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Featured Clients

Children’s Home SocietyEhlers Public Finance Family Housing FundFriends of the Mississippi RiverLive MSP (Minneapolis Saint Paul)Minnesota Green CommunitiesMinnesotans for Impartial Courts

Children’s Home Society and Family ServicesOrganization Rebranding: Website and Logo

Ehlers Public FinanceCompany Rebranding: Marketing Materials

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First we understand your point-of-view.

LEADERS IN PUBLIC FINANCE

EHLERS

Then we expand your horizons.

The story behind our symbolThe sigma ( ) symbol symbolizes the fact that we are equal to the sum of our parts. Each person counts at Ehlers. Everyone is encouraged to develop his or her talent. The result is a motivated and collaborative work culture that adds value to the communities we serve.

The seal that surrounds the sigma symbolizes trust—the only basis for enduring relation-ships. From our start in 1955, our word has been our bond. We’re dedicated to providing independent financial advice without any conflicting interests.

Improving communities through public finance


EHLERS

We know where you’re coming from. In fact, three-quarters of our

Financial Advisors have prior experience in elective office or government

work. You can depend on Ehlers to provide financial advice that is

aligned with the interests of your community. We can see things your

way because we’re on your side.

First we understand your point-of-view.


EHLERS

Then we expand your horizons.

Our word is our bond.

Gain objective financial advice.Ehlers has been providing objective financial advice to leaders in Midwestern com-

munities since 1955. We have the experience, knowledge and skills to navigate the

maze of financial options. Our goal is to expand your horizons and achieve practical

solutions at the lowest cost to taxpayers. Our interests are aligned with yours.

Ehlers exclusively for public sector clients and we will not work for developers or

bond brokers, ensuring that you avoid even a perception of any conflict of interest.

However, we work amicably with all stakeholders to serve the public good. Our

allegiance is with the communities we serve.

Leaders call us to provide debt issuance and financial planning services. We also provide

services to spur economic development and rerevitalize neighborhoods. Success with

these financial endeavors requires public understanding and support. Clients use our

development and communications services to augment their internal staff.

Ehlers consistently ranks as one of the top financial advisory firms in number of sales

in the Midwest and in the top three nationwide. Our Financial Advisors drive more

than 400,000 miles a year to serve our clients. Our success is the result of established

long-term relationships and hard work.

Our founder, Robert L. Ehlers, Sr., grew up in Montana,

a state where your word is your bond. After receiving his

law degree and moving to Minnesota, Bob recognized

the conflict of interest when broker-dealers represent both

the buyer and the issuer in the sale of a municipal bond

issue. He founded Ehlers in 1955 to align interests and to

help communities better plan for growth.

Bob Ehlers sold the company to his employees in 1985,

but his legacy continues. He liked to say, “We don’t do

deals. We build communities.” Helping a community build

a new water system or school building brought him great

satisfaction. Bob never wavered from his commitment to

wearing the white hat.

We listen to your vision.

Improve your community.We work with counties, cities, suburbs, townships, school districts and other govern-

mental units to build better communities. We help you plan for and finance new city

halls, county jails and schools, sewage and water treatment systems, along with new

roadways and street reconstruction projects—to align with master plans to develop,

redevelop and economically renew communities.

Through all of the complexity it’s a pleasure to see the results. These tangible

additions improve the quality of the day and strengthen the fabric of community.

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mod tincidunt laoreet dolore magna aliquam etio erat volutpat. Ut wisi sienim ad

minim veniam, quis volupat posim nobis no.

Adiam nonummy euismod tincidunt laoreet dolore magna aliquam etio erat ersb

volutpat. Ut wisi sienim ad minim veniam, quis nosotrud placerat facer posim

nobis. Nonummy suirmod tincienut lorattet ngrans laquanm etio rientsd guirow

theiwoet. Ut wisi sienim ad minim veniam, quis ad minim posim siluta esse nobis.

Ut wisi sienim ad minim veniam, quis volupat posim nobis no.

Ehlers helps communities make plans and decisions without the hassle, worries and

wasted time. To help you design customized solutions that achieve financial goals we

track State and Federal regulations, cross-pollinate knowledge, leverage our experi-

ence, and tap into our long-term relationships with other public finance professionals.

Each Ehlers Financial Advisor is a financial and community expert, backed by a team

of specialists. Our Financial Advisors walk their talk. With over fifty years of success,

we’ve earned our reputation as leaders in public finance.

Extend your capabilities.

Debt Issuance ServicesPlanning, issuance and management of debt is an on-going

process. The issuance of debt requires an ongoing stream

of tasks—evaluating options for upcoming projects; looking

to the future for balance in capital investment and revenue

demands; responding to legislative change; understanding

market conditions in financial markets; planning for

refinancing; and bringing issues to market.

We help structure bond issues, navigate the rating agency

process, produce the official statement, assist the bond

attorney with the resolution for the sale, take competitive

bids for the sale, and coordinate all of the closing details.

Ecomonic Development, Redevelopment, and Housing There are multiple steps in thoughtful tax base growth,

creating new employment opportunities, revitalizing

neighborhoods and providing housing, including:

1) Attracting and vetting developer experience;

2) Navigating the regu-latory restrictions associated

with subsidies; 3) Analyzing developers’ pro-formas

and reaching a development agreement; 4) Testing the

success of a project through a look-back provision.

Ehlers can help with each step.

Financial PlanningBudgeting should not be “paycheck to paycheck.” Long-range

financial planning makes the annual budgeting process less

painful and enables policy makers to focus on big picture

questions related to tax rates, utility feeds, and debt to cash

ratios. Rating agencies are increasingly emphasizing the need

for specific policies and regular review by elected officials.

Ehlers can help guide you through the process.

Management, Communication, and Public ParticipationThe success of financial endeavors often requires public

understanding and support. Open houses, newsletters, and

hearings are key factors in informing the citizens. Better-

informed citizens are more likely to pass referenda and

support elected officials at elections. Ehlers augments your

staff to manage communication and public participation.

