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The future is bright for the youngest readers at Minnetonka Public Schools thanks to the continuing impact from a grant provided by the Minnetonka Public Schools Foundation. The $100,000 grant, distributed during the beginning of the 2024–25 school year, funded more than 35,000 decodable reading books for 96 classrooms in all six of the district’s elementary schools. “We had the opportunity to influence the entire district,” says Troon Dowds, chairman of the foundation.
Decodable books are designed to help beginner readers practice their decoding skills by using text that contains words with letter-sound relationships taught in their classroom. Dowds says several district teachers had requested the books in previous years through the foundation’s teacher grant program.
Knowing there was a need, the group of 19 volunteer trustees with the guidance of Jill Howe, the foundation’s executive director, approached district officials to put together a plan that could have a district-wide impact for both English and Spanish learners. “This effort aligned perfectly with a district goal that revolved around literacy and some changes at the state level,” Howe says. “Minnetonka puts a lot of emphasis on each student reading at or above grade level as soon as possible.
“The $100,000 literacy grant, which was in addition to the other grants funded, has helped raise awareness of what we do,” Howe says. “Teachers are finding us as a resource of support and help.”
Dowds agrees. “I don’t think there’s a trustee on our board who hasn’t heard about the impact of the grant and the decodable readers,” he says. “Everyone is hands on with it. We’ve been fortunate to get that recognition from the district.”
Founded in 1986, the Minnetonka Public Schools Foundation was formed by a group of teachers and parents who saw a need for additional funding and support from the community that couldn’t be met by the district’s budget.
“We are a philanthropic organization that looks for community resources, and our goal is to support and fund programs in the district,” Howe says.
While the foundation has been around for nearly four decades, the teacher grant program wasn’t introduced until 1999. This initiative allows teachers to apply for grants from November through February to implement the following school year, if awarded. “We fund projects for multiple schools and multiple grade levels,” Howe says of the district, which encompasses about 11,200 students.
The foundation continues to gain exposure, as is evident in the number of grant requests submitted. In the 2024 school year, the board received 66 grant requests (50 were funded), a number that grew to 94 submissions in the 2025 school year. Sixty of the 2025 requests were awarded.
Part of what has helped make the foundation the philanthropic powerhouse that it has become are several fundraising efforts, including February’s annual Dream Makers gala. Through the support of donors, both individual and corporate, the foundation has funded 1,031 grants totaling $1.7 million since 1999. The impact the grants have on the district helps it continue to thrive one idea at a time.
Minnetonka Public Schools Foundation
Facebook: Minnetonka Public Schools Foundation
Instagram: @minnetonkafoundation
