Ideas at work

Find initiatives and collaborations working to eliminate disparities and learn about effective strategies for action.

Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce
The vision of the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce is facilitating a vibrant and prosperous Minnesota black business community.

Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
A statewide coalition comprised of more than 150 organizations, whose mission is to generate individualized and flexible policies, community support, and resources that will help communities to meet their local housing and homelessness system needs.

Minnesota Department of Health
Initiative to eliminate health disparities in Minnesota.

Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, Inc.
A nonprofit collaborative, founded in 1987, that seeks to increase the success of Students of Color and American Indian Students in Minnesota schools, colleges, and universities.

Minnesota Without Poverty
A statewide, interfaith movement to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020.

The Native Vote Alliance of Minnesota
A Native American-led, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to mobilize and empower Native people in Minnesota as a collective voice through civic participation while embracing our cultural heritage.

The NetWork for Better Futures
A results-oriented collaboration working to reduce the economic and social costs of high-risk adults, primarily African American men, with histories of incarceration, substance abuse, mental illness, chronic unemployment, and homelessness.

Research-based strategies

Listed below are proven, effective strategies linked to reports that provide data and information about how the strategies were implemented.

Create supportive learning environments (1)
- Ready for tomorrow: helping all students achieve secondary and postsecondary success
  Jobs for the Future and NGA Center for Best Practices, November 2003, 43 pp.
  Examines the need for states to be competitive and create conditions for strong economic growth by helping all of their residents increase their skills and be prepared for postsecondary learning opportunities.
Develop skills and knowledge (2)
- Increasing the number of children whose parents have stable employment
  Annie E. Casey Foundation, July 2009, 16 pp.
  This indicator brief outlines eight broad strategies for workforce development that are rooted in lessons learned from recent practice and research.
- Reducing racial disparity in the criminal justice system: A Manual for practitioners and policymakers
  The Sentencing Project, January 2008, 74 pp.
  Presents information on the causes of disparities in the criminal justice system and examines what actions can be taken among criminal justice professionals to reduce disparities at each decision point in the system. The report includes best practices from the field, including two from Minnesota, that have been demonstrated through empirical analysis to show promising results in reducing disparities.
Foster collaboration and connections (2)
- Improving children's health: Understanding children's health disparities and promising approaches to address them
  Children's Defense Fund, June 2006, 85 pp.
  Provides an overview of health disparities and determinants of health outcomes, specifically focusing on children's health. It includes data from the National Health Interview Survey, and strategies to reduce disparities.
- Addressing health disparities in community settings: An Analysis of best practices in community-based approches to ending disparities in health care
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, October 2003, 66 pp.
  This report is based on a study of of community-based initiatives addressing disparities in breast cancer, cervical cancer and diabetes. The authors identify best practices, success factors and the potential contributions of these programs.
Improve access to resources (4)
- Microenterprise programs as asset builders
  The Aspen Institute, June 2007, 4 pp.
  Strategies being used by microenterprise development programs to help low-income families improve their financial footing, acquire assets and build wealth.
- Effectiveness of programs to improve postsecondary education enrollment and success of underrepresented youth
  Wilder Research, November 2006, 31 pp.
  A literature review of the effectiveness of outreach programs to improve postsecondary education enrollment and success of underrepresented youth.
- State policy options to encourage asset development for low income families
  NGA Center for Best Practices, February 2006, 17 pp.
  Suggests a range of strategies for policymakers to help promote savings and increase income levels among low-income individuals and families.
- Addressing health disparities in community settings: An Analysis of best practices in community-based approches to ending disparities in health care
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, October 2003, 66 pp.
  This report is based on a study of of community-based initiatives addressing disparities in breast cancer, cervical cancer and diabetes. The authors identify best practices, success factors and the potential contributions of these programs.
Improve the community environment (3)
- Promoting health equity: A Resource to help communities address social determinants of health
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2008, 116 pp.
  Workbook for people interested in addressing social, economic, and environmental conditions in order to promote health and achieve health equity. The report includes case studies of existing programs, highlights lessons learned from communities working on these issues, and provides information and tools to develop, implement and evaluate interventions that address the social determinants of health equality.
- The Imperatives of reducing health disparities through prevention: Challenges, implications, and opportunities OCTOBER 2006
  Prevention Institute, October 2006, 36 pp.
  This paper focuses on key community factors that can play a pivotal role in reducing health disparities. It identifies strategies and emerging approaches to improving those factors in communities.
- A Community approach to address health disparities: Toolkit for health and resilience in vulnerable environments
  Prevention Institute, September 2004, 251 pp.
  This report provides an overview of the T*H*R*I*V*E project, which provides a framework for community members, coalitions, public health practitioners, and local decision-makers to identify factors associated with poor health outcomes in communities of color, engage relevant stakeholders, and take action to remedy the disparities.