Four service lines

We see ways to get it done.

Our word is our bond.

Gain objective financial advice.Ehlers has been providing objective financial advice to leaders in Midwestern com-

munities since 1955. We have the experience, knowledge and skills to navigate the

maze of financial options. Our goal is to expand your horizons and achieve practical

solutions at the lowest cost to taxpayers. Our interests are aligned with yours.

Ehlers exclusively for public sector clients and we will not work for developers or

bond brokers, ensuring that you avoid even a perception of any conflict of interest.

However, we work amicably with all stakeholders to serve the public good. Our

allegiance is with the communities we serve.

Leaders call us to provide debt issuance and financial planning services. We also provide

services to spur economic development and rerevitalize neighborhoods. Success with

these financial endeavors requires public understanding and support. Clients use our

development and communications services to augment their internal staff.

Ehlers consistently ranks as one of the top financial advisory firms in number of sales

in the Midwest and in the top three nationwide. Our Financial Advisors drive more

than 400,000 miles a year to serve our clients. Our success is the result of established

long-term relationships and hard work.

Our founder, Robert L. Ehlers, Sr., grew up in Montana,

a state where your word is your bond. After receiving his

law degree and moving to Minnesota, Bob recognized

the conflict of interest when broker-dealers represent both

the buyer and the issuer in the sale of a municipal bond

issue. He founded Ehlers in 1955 to align interests and to

help communities better plan for growth.

Bob Ehlers sold the company to his employees in 1985,

but his legacy continues. He liked to say, “We don’t do

deals. We build communities.” Helping a community build

a new water system or school building brought him great

satisfaction. Bob never wavered from his commitment to

wearing the white hat.

Ehlers Public FinanceCompany Rebranding: Marketing Materials

Ehlers Public FinanceCompany Rebranding: Brand Guidelines

4.4The Customized Solution Icon

Acceptable usage

Ehlers Brand Guidelines

Brand Guidelines

B. Transparent color D. Cropped as a backgroundC. Transparent black

A., B., and C. (shown above) are the only three acceptable reproductions of the Customized Solutions Icon. For all print and electronic applications, the Custom-ized Solutions Icon must be reproduced from reproduction-quality art or from high resolution digital fi les.

Adhering to the following color reproduction guidelines will help in creating a consistent image and maintain the visual impact of the Customized Solutions Icon.

The Customized Solutions Icon:

1. When used in its entirety, (not cropped) must be used in the color sequencing pattern with the “green fi n” up and curving clockwise as shown.2. Must always be reproduced on a white background.3. Should be reproduced in full or transparent color whenever possible. However, the Customized Solution Icon can be reproduced in a transparent black/gray tint. It should never be reproduced in a non-transparent dark black/gray.4. Can be cropped and used as a background for other graphic elements or type. (as shown in example D, above)5. May be used with or without the Customized Solutions Totem. (see pages 4.5 – 4.6)

A. Full color reproduction

Always use a white background when reproducing the Customized Solutions Icon.

Minnesota Green CommunitiesWebsite and Marketing Materials

MINNESOTA GREEN COMMUNITIES This initiative is designed to foster the creation of affordable, healthier, ��

“ Long-term affordability for our housing stock is an important issue and green building strategies can help us keep operating and maintenance costs down and create healthier indoor environmnets for families.”� � � � ��

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Developer/Sponsor

Architect

General Contractor

Units

Project Description

A Green Advantage

Aeon

LHB

Watson-Forsberg

60

Ripley Gardens is the redevelopment of the former Ripley Maternity Hospital in the Harrison Neighborhood of Minneapolis. The development includes the restoration of three historic buildings and the addition of three new buildings to provide 52 rental and eight home ownership units.

The site is listed on both the National and Local Registers of Historic Places in recognition of its important place in the history of both women and medicine. In 1886, Dr. Martha Ripley, one of the few female physicians at that time, decided to address the exceptionally high mortality rate for women in childbirth by founding a women-operated maternity hospital. From the beginning, she insisted on welcoming everyone who came to its doors, regardless of financial means, marital sta-tus, age, or ethnicity. The Maternity Hospital closed in 1956 and the property was transformed into Queen Care Nursing Home, which operated until 2000. The site was vacant until Ripley Gardens opened in October 2007.

The plans for the site were developed with extensive participa-tion by the Harrison Neighborhood Association, which has become a strong supporter of the project.

The Ripley Gardens development incorporates a wide range of sustainable design elements, including:

of green space.-

portation with direct service to downtown Minneapolis and the western suburbs.

solar heating.

three rain gardens.

surfaces and reduces heat island effect.

Ripley GardensMinneapolis, Minnesota (opened October 2007)

A collaboration of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, the Family Housing Fund, and Enterprise

www.mngreencommunities.org

Project FinancingMinnesota Green Communities $78,000

Limited Partner Equity, LIHTC $5,091,851

First Mortgage $2,730,000

City of Minneapolis (CPED-CDBG, HOME, AHTF, Seed) $1,145,000

Historic Rehab Tax Credits (HTC) $1,067,149

Pending HTC Adjustment $50,000

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) $600,000

Hennepin County AHIF $550,000

Hennepin County ERF $542,600

Minnesota Housing $478,000

Met Council—LCDA $450,000

Aeon Gap Loan $318,898

Neighborhood Revitalization Program $300,000

Federal Historic Save America’s Treasures Grant $295,000

Foundation/Other $235,128

General Partner Deferred Developer Fee $149,841

Investment Account Interest $107,922

Family Housing Fund $100,000

Historic Preservation Grants $65,000

Private Donations $62,043

Hennepin County Lead Grant $42,000

CPED—Non-profit Admin $30,000

Hennepin County TOD $10,000

Total Project Financing $14,498,432

Minnesota Green CommunitiesConference Materials

Wednesday, May 16 and Thursday, May 17, 2007 • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.The Depot • 225 South Third Avenue • Minneapolis MN • 55401

2nd annual statewide conference presented by Minnesota Green Communities

How to plan and build healthy, sustainable affordable housing and communities in Minnesota

A collaboration of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, the Family Housing Fund, and Enterprise

Day One

Wednesday, May 16

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Morning Breakout Sessions

Toward Net Zero Energy in Affordable Housing Kim Bretheim, LHBRick Carter, LHB

Architects Kim Bretheim and Rick Carter will present energy consumptionand cost data, examples of energy-neutral buildings, and strategies forachieving net zero energy in affordable housing developments. Learn howrenewable energy and green power can be incorporated into your next project. Participants will leave with an understanding of net zero energybuildings and the feasibility of their application in affordable housing.

