Ongoing Projects

The PCF is supporting the following projects:

The Foundation has identified four areas of focus that we believe directly impact life in the Plymouth community. These are:

• The social needs of Plymouth, with a focus on youth and the elderly
• Open spaces, such as parks, trails and wetlands (environmental friendliness)
• The arts and other cultural endeavors and programs
• Educational initiatives

Following discussions with representatives of local government, social service providers, school districts, and a variety of other sources, the Foundation has identified a preliminary list of the types of projects we intend to support.  Our initial focus is on areas of both immediate and longer range need and in areas that are under-funded and vulnerable to additional budgetary cuts.  Some of the types of projects we have initially supported have multiple impacts on several of our areas of focus.  Examples, in no particular order of priority, include the following:

• The Plymouth Community Foundation has provided financial support to the Mosaic Youth Center.  We believe youth between the ages of 14 and 19 need a safe, fun, caring, and supportive place to go. Mosaic provides a supervised drug and alcohol-free environment where high school youth can congregate and participate in the performing arts, sports, technology and much more.  Involvement in the Mosaic programs gives them an opportunity to learn leadership skills, become involved in community service programs, prepare for the future, and receive help through the available intervention services if needed.  All youth living in Plymouth and the northwest suburbs are eligible for involvement in the Mosaic programs.
  
  
• In today's society, every community is impacted by domestic abuse situations.  Plymouth is not immune to this.  The Plymouth Community Foundation provides financial support to Home Free, a program of Missions Inc., that provides emergency housing and support services for women in abusive situations.  The Foundation's funding goes towards the costs associated with Home Free abuse prevention and intervention services that provide information, support, counseling, legal help and advocacy for Plymouth residents.
  
  
• Plymouth is facing the opportunities and challenges of increasing levels of immigration, just as communities across the nation did a century ago with the arrival of millions of non-English speaking European immigrants.  Language barriers pose a challenge for our schools and public and private social service providers.  The Foundation is in the process of exploring this as an area of possible involvement.  Educational services in the areas of ESL, functional work English, computer literacy, and civic engagement can help our new neighbors become effective citizens in a difficult new environment.  Additionally, education around the unique aspects of diverse cultures can benefit both new arrivals and life-long Minnesotans.
  
  
• Some of the most valued natural assets of the Plymouth community are its open spaces, trails, lakes and wetlands.  As the population continues to grow, the Foundation believes that other civic needs will demand a higher priority for available tax dollars.  We envision the Foundation as a possible participant in the acquisition of available land and other resources for the purpose of expanding open spaces and ultimately helping to maintain an environmental balance in the Plymouth area.

Where do your contributions go?

General Operating Fund:   The PCF is raising funds on an ongoing basis for its General Operating Fund.  These funds will be used by the Foundation to grant money to additional Art, Education, Social Need, and Environmental/Green Space projects that support the mission of PCF. To make a contribution to the Foundation for the ongoing support of its activities, please click here.

Endowment Fund:   The PCF's ongoing goal is to accumulate a large sum of contributions that will perpetuate the philanthropic efforts of the Foundation. By definition, an endowment fund is "A fund whose principal must be maintained inviolate but whose income may be expended." The distributed interest from the PCF endowment fund will provide ongoing benefit to the Plymouth community for years to come. To make a contribution to the Foundation's Endowment fund, please click here.