On September 24, 2026, over 270 people came together to mark a decade of work for great schools in Minneapolis and to commit to the next ten years.
Ten years ago, Great MN Schools started with a simple belief: every child in Minneapolis deserves a school that prepares them to thrive. This fall, we celebrated that decade with the people who made it possible.
The room was full of people from every chapter of our story: founding supporters, school leaders, nonprofit partners, policymakers and funders. Some have been with us since day one. Many were joining us for the first time. What stood out was the joy of connecting with people who share a passion, and a shared commitment to what comes next.
Honoring a Legacy
We were honored to present our first-ever Legacy Award to Tad Piper. The award honors an individual whose vision, persistence, and personal commitment have helped shape not just one organization, but the broader community’s pursuit of great schools for every child. It reflects a body of work carried out over the years, often behind the scenes, and in deep collaboration with others.
Tad’s commitment to education began over two decades ago, when he joined a corporate group conducting an intensive, three-month study of Minneapolis Public Schools. He has dedicated his time to supporting non-profits working in different parts of the education ecosystem, serving on the boards of Minnesota Comeback, E4E, EdAllies, and Great MN Schools, among others.
His conviction that strong school systems are foundational to a healthy community has never wavered. “There’s no magic bullet to solving our issues of homelessness or poverty,” Tad says, “but education is about as close as you get to a long-term solution to some of society’s most difficult problems.”
What keeps Tad optimistic is a deep belief in the potential of students, and the opportunity to work in partnership with the next generation of leaders. “That continues to be a real energizing thing for me,” he says, “and I’m quite optimistic that we’re going to get this right. We just have to stay at it.”
Be a part of the next 10 years
Together we raised over $120,000 towards our mission to ensure every child in Minneapolis attends a great school that prepares them to thrive. That means more resources going towards what we know works for kids: strong, empowered school leaders, students held to high expectations, families equipped to advocate and make informed decisions, and real systems of data transparency and accountability. Today our work reaches over 6,400 Minneapolis students every year and we are poised to scale.
Thank you to everyone who showed up, gave, and recommitted to this work alongside us. If you weren’t able to join us: you haven’t missed your chance. You can still give here and we welcome the chance to talk with you about ways to get involved. Contact Karn Engelsgjerd, our Senior Director of External Affairs, to set up a meeting. kengelsgjerd@greatmnschools.org
Greater MSP
Thank you to our Sponsors
The next SPARK starts here.
Can we count on you to join us?