Affordable Conservation Land Use and Design—From Ordinance to ResultsDr. Kim Alan Chapman, Applied Ecological Services

For almost 20 years, Applied Ecological Services (AES) has brought the science of ecology to land use decisions, with ecologists working hand-in-hand with engineers, architects, planners, and other professionals to deliversolutions to land use challenges. Chapman will discuss the first ConservationDevelopment design approved under a 2006 St. Croix County (WI) conser-vation subdivision ordinance. (St. Croix County is in the Twin Cities metro-politan statistical area.) The ordinance challenged the developer and AESto transform an agricultural site into a mid-market residential developmentwhich harmonizes with the land, protects and enhances habitats and atrout stream, and establishes a unique identity for residents in close prox-imity to the natural world.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Manage Green: A Guide to Green Property ManagementKim Carlson, EarthSmart LLC

As founder of Cities Management, the largest residential property management firm in the upper Midwest, Kim talks about how and why she has created an award winning environmental management program for property managers. Participants learn about the green market in general and more specifically the green building market, including why it is important to consider implementing green building management principles. The workshop is designed to give information on the areas of building management that can be greened and practical steps that building managers and owners can take to implement a green program.

Greening Minnesota through Green Roofs and ResearchLeslie Hoffman, Earth Pledge

Earth Pledge’s current work is focusing on bringing the benefits of greenroofs to the communities of Minnesota. Green roofs are a sustainable build-ing practice that deliver numerous environmental and economic benefits to the community, tenants, and building owner. Earth Pledge will discuss its Viridian program, providing integrated design, material sourcing, smarttools, and financial services for green roof projects, and how it is accelerat-ing the implementation of green roofs on affordable housing developmentsand community buildings.

10:30 a.m. to Noon

7:30 a.m.

8 a.m.

Noon

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

8:30 to 10 a.m.

1:30 to 3 p.m.

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Day One Schedule

Plenary Sessions

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Welcome and Opening RemarksDana Bourland, Senior Director, Enterprise Community PartnersTom Fulton, President, Family Housing FundWarren Hanson, President and CEO, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund

Keynote Luncheon AddressCreating Healthy, Active, Livable Housing and CommunitiesXavier Bonnefoy, Head of Environment and Health Consulting, Paris, FranceFormer Regional Advisor on Housing and Health, World Health Organization

With 16 years experience at the World Health Organization, Mr. Bonnefoydelivers an engaging speech on the powerful connections between housingand public health. Bonnefoy, backed by a body of evidence, will discuss themany health aspects of green design and building, including connecting thedots between urban sprawl and public health, the importance of buildinghealthy communities, and the health consequences of global climate change.

Track One (Building Green)

EEBA “Houses that Work: The House-as-a-System Approach” Mark LaLiberte, Building Knowledge

This full day course features Mark LaLiberte from Building Knowledge, back by popular demand from our 2006 conference. Based on U.S.Department of Energy Building America Program research, EEBA’s nationallyacclaimed Houses That Work™ course helps affordable housing developers,builders, contractors, and architects improve the performance, efficiency, and durability of the homes they build. The workshop also provides strategiesto reduce costly callbacks, warranty, and liability issues. Topics include:

Part 1 Building Science PrinciplesPart 2 Addressing Ventilation and Water ManagementPart 3 Effective Insulation/Air Sealing: Roof, Walls, Windows, and FoundationPart 4 Better Mechanical Systems, Advanced Framing, and Marketing

Track Two (Policy and Technical Sessions)

Morning Session

Discovering the Synergy of a Green Team: The Integrated Design ProcessJosh Arnold, Focus on Energy/Franklin Energy ServicesJeffrey Schoeneck, UrbanWorks Architecture

The integrated design process is the first and most critical piece in the devel-opment of green affordable housing. Through the lens of a local case study,this session will identify key steps taken and examples of trade-offs whengoing through this process. Utilizing a holistic and total systems approach,integrated design incorporates sustainability from the outset and connectsthe design to regional and site-specific conditions. The benefits of an inte-grated design process include substantially lower development costs andgreater health, economic, and environmental benefits for residents, propertyowners, and communities.

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Greening i Minnesota through Green Roofs and ResearchLeslie Hoffman, Earth Pledge

Earth Pledge’s current work is focusing on bringing the benefits of greenroofs to the communities of Minnesota. Green roofs are a sustainable build-ing practice that deliver numerous environmental and economic benefits to the community, tenants, and building owner. Earth Pledge will discuss its Viridian program, providing integrated design, material sourcing, smarttools, and financial services for green roof projects, and how it is accelerat-ing the implementation of green roofs on affordable housing developmentsand community buildings.

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Day One Schedule

Plenary Sessions


Welcome and Opening RemarksDana Bourland, Senior Director, Enterprise Community PartnersTom Fulton, President, Family Housing FundWarren Hanson, President and CEO, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund

Keynote Luncheon AddressCreating Healthy, Active, Livable Housing and CommunitiesXavier Bonnefoy, Head of Environment and Health Consulting, Paris, FranceFormer Regional Advisor on Housing and Health, World Health Organization

With 16 years experience at the World Health Organization, Mr. Bonnefoydelivers an engaging speech on the powerful connections between housingand public health. Bonnefoy, backed by a body of evidence, will discuss themany health aspects of green design and building, including connecting thedots between urban sprawl and public health, the importance of buildinghealthy communities, and the health consequences of global climate change.

