LANESBORO, MN — The Commonweal Theatre is pleased and honored to announce that the organization has been awarded the 2017 Minnesota Nonprofit Award for Excellence by The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and Propel Nonprofits. With a nearly 30-year history of providing high quality, live professional theatre, the Commonweal Theatre has been recognized for overall excellence and is the first professional theatre company to ever receive this distinction from the council. Nonprofit organizations make incredible contributions to the high quality of life in the state of Minnesota and this very special award recognizes the greatness displayed by the Commonweal since its inception as a nonprofit organization in 1994. The council has selected six Minnesota nonprofits as recipients of 2017 Nonprofit Mission and Excellence Awards. Presented each year since 1987, the Mission and Excellence Awards recognize and honor the contributions of Minnesota nonprofits in the areas of Innovation, Advocacy, Anti-Racism, Responsive Philanthropy and Excellence (for large and small organizations). All nominees met a rigorous standard of evaluation in a wide range of areas, including board governance, financial management, civic engagement and, of course, artistic excellence.
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) and Propel Nonprofits celebrated this year’s recipients before more than 850 nonprofit professionals on Friday, October 13 as part of MCN’s 2017 Annual Conference at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. Representing the Commonweal at this event will be Executive Director Hal Cropp, Director of Development Scott Dixon along with members of the Commonweal Board of Directors. “We are deeply honored to receive this award,” states Cropp, “which recognizes not only the fine work that the professional artists of the Commonweal have put on stage for nearly 30 seasons, but also the administrative excellence that the company has brought to serving our mission. This is strong validation for both our company culture as it relates to our extended family and also the unique artist/administrator model under which we function.” Recipients will receive one-of-a-kind glass awards from Minnesota glass artist Robinson Scott, professionally produced videos featuring their organizations, and modest cash awards.
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) was founded in 1987 to meet the increasing information needs of nonprofits and to convene nonprofits to address issues facing the sector. With over 2,100 nonprofit member organizations, it is the second largest state association of nonprofits in the U.S., with a mission to inform, promote, connect and strengthen individual nonprofits and the nonprofit sector. Propel Nonprofits was created from the merger of MAP for Nonprofits and Nonprofits Assistance Fund. The two organizations’ programs were complementary, so the combination provides a more holistic approach to services that meets a larger set of nonprofits’ needs, including the ability to more closely link strategy, governance, and finance.
Funding for the Commonweal Theatre’s programming is provided in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, a grant from the McKnight Foundation and other private funders. For more information about the 2017 season, visit www.CommonwealTheatre.org.