Project for Pride in Living, Inc.
Learn how to support this organization
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
PPL helps people with low incomes create a solid foundation for economic security. Our work focuses on the key drivers of poverty—homelessness and unemployment—and makes a real difference in people’s lives. The rental market is extremely tough right now. More than 40% of renters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area are cost-burdened, paying more than a third of their income on rent, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. When people are paying more than they can afford on rent, a short-term crisis in nearly any area of life can tip the balance toward homelessness and instability. While these challenges affect all communities, households of color are disproportionately impacted. In Minnesota, 40% of households of color experience cost burden compared to 23% of White households. Similar racial disparities in employment, income, education, and homeownership in Minnesota have profound effects on communities of color and diminish the vibrancy of our region.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Housing Stability
• High-quality housing for people with low incomes and people who have experienced homelessness.
• Support for children to prepare for and thrive in school and life.
• Services for individuals and families to gain the stability and network needed to achieve self-reliance.
Career Readiness
• Innovative employment preparation enhanced by partnerships that promote equity and job retention.
• Alternative education and employment initiatives that increase opportunities for young people.
• Financial literacy education, housing counseling, and homebuyer education that supports economic stability and asset building.
Where we work
Awards
Neighborhood Revitalization Award 1998
MetLife
Nonprofit Excellence Award 2005
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Sustained Excellence Award 2010
Fannie Mae Foundation
Community Development Award 2013
Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers
Multi Housing Achievement Design Advertising and Community Support (MADACS) 2014
Minnesota Multi Housing Association
Rescape Award for Community Impact 2014
Minnesota Brownfields
Nonprofit Excellence Award 2017
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and MAP for Nonprofits
Outstanding Service Award 2018
City of Minneapolis
High-Performance Building Award 2019
Xcel Energy
MN Top Workplace Award 2023
Star Tribune
Public Leadership Award 2023
Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of program participants who receive a secondary school diploma or GED
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Career Readiness
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
These results represent the students who graduated from our alternative high schools. 2023 also includes participants who earned their Standard Adult Diploma through our new Diploma Connect program.
Number of households that retain permanent housing for at least 6 months
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Housing Stability
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
In 2023, 98% (1069) of households achieved 24-month housing stability. In 2021, 100% (920) of households served by resident services maintained housing for at least 12 months.
Number of people in the area with access to affordable housing as a result of the nonprofit's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Housing Stability
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2712 people lived with PPL on any given night in 2023.
Number of children and youth who have received access to stable housing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Housing Stability
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
1,112 youth lived in PPL housing in 2023.
Number of job skills training courses/workshops conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Career Readiness
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
PPL provided 18 Career Pathways programs in 2023.
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants who gain employment
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Career Readiness
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Offering quality housing, the right support, and preparation for a job that not only pays the bills but allows people to save for the future, we help program participants move toward greater stability for themselves and the next generation. We walk alongside participants to help them identify their strengths, overcome barriers, and succeed over the long term.
More than 80% of the people served by PPL are people of color. Inequities in income, education, employment, and housing impact the essential elements of an economically stable life and the vitality of the neighborhoods and communities we serve. Our work is deeply connected to racial equity. Thus, we seek to reduce disparities for the people we serve through our programs, practices, and public policy work.
We envision strong, vibrant, diverse communities filled with individuals and families who have achieved stability and are contributing to the regional economy.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
PPL's 2023-25 Strategic Plan outlines our five Strategic Pillars:
1. Race Equity: Elevating community voice and modeling equity-driven practices as an intentional approach to community development.
2. Asset Building: Creating pathways to financial security and wealth generation within BIPOC communities.
3. Strong Neighborhoods: Developing housing and community partnerships that create safe and resilient neighborhoods.
4. Systems Change: Addressing broken and inadequate systems through elevating our voice and the voice of community.
5. Organizational Strength & Stability: Developing a high performing organization that delivers impact for the community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
At PPL, we believe our participants and supporters deserve measurable, lasting results. We take pride in setting high expectations for ourselves - and then pushing to exceed them. Our dedicated staff of housing developers, employment specialists, case managers, social workers, educators, financial coaches, volunteer coordinators, property managers, and support staff work throughout the community we serve to offer a person-centered approach.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
2023 PPL Results:
- Nearly 7,500 people served.
- 1,600+ housing units owned and/or managed by PPL.
- 98% of households achieve 24 months of housing stability.
- Individuals engaged in employment training achieved an average hourly wage of $22.
- 91% of those placed in jobs retained their employment for 12 months or more.
- 99% graduation rate for credit eligible alternative high school students.
- 194 participants engaged around policy and advocacy efforts.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Project for Pride in Living, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/18/2024
Tanya Bell
NTH, Inc.
Term: 2018 - 2027
Colleen Dockendorf
Ryan Companies
Kizzy Downie
Model Cities
Andrew Downey
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Dena VanDeVoort Ehrich
3M
Hussein Farah
New Vision
Spencer Finseth
Greiner Construction
John Hamilton
Retired
Karen Kelley-Ariwoola
Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ)
Sharon Kennedy Vickers
Software for Good
Nick Kozlak
Kozlak Capital
Ken LaChance
Wells Fargo
Ryan Long
Xcel Energy
Damu McCoy
Wells Fargo
Carolyn Roby
Wells Fargo Foundation (retired)
Nasibu Sareva
African Development Center
Courtney Schroeder
General Mills
Sarah Stumme
Allina Health
Torry Whitney
Ecolab
Noya Woodrich
Minnesota Department of Health
Tom Zirbs
U.S. Bank
Tanya Bell
NTH, Inc.
Aaron Kalosis
Ameriprise Bank
Bill McKinney
Elevance Health
Stephen Spears
Bremer Bank
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/07/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.