Track One (Building Green)

EEBA “Houses that Work: The House-as-a-System Approach” Mark LaLiberte, Building Knowledge

This full day course features Mark LaLiberte from Building Knowledge, back by popular demand from our 2006 conference. Based on U.S.Department of Energy Building America Program research, EEBA’s nationallyacclaimed Houses That Work™ course helps affordable housing developers,builders, contractors, and architects improve the performance, efficiency, and durability of the homes they build. The workshop also provides strategiesto reduce costly callbacks, warranty, and liability issues. Topics include:

Part 1 Building Science PrinciplesPart 2 Addressing Ventilation and Water ManagementPart 3 Effective Insulation/Air Sealing: Roof, Walls, Windows, and FoundationPart 4 Better Mechanical Systems, Advanced Framing, and Marketing

Track Two (Policy and Technical Sessions)

Morning Session

Discovering the Synergy of a Green Team: The Integrated Design ProcessJosh Arnold, Focus on Energy/Franklin Energy ServicesJeffrey Schoeneck, UrbanWorks Architecture

The integrated design process is the first and most critical piece in the devel-opment of green affordable housing. Through the lens of a local case study,this session will identify key steps taken and examples of trade-offs whengoing through this process. Utilizing a holistic and total systems approach,integrated design incorporates sustainability from the outset and connects thedesign to regional and site-specific conditions. The benefits of an integrateddesign process include substantially lower development costs and greaterhealth, economic, and environmental benefits for residents, property owners,and communities.

Morning Breakout Sessions

Toward Net Zero Energy in Affordable Housing Kim Bretheim, LHBRick Carter, LHB

Architects Kim Bretheim and Rick Carter will present energy consumptionand cost data, examples of energy-neutral buildings, and strategies forachieving net zero energy in affordable housing developments. Learn howrenewable energy and green power can be incorporated into your next project. Participants will leave with an understanding of net zero energybuildings and the feasibility of their application in affordable housing.

Affordable Conservation Land Use and Design—From Ordinance to ResultsDr. Kim Alan Chapman, Applied Ecological Services

For almost 20 years, Applied Ecological Services (AES) has brought the science of ecology to land use decisions, with ecologists working hand-in-hand with engineers, architects, planners, and other professionals todeliver solutions to land use challenges. Chapman will discuss the firstConservation Development design approved under a 2006 St. Croix County(WI) conser-vation subdivision ordinance. (St. Croix County is in the TwinCities metro-politan statistical area.) The ordinance challenged the develop-er and AES to transform an agricultural site into a mid-market residentialdevelopment which harmonizes with the land, protects and enhanceshabitats and a trout stream, and establishes a unique identity for residentsin close prox-imity to the natural world.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Manage Green: A Guide to Green Property ManagementKim Carlson, EarthSmart LLC

As founder of Cities Management, the largest residential property management firm in the upper Midwest, Kim talks about how and why she has created an award winning environmental management program for property managers. Participants learn about the green market in general and more specifically the green building market, including why it is important to consider implementing green building management principles. The workshop is designed to give information on the areas of building management that can be greened and practical steps that building managers and owners can take to implement a green program.

Greening Minnesota through Green Roofs and ResearchLeslie Hoffman, Earth Pledge

Earth Pledge’s current work is focusing on bringing the benefits of greenroofs to the communities of Minnesota. Green roofs are a sustainablebuilding practice that deliver numerous environmental and economic benefits to the community, tenants, and building owner. Earth Pledge willdiscuss its Viridian program, providing integrated design, material sourc-ing, smart tools, and financial services for green roof projects, and how itis accelerating the implementation of green roofs on affordable housingdevelopments and community buildings.

3:30 to 5 p.m.

5 to 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 17

7:30 a.m.

8:15 a.m.

Noon

8:30 to 5 p.m.

8:30 to 10 a.m.

10:30 a.m. to Noon

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Day Two

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Minnehaha Avenue Apartments, Minneapolis Viking Terrace, Worthington Clover Field Marketplace, Chaska New San Marco, Duluth The Wellstone, Minneapolis


Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:30 to 10 a.m.

10:30 a.m. to Noon

Noon

10 to 10:30 a.m.

3 to 3:30 p.m.

5 to 6:30 p.m.

7:30 to 8 a.m.

8 to 8:30 a.m.

Discovering the Synergy of a Green Team: The Integrated Design Process

EEBA “Houses that Work”Part 1


Toward Net Zero Energy in Affordable Housing

Affordable ConservationLand Use and Design—From Ordinance to Results


Manage Green: A Guide to Green Property Management

Greening Minnesota through Green Roofs and Research


Global Warming: Minnesotans Respond to a Growing Energy Crisis

Keynote Luncheon Address: Xavier Bonnefoy

Break/Exhibit Tables


Green Happy Hour (optional)

Wednesday Track One Track TwoPlenary Sessions

1:30 to 3 p.m.

3:30 to 5 p.m.

Track One Track TwoPlenary Sessions


Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:30 to 10 a.m.

10:30 a.m. to noon

Noon

10 to 10:30 a.m.

3 to 3:30 p.m.

7:30 to 8:15 a.m.

8:15 to 8:30 a.m.

Breaking New Ground: The Minnesota Overlay to the Green Communities Criteria

Greening Single Family Homes:Unique Challenges and Opportunities

Building Science + Systems Approach = Performance

Healthy Homes, Healthy FamiliesPart 1


Energy Efficiency: The Greenest Energy Sourcefor Multifamily Buildings


Alternative Stormwater Management for Form& Function

Clearing the Hurdles to Finding Green Building Products


Local Leadership: Green Cities and Towns

Keynote Luncheon Address: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.



Thursday

1:30 to 3 p.m.

3:30 to 5 p.m.

