“It was inspirational to be in a room of like-minded people who care
so deeply about the work they are doing.“

This was a theme in the feedback from the more than 100 family support professionals who came together in Staples, MN for two days of learning and sharing. The inaugural annual gathering of the Minnesota Community & Family Resource Network (MCFRN) was jointly sponsored by Sourcewell and the Sauer Family Foundation, along with key partners; The Association of MN Counties, the Amherst H Wilder Foundation and Casey Family Programs.

From a pilot grant with Scott County in 2021, the movement to embrace the evidence-based Family Resource Center (FRC) model in Minnesota has blossomed. Over 40 Counties and their community partners are now engaged in community assessments, developing FRCs or are fully operational serving thousands of families each year.

This shared commitment to community prevention is grounded in a solid framework: programming based in the Five Protective Factors framework, Shared Standards of Quality, and the Leadership of Parent Advisory Councils. Fidelity to the evidence-base means continuing education, and the gathering provided shared best practices and more!

Attendees represented a broad range of the public sector; nonprofits, CAP agencies and local collaboratives shared space with County Government staff. County Commissioners, Law Enforcement and representatives from the MN Dept. of Children, Youth and Families also attended as guests.

The theme of the event was Rooted in Community and together, network members deepened their understanding of the framework, dug into the nuts and bolts of program evaluation and got creative with ways to elevate the lived experience of the families they serve.

One critical piece of conversation was around how to sustain this work at a time when federal and state funding are placing increased pressure on local budgets. The evidence is clear that local, community-based prevention efforts work to keep families out of deep end services. FRCs are a critical piece of that infrastructure across the nation and are embedding here in Minnesota too.

The Sauer Family Foundation is proud to support the MCFRN and we are grateful to all the leaders across Minnesota who are stepping up to adopt evidence-based community driven practices. Philanthropy can do amazing things; however, we cannot do it alone. The SFF team holds strongly to the belief that Federal, State and County governments have a role in supporting these efforts because they are programmatically and fiscally effective.

Gatherings such as this one demonstrate that there’s a willingness to come together for systems change. We step into 2026 full of hope that when we stay rooted in community, together we can do great things.

– Emma