Minneapolis nonprofit Project Success expands to Mankato schools after record $3 million donation

Project Success was launched 30 years ago to provide free after-school classes and in-school workshops to Minneapolis students, but for the first time in its history, the nonprofit is expanding outside the Twin Cities.

Mankato middle school students are now getting to join the extra classes thanks in part to a $3 million donation announced Wednesday. It is the largest single gift that Project Success has received and it will allow their programs to expand to more places in Minnesota.

The donation, received unexpectedly last year, is from a Minnesota couple, Andris "Andy" Zoltners and Moira Grosbard. Grosbard has volunteered on Project Success' board of directors since 2015.

"[They] wanted more students outside of Minneapolis ... to be able to have these opportunities," said Adrienne Diercks, executive director of Project Success. "We haven't been able to make the leap [to expand outside Minneapolis]."

The nonprofit provides after-school classes to boost students' life and career skills — from money management to cooking lessons. The organization also provides in-school workshops on how students can plan their futures, and offers college tours and theater and outdoor trips to expose students to new experiences, including a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Project Success works with more than 15,000 Minneapolis students a year. This year, it also started working with 2,000 Mankato students — all sixth- and seventh-graders. Organizers hope to bring workshops to more students in the Twin Cities and statewide.

"This has been a dream [to expand outside the Twin Cities] really for the last 10 years," Diercks said.

A bill introduced at the Legislature would boost Project Success' funding with an Education Department grant of $800,000 this year and again next year, specifically to bring its life and career skills programs to greater Minnesota middle and high school students. A similar request last year failed, and Project Success has never received state funding, Diercks said.

"We really want to build a sustainable model where we're in Mankato for 30 years as well," she added.

Mankato Area Public Schools Superintendent Paul Peterson said the in-class workshops from Project Success help students plan future goals, which can help boost school achievement.

"What's different about Project Success is it brings an outside voice into our schools and just provides another layer of enrichment for our kids," Peterson said. "The fact Project Success had such a long history in Minneapolis before expanding to greater Minnesota was really powerful. All schools are looking for ways to create meaningful relationships for kids and help them find their purpose in life."

The donation from Zoltners and Grosbard will help Project Success build its expansion team to bring programs to more Mankato students and to other communities. Diercks said the $3 million will be spent over the next three to five years to expand staffing from the current team of 46 employees.

Grosbard gave the gift for her husband, who died last year.

"For Andy, this gift was in honor of helping all kids to feel like they belong," Grosbard said in a statement. "And for me, this gift is in honor of Andy."

Analysis from Minneapolis Public Schools found that students who participated in Project Success programs increased their GPA, school attendance rate and on-time graduation rate, especially students of color. Most of Project Success' programs are free for students, except for some pay-what-you-can trips.

About 4% of the nonprofit's funding comes from fees that school districts pay, while most of the rest comes from private donations and foundation grants. Diercks said Grosbard's donation was unexpected and will not just represent her husband's legacy but help the Minneapolis nonprofit grow in lasting ways.

"This gift is a foundational gift," Diercks said. "This is the foundation that will take us to the next 30 years."