Continuing Education Credits are available on May 16 for EBBA “Houses that Work”• Eight hours of AIBD accreditation• Eight hours of NAHB Master Builder accreditation• Five hours of RESNET accreditation• Eight hours of AIA/CEU accreditationNote: Minnesota Green Communities is applying for CEUs for several additional conference sessions. Updated information will be available on-line in early May.

Conference Schedule Grid

Register online at: www.greencommunitiesonline.org /minnesota. For more information, please contact Janne Flisrand at 651-221-1997, ext. 119 or [email protected].

Minnesotans for Impartial CourtsOrganization Brand: Marketing Kit and Website

Governor Al Quie, Chairman of the Board952.935.3804 • [email protected]

P.O. Box 582635 • Minneapolis, MN 55458-2635

Protecting Justice for Our Citizens

Impartial Courts

Partisan political battles are waged for power,

not justice.

Impartial judges insure justice for all.

Protect Fair and Impartial JusticeA Summary of Our Proposal for Judicial Selection and Retention

Minnesota’s judicial elections are changing

Minnesotans hold our courts in high regard. And we

should. We demand that our judges be impartial and

follow the law. Rules of professional conduct traditionally

helped ensure the impartiality and high ethical standard

of Minnesota judges.

Until 2005, it was considered unethical for judges in

Minnesota to seek campaign endorsements from political

parties and special interest groups or to proclaim their

personal positions on controversial issues in order to

win their elections. However, the U. S. Supreme Court

concluded in the White decision that Minnesota’s system

of competitive judicial elections cannot limit campaign

speech. As a result, the door is now open for Minnesota

judicial candidates to make promises to and solicit

campaign contributions from special interest groups.

The national trend is more money and more negative campaigning

Some believe Minnesota’s judicial elections are not at risk.

But after a review of what is happening, it is clear that big-

money judcial campaigns are coming to Minnesota:

• During the past four elections, judicial candidates in

contested races have spent over $155 million on their

campaigns—and millions more have been spent by

special interest groups and political parties.

• In 2000, only four of the 18 states with contested

Supreme Court elections saw television advertising used

for those elections. By 2006, 10 of the 11 states with

contested elections experienced paid advertisements,

with an average of $1.6 million spent in each state.

• Judicial candidates in these states have branched beyond

advertising on qualifications or temperament. Sixty

percent of negative ads in 2006 were paid for by candi-

date committees. Television advertising is not the only

sign of changing judicial campaigns nationally. Special

interest groups, in addition to spending an average of a

half million dollars in each state in 2006, increased their

use of candidate questionnaires to get judicial candidates

to take positions on political issues and future cases.

It’s happening next door

In Wisconsin in 2007, an estimated $6 million was

spent in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which

was described as “the nastiest and bleakest” by

the Associated Press.

(Pioneer Press, April 4, 2007)

“ Independence and impartiality are

under attack from those who would

substitute their personal, partisan,

economic or social agendas for the

rule of law.”

Justice Alan Page, Supreme Court of Minnesota

“ Motivated interest groups are pouring

money into judicial elections in record

amounts. Whether or not they succeed

in their attempts to sway the voters, these

efforts threaten the integrity of judicial

selection and compromise public percep-

tion of judicial decisions…As interest-

group spending rises, public confidence

in the judiciary declines.”

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Justice for Sale: How Special-Interest Money Threatens the Integrity of Our Courts, Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2007

idered unethical for judges in

paign endorsements from political

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was described as “the nastiest and blea

the Associated Press.

(Pioneer Press, April 4, 2007)

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Partisan political battles are waged for power,

not justice.Impartial judges insure justice for all.

Minnesotans for Impartial CourtsOrganization Brand: Marketing Kit and Website

Friends of the Mississippi RiverCapital Campaign Brochure

Minnesotans have a root connection with America’s great river.

It may trace back to a family excursion, a Mark Twain tale, a Fort Snelling field trip or simply to a child’s learning to spell her first big word—Mississippi.

But later, that fabled name may recede to a dividing line on the map, its natural wonders no more than a slash of color glimpsed over the rail of a busy bridge. As our cities once did, we turn our backs to the river.

Over time, the Upper Mississippi has lost more than our attention.

Its waters—the major source of drinking water for millions in the metro area and the migration path for 40 percent of the nation’s waterfowl—are greatly impaired. Wildlife habitat retreats as new human habitat, attracted by scenic views and open land, carves it up, paves it over or loves it to death. Once disturbed, the remaining biodiversity cedes ground to invasive exotics, while the toxic seepage of “progress” leaves its residue up and down the river.

Our river deserves better.

The Mississippi is not just the Twin Cities’ catch basin as it winds from Anoka to Hastings. For stretches it’s a river wild and nearly pristine, nurturing beaver, blue racers and bald eagles. You can stand amid serene woods and dramatic bluffs scarcely different from the overlooks that took away the breath of the first settlers. Or paddle past cliffs worthy of the Boundary Waters — but still within reach of a short drive, a bus route, a leisurely pedal, a stroll.

Beneath this beauty, the land is at work for us, holding back erosion, cleansing water and feeding songbirds.

We still can decide what becomes of the river.

Friends of the Mississippi River and citizens like you are taking a stand for our lands and waters. We’re coming together to raise $3.6 million to protect our river and restore more of the watershed that determines its well-being. What we will do here, right now, flows downstream —and into the future.

Please join us as stewards in the Mississippi Riverlands Legacy Campaign.

Stewart Crosby and Peter Gove, Co-Chairs, Mississippi Riverlands Legacy Campaign

for the

Friends of the Mississippi RiverCapital Campaign Brochure

[ 2 ] [ 3 ]

Protecting our natural legacyFriends of the Mississippi River (FMR) has focused on protecting five critical areas in Dakota and Washington counties where beautiful and ecologically significant lands can still be preserved, connected and maintained in a natural state.

