitment to Community. The Connections strategies are heavily oriented towards building social capital to help achieve four major community outcomes.
1. Creating an anti-racist community
2. Economic development for all segments of the East Metro area
3. Strong families that provide healthy beginnings for children and youth
4. Quality education for all.

The Saint Paul Foundation has a number of projects that focus on building social capital including the Children, Families and Community Initiative, the Diversity Endowment Funds, and others. The Foundation continues to examine the levels of social capital in the diverse parts of our community and implement culturally appropriate ways to strengthen it.

Children, Families and Community Initiative (CFCI)
Since its creation in the early 1990s, the Children, Families and Community Initiative uses a model of community ownership as a means to strengthen children and families, and build healthy neighborhoods. As an excellent example of building social capital, this initiative builds leadership and capacity in neighborhood organizations and provides grants to improve the lives of children and families.

Diversity Endowment Funds
The Diversity Endowment Funds (DEF) represent a unique partnership between communities of color and The Saint Paul Foundation. Since their creation in 1992, the DEF have focused on engaging communities of color in all aspects of philanthropy - as donors, decision-makers, grantmakers, and grant recipients - to build community capacity. The DEF blend a multi-cultural approach while preserving the distinct characteristics of each community.

The Saint Paul Foundation
Backgrounder

On most measures of social capital, St. Paul metro survey respondents were quite similar to those from other parts of the country who were like them demographically. The St. Paul area sample consisted of 503 people. The survey was conducted during July-November 2000 by TNS Intersearch - an international survey firm.

Highlights include:

· Respondents in the St. Paul metro sample were more likely to say that most people are trustworthy and to indicate more trust of neighbors, co-workers, and the local police.

· Respondents in the St. Paul metro sample were more likely to say they had voted in the 1996 presidential election and were more likely to be able to name both U.S. Senators from their state.

· St. Paul metro respondents were more likely to have given $500 or more to religious organizations and to have volunteered more times for different types of organizations during the past year.

· St. Paul metro respondents were less likely to have signed a petition or to have been involved in a public interest or political group in the past year.

· During the past year, St. Paul metro respondents reported visiting relatives, having friends over to their home, and socializing with co-workers outside of work slightly less often than most people.

See attached: Social Capital Survey Report - Wilder Research Center

The Saint Paul Foundation is a community foundation serving the East Metro area by building permanent charitable capital, making philanthropic grants, and providing services that contribute to the health and vitality of the community. Established in 1940, the Foundation manages a total of 780 funds with an estimated market value of $647 million, including the trusts and funds of its affiliate, Minnesota Foundation.