Edward, Maureen's brother, began the foundation after selling his gift products company in 1993. Not yet 50 when he started his foundation, Edward, who is single, is "having fun watching his money do some things" while he's still around to see it, says his sister. Because of the stock market's recent stellar performance, the Bazinet Foundation has been able to donate between $800,000 and $1 million a year without affecting the principal, she adds.
Although their mission allows them to give money widely, the Bazinets' first imperative has been to help the "neediest of the needy," says Maureen.
To that end, their first major gift in 1993–1994 was $1 million given toward remodeling the Blaisdell Avenue YMCA in Minneapolis' Lyndale neighborhood with a grant that leveraged an additional $2 million from the McKnight Foundation and the YMCA's national organization.
"That was the most fun story," remembers Maureen. "This Y was bursting at the seams with so many people, but it was hard for them to get the money to expand. Within a week of our $1 million gift, the McKnight and the national Y had given their money, too. We broke ground soon after that."
That kind of leveraging demonstrates what a family foundation, even a small or medium-sized one can do, says Maureen. "A family foundation can come in and make a difference in a project by saying, 'We value you.'" After that, other groups are more likely to get on board, as the Bazinets proved with their gift to the Blaisdell Y.
The Bazinets are also longtime local AIDS philanthropists, paying each summer for AIDS patients and their families to attend Lutheran Social Services' Camp Knutson; donating $250,000 to build the AIDS residence Grace House II; and giving annual operating grants to both Grace houses, which are located in south-central Minneapolis near St. Joan of Arc church.
Knowing whom their money helps is also important to the Bazinets. They have gone beyond making typical site visits to actually cooking dinner once a month for Grace House residents. "It's a way for our kids to get involved and be a part of it," Maureen Bazinet says. "We see how sick the residents are, and it helps the kids broaden their worldviews and keep their own minor problems in perspective. The next time they whine over their favorite shirt getting ruined we can say, 'Remember what the men at Grace House are dealing with every day.'"
Another program close to the Bazinets' hearts is one tied to Maureen's 30-year career with the Minneapolis Public Schools. For each of the past six years, the Bazinet Foundation's Village Scholars Program has chosen a half-dozen high school graduates to receive four-year, $16,000 college scholarships. Village Scholars must be graduates of Minneapolis Public Schools with some economic need and an interest in a creative field. At a dinner held each summer for the Village Scholars, Edward R. Bazinet Foundation board members and scholarship selection committee members meet that year's crop of promising young musicians, dancers, and poets, as well as reconnect with previous years' winners. "It's a rewarding evening for everyone", Maureen says.
But then, rewarding moments are frequent in philanthropy, she says. "Our family was very middle class, and we were raised with typical middle-class values. Then along comes this money, which has allowed us to make a difference in our community. It's been very gratifying." MM
Lynette Lamb is a Minneapolis freelance writer.