ST. CROIX BLUFFS

The St. Croix River valley contains significant natural areas and a near- pristine environment. It still has a few large tracts of forested blufflands that are vital to the metro area’s natural corridor system and to the continued health of the St. Croix and the Mississippi. But these scenic and beautiful bluffs are prime targets for development, and water quality is increasingly impaired by high levels of nutrients.

In partnership with the Washington County Land and Water Legacy Program, FMR is working with Minnesota landowners near the con- fluence with the Mississippi to permanently protect the land and ensure its continued ability to function as a vital ecological resource.

PINE BEND BLUFFS

The Pine Bend Bluffs Natural Area contains some of the largest and highest quality natural communities remaining along the river in the Twin Cities. Deep wooded ravines, forested blufflands, dry bluff prairies, and black ash swamps provide important habitat for several rare species and for millions of migratory birds.

Protecting this high-priority area will link new tracts of land within the Pine Bend Bluff Scientific & Natural Area and create a vital greenway corridor for wildlife and low-impact recreation.

VERMILLION RIVER

The Vermillion River—the last remaining urban trophy trout stream in the United States—meanders through former prairie recharging the groundwater aquifers that supply the drinking water for the Hastings area. Then it abruptly drops over a magnificent 75-foot waterfall before traveling through a deep gorge and winding its way onto the vast Mississippi River floodplain.

Before joining the Mississippi, the Vermillion “bottoms” hug the Minnesota bluffs through 20 miles of sloughs, wetlands, lakes and forests that contain habitat for several rare bird species and abundant wildlife.

The Vermillion River area encompasses the largest and most complex parts of Dakota County’s visionary Farmland and Natural Area Program. FMR will help protect, restore and manage critical parcels for habitat, public open space and key watershed buffer lands needed to filter out pollutants before they enter the river and endanger wildlife and public health.

HASTINGS SAND COULEE PRAIRIE

The Hastings Sand Coulee is an extremely rare and fragile dry sand gravel prairie, home to thirteen rare plant and animal species. It is the largest re-maining native prairie in Dakota County, which once was half prairie lands.

FMR has been working for several years with public and private landowners to manage and protect this natural area, leading to the formation of the Hastings Sand Coulee Scientific & Natural Area in 2007. We will work with other landowners who have expressed interest in restoring and protecting additional acres of this rare and beautiful prairie.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY

As populations continue to grow and developed areas expand in the southeast metro, the Mississippi River Greenway Plan provides cities, townships and other local government units with guidance in protecting important natural areas. Greenways provide essential pathways for migratory birds, native wildlife and plants, and often provide recreational and scenic amenities as well.

The plan identifies a portion of the Mississippi River Greenway in southern Washington County and eastern Dakota County—which encompasses bays, backwaters, bluffs, floodplain islands and forested areas—as high quality wildlife habitat worthy of open space preservation. Other areas need to be restored as well as protected.

FMR will lead efforts with local, state and national government partners to acquire critical parcels and preserve their scenic and ecological character, and will help landowners permanently protect and restore key areas to ensure the connectivity of the greenway and enhance its natural and recreational features.

[ 2 ][ 2 ]

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The Stand for the Riverland

Hastings community leader Sharon Avent, Presdent and CEO of Smead Manufacturing Company,

owns farmland and a home just upriver from Hastings River Flats Park. FMR is honored that she

became an early investor in the Mississippi Riverlands Legacy Campaign and is grateful for her

continued leadership role in protecting and restoring land and water quality in her community.

After petroleum storage tanks were removed from the park site next to Lock and Dam No. 2,

FMR helped the city realize its vision for Hastings River Flats Park by studying the natural areas,

developing recommendations and then coordinating and managing its restoration.

, and the home my mother built is on a gorgeous spot to observe the

migration of birds. Still, she loved to drive down here to the lock and dam and watch the birds, the clouds and the

barges from the river level. We’d even come and sit in the rain—it doesn’t matter what season, Hastings is blessed.

Hastings needs to grow to keep the city viable, but there has to be a balance between development and conservation.

We need to be socially responsible about how we preserve desirable land. Someday, we’ll be gone, but the land and the

river will still be here. If a tree falls, you can plant another one, but you can’t plant another river. This is the only one

we get. Protecting the river may not all happen today with every property owner. But it starts with the conversation

you can have, without a legal entity coming in and saying “this is how we’re going to do it.” The Friends have been

a wonderful conduit among landowners and cities, creating a non-confrontational setting to start that conversation.

A catalyst for cooperation

The Mississippi Riverlands Legacy Fund will be a catalyst that enhances all FMR’s contributions

to land protection in the metro region and stimulates new thinking about how communities can

work together to improve the ecological value of the landscape they share.

[ 10 ] [ 11 ]

Joe Beattie Biology Teacher, Hastings High School

“ As I worked as an FMR volunteer restoring natural areas in Hastings, it opened up

the idea: Maybe I could do this with my class. Now it’s part and parcel of what we

do, helping students understand how unique and special these places are —and

what work still needs to be done.”

Strategic Funding

Expanding protected lands

Supplementing public dollars

Stimulating private giving

Real Estate Expertise

Reducing uncertainty for owners

Relieving agency backlogs

Protecting land sooner

Land Acquisition and Protection

Land Management

Restoring land sooner

Saving endangered habitat

Establishing critical connections

Public Engagement

Raising awareness & ownership

Mobilizing volunteer efforts

Increasing support for investment

Family Housing Fund Annual Report 2006

2007/08 Calendar

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FA M I LY H O U S I N G F U N D A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 06 2

About the Fund

In 2006, the Family Housing Fund conducted a strategic planning process to betterdefine its vision and goals. As part of that endeavor, it rewrote its stated mission to moreaccurately embody the full range of its work. The Fund’s initial purpose to provideaffordable housing to low- and moderate-income families in the Twin Cities remains thesame. But its current mission statement also reflects its expanded role as a convener andfacilitator in the community and its strong belief in creating housing that protects boththe health of the area’s residents and the overall vitality of the region.

