Minnesota Chamber Foundation

The business environmental sustainability finance program (besfp) is a grant program of the minnesota chamber foundation. The purpose of the besfp grant program is to motivate business owners to complete energy efficiency or waste reduction projects that would otherwise not get done without besfp grant. Grants of up to $3,000 may be available for pre-qualified energy efficiency and waste management projects. Besfp grant program works closely with energy smart or waste wise staff to identify projects that may qualify for a grant. Eligible projects include energy efficient projects that recieve an energy utility rebate and waste projects which result in quantifiable waste diversion (waste kept out of the municipal solid waste stream). No more than one grant per business (or business location) per calander year or for one 12-month period, will be given. Priority is given to businesses that have not received a besfp grant at any time in the past.

Center for workforce solutions: the center for workforce solutions is designed to provide private sector solutions to the workforce challenge facing minnesota employers. The center has multiple focus areas. The first, is the business education network (ben) formed in 2015. Ben is a private-sector solution to employers' urgent need to find skilled, qualified and ready workers for jobs available in communities across our state. Ben partners established a relationship with the united way of the twin cities to expand career pathways in 2024 and that work continued in 2024. The center is also home to the foundation's workforce inclusion initiative. Resources and consulting are provided for employers across minnesota. The inclusive leader's alliance was launched last year. Another area of focus is highlighting and advancing the role of new americans to minnesota's economy, both as workers and entrepreneurs.

Leadership minnesota: we are currently in the 24th year of offering leadership minnesota to our membership with over 800 alumni. Leadership minnesota serves to enhance the understanding of the state's economy and the role of public policy for minnesota's business leaders. Participants from various parts of minnesota will travel across the state with the goal of increasing their understanding of what drives minnesota's economy and how public policy affects the success of business in our state. They will tour various companies and talk directly with industry and company leaders about their economic impact to our state, their challenges, opportunities and future plans. The group is selected in april and the programs begins the following september. An alumni event is held once a year in a part of the state that was not part of the initial program year for participants. Leaders lab: we have concluded ten years of the program with well over 300 alumni. This program is modeled after leadership minnesota but targets developing business leaders. Leaders lab will takes developing business leaders on 4, 2-day sessions. Like leadership minnesota, each session will include opportunities to tour and learn more about industries that drive minnesota's economy and how public policy affects the success of business in our state.

Education: the foundation hosts several events and webinars annually to educate business and community leaders on issues around the economy and workforce.