Established in 1980, the Fund supports the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, theMetropolitan Council, and Minnesota Housing in their efforts to meet the region’saffordable housing needs. Originally created by The McKnight Foundation and thecities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the Fund officially extended its service area tenyears ago to include the entire Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area.

As a housing intermediary, the Fund brings together people, money, and expertise to support the delivery of affordable housing. As a funder, the Fund raises money fromfoundations and corporations and uses those funds to make grants and loans toward thecreation and preservation of safe housing. As a convener and facilitator, the Fund bringstogether individuals and organizations from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors todevelop ways to meet the growing demand for sustainable housing. And as an educator,the Fund provides information to community leaders and the general public aboutaffordable housing needs and opportunities.

Left: Scott Streble | Untitled (detail) | 2004, gelatin silver print | Right: Sandra Menefee Taylor | Untitled | 2000, gauze and mixed media

2006 Programs and Accomplishments

Since 1980, Fund investments of $168 million have helped finance more than 31,000units of affordable housing and leveraged an additional $2.5 billion from governmentsources, private lenders, investors, and other contributors. Last year alone, the FamilyHousing Fund gave nearly $7 million of financial assistance to nonprofit organizations,government agencies, and private developers to assist in the production or preservationof more than 600 affordable housing units in the Twin Cities and to offer homeowner-ship counseling and foreclosure prevention to those who needed it. The Fund also provided critical support to 21 local nonprofit and advocacy organizations whose workcomplements and supports the Fund’s mission.

While our accomplishments are often determined by the number of housing units createdor preserved, we know the real measure—and success—of our endeavors come from theindividuals, families, and children who call these units home. And their stories—fromchildren who rejoice in having rooms of their own for the first time, parents who are better able to succeed at work or attend college, and neighborhoods that gain renewedhope from revitalized houses and better green spaces—are the ones we most relish andcelebrate. At the same time, the hundreds of families who remain homeless, live in sub-standard buildings, or face eviction because their housing expenses have become too costly motivate us to do even more.

In 2006, as part of our strategic planning process, we reorganized our efforts into fourmain initiatives. With innovative change at the core of each, these program areas include:Linking Workforce Housing and Regional Growth; Promoting SuccessfulHomeownership; Ending Homelessness; and Reimagining Affordable Housing.Accomplishments from the past year in each of these areas follow on the next four pages.

more workforce rental housing, and bring stability to familiesand neighborhoods throughout the metropolitan area. And anunprecedented amount of coordination is occurring across local,county, and state levels, with architects, city planners, housingdevelopers, and others coming together to design and buildhealthy, sustainable housing and green spaces across Minnesota.

Since 1980, the Family Housing Fund, together with our manyoutstanding partners, has been working to ensure that as manyfamilies as possible have safe, stable, and affordable places to callhome. During its 27-year history, the Fund has helped produceor preserve more than 31,000 affordable houses throughout themetropolitan area, providing a foundation for people to thriveand grow at home, at work, at school, and at play.

Our hope is that this annual report—presented once again in calendar form with the powerful words and images of the Fund’s“Home Sweet Home Again” poets and artists—will help celebrate,challenge, and inspire our endeavors and those of our colleagues,partners, and the broader community throughout the year.

The Family Housing Fund would like to give special thanks to The McKnight Foundation, whose leadership and vision continue to guide and motivate our work, and to our many private and public partners, who are working with us to open newdoors and create a positive “floor plan of the future” for all families in our state.

Home

this poem evokes many of the intimate and peaceful emotionsassociated with the word “home.” It speaks of strength, stability,and comfort. It alludes to a neighborhood with trees, gardens,and wishes fulfilled —“I knew it would be this way.”

But for too many families and individuals in our community,home is not so certain a thing. The Twin Cities, like metro-politan areas nationwide, face an epidemic of foreclosures, withthousands of people each year losing their houses—and oftentheir dreams. Instead of home being a peaceful refuge, homebecomes a burden, as mortgage payments double and foreclosureor eviction notices pile up at the front door. Neighborhoodsbecome blighted with boarded-up houses, for-sale signs, andfeelings of anxiety and insecurity.

At the same time, thousands of Minnesotans are homeless on anygiven night. Home for them is only a small cot in a crowded shelter, a sofa in someone else’s living room, or a pile of news-papers under a bridge. Home for the homeless becomes an elusive—and often unobtainable—goal. And even with a home,many others live in substandard structures that pose health andsafety risks to them and their children.

Fortunately, organizations and individuals in our community arefighting back to keep homes safe, healthy, and peaceful places foreveryone. Both the private and public sectors are also joiningforces to tackle the foreclosure crisis, end homelessness, provide

Left: Tim Nolan’s poem “Home” | Right: Rod Massey | West 57th Street, Minneapolis, Summer (detail) | 1998, oil on canvas | Cover: Linda Frichtel | Living in Community (detail) | 2007, acrylic on board

The Family Housing Fund

So I always knew these rooms would be here,these small closets, the close nooks and corners.

So I knew I would open this door and breathedeeply in and see the floor plan of the future—

down the hall to the right or to the left. SoI knew I would be within these shingles and studs,

looking out this clear glass into the yard, to the skywhich goes on being blue and bright. The trees

are just leafing out. I knew it would be this way.

1

Contents

Home 1

Programs and Accomplishments 2–6

Acknowledgments 7– 8

Support for Other Organizations 9

2007/08 Calendar 10 – 36

Financial Statements 37

Board of Directors and Family Housing Fund Staff 38

“Home Sweet Home Again”Artists and Poets 38

2006 Programs and Accomplishments

Our mission is to provide safe, affordable, sustainable homes to families and children in the Twin Cities metropolitan area through ongoing partnerships with the public and private sector.

D e c e m b e rSusanne Crane | Sanctuary | 2002

Reproduced as a digital print in Barbara Buhn Friberg’s Susie and Tia

Claire S. Aronson’s poem “Dreaming”

Since 1980, Family Housing Fund investments of $168.2 million have helped finance 31,154 units of affordable housing and leveraged an additional $2.5 billion from government agencies, private lenders, investors, and other contributors. Visit www.fhfund.org to learn more about affordable housing and the Fund’s programs and initiatives,

order and download fact sheets and reports, and link to other local and national organizations.

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I ’m sixand I dream I’m a princess

in a castlewith a tower to look down from and wave at all the people and smile at the handsome young prince who loves me.

I ’m twelveand I really want

some private spacewith a door I can close and a desk to keep my secret thoughts, things for school,and the watercolor set from grandma.

I ’m sixteenand I wish our house was pretty

so I could have friends overlike the other kids, where we could laughand dance and play our music and neighborswouldn’t yell and fight every night.

I ’m twenty-fiveand my dreams are grown-up now.

I want to feel safeand not worry that my baby will eat the peeling paintor I’ll trip on rotting stairs.

What I dream of nowis a sturdy house, a roof that doesn’t leak,

windows overlooking a clean street,a place I can fix up as I like, a little yardwith flowers where my daughtercan play princess and her friends like to come.

Family Housing Fund2008 Annual Report

Family Housing Fund

Strategic Plan 2007–2010

17

Gustavo Lira | Untitled (detail) | 2004, glass and mixed media

16 The Family Housing Fund will join with dedicated people and organizations in authentic partner-ships to work toward achieving the results listed below by the year 2010. While some of these goalsmay be difficult to obtain, we hope to set the bar high to make the most progress possible. TheFund and its partners will help ensure that:

The supply of affordable housing throughout the metropolitan area is growing as fast as the need.There is a substantial increase in the percentage of low-income families of color who have access to housing throughout the region, including 40,000 new homeowners of color. All new affordablehousing meets the Green Communities Criteria for green building practices. The state ofMinnesota is a recognized leader in innovative housing design that sets new standards in beauty and utility. Twin Cities low-income individuals and families who experience housing emergencieswill have a continuum of housing options. Children who have suffered homelessness or other hardships have access to trauma-focused care that builds resiliency and healthy development.Art in many forms inspires all aspects of our work, and we use it as a vehicle to communicate more meaningfully to a wider audience. There is a substantial increase of people of color at all levels of the housing and community development industry. Neighborhoods throughout the TwinCities metropolitan area achieve their potential as safe, vibrant, and inspirational places to live.

Vision for the Future

I lie awake long after my family has gone to sleep

I feel safe

I stare at the lamp outside my window, strangely blurred

from the fog and the ripping wind

Rain is fogging my window

I feel safe….

I lay awake long after my family has fallen asleep

I feel safe

at home

I feel safe

Gemma Kirby, age 10, affordable housing residentExcerpt from “Safe”

Vision for the Future

98

History: 1980 to 2006

For more than a quarter of a century, the Family Housing Fund has been creating affordable housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals and families in the Twin Cities.While the Fund values all of its accomplishments and the many partnerships created, a few of the more significant moments in its history appear on the following pages.

In 1980, The McKnight Foundation approached the mayors of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and offered to work with the two cities to provide affordable housing for lower-income families. This effort was initiated by McKnight’s passion for the well-being of disadvantaged families anda growing concern that many families were finding it increasingly difficult to secure a decent, safe, and affordable home. McKnight and the cities created the Fund to be the intermediary that

would manage this unique public-private partnership and provided $17million in start-up funds. Through this initial vision, the Family HousingFund became a catalyst for innovation in the affordable housing field.

For the past 26 years, the Fund has worked closely with the two cities,McKnight, and a growing number of other agencies and community partners to create a sustainable system for meeting affordable housingneeds. The Fund has raised more than $160 million from McKnight,dozens of other private foundations and corporations, and numerous public sources. The Fund has used this money to leverage major policy

History: 1980 to 2006

“Achieving a winning season and promoting societal change are both long-term undertakings.They involve process as much as outcome, and we need to appreciate the small successesalong the way. Both require tremendous patience—a willingness to accept that the fruits of one’s labor may not be fully realized for years. And both require unrelenting hope.”

Erika L. Binger Board Chair, The McKnight FoundationExcerpt from McKnight’s 2004 Annual Report

19811980

The Family Housing Fund is incorporated.

Minneapolis and SaintPaul approve resolutions adopting an initial planand pledging cooperation.

The McKnight Foundationawards its first contributionto the Fund—$17 million.

The Fund’s Board approves its firstdeferred loan to support 18th andClinton, an affordable rental housingdevelopment for low-income families.

The Fund’s Board approves Phase I of the Home Ownership program, which features a $120 million joint revenue bond sale and the provision of assistance for lower-income families in the form of mortgage loans.

1983 1985 1986

The Family Housing FundBoard votes to establishthe Twin Cities HousingDevelopment Corporation(TCHDC).

The Board votes to extend itsactivities to include supportivehousing for the homeless andadopts the More Than Shelterplan, based on a continuum of care.

For the first time ever, the two citycouncils for Minneapolis and SaintPaul meet jointly. This event results in an award of $11.9 million ofrestructured bond proceeds to theFamily Housing Fund.

1987

The Board votes to invite theLocal Initiatives SupportCorporation (LISC) to establish aTwin Cities program and providesan initial $325,000 grant.

1990

The Fund Board approves a loanto Parkside Townhomes in Burnsville. This marks the Fund’s first loan to a project outside of Minneapolis or Saint Paul.

The Fund receives its first major grantfrom a source other than The McKnightFoundation—a $550,000 grant from the St. Paul Companies to support thedevelopment of affordable housing.

and systems change and to help preserve and produce more than 30,000 affordable housing units for lower-income families.

The Fund has traditionally divided its work into four areas: home-ownership, rental housing, supportive housing, and research and publiceducation. With this strategic plan, we have redefined our programs to better reflect our current work, including linking workforce housing and regional growth, ending homelessness, promoting successful home-ownership, and reimagining affordable housing. Innovative change is at the center of all four program areas.

Family Housing Fund25th Year Strategic Plan

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