Like any major metropolitan area, the Twin Cities is home to low-income children and youth who often need services that are beyond their financial means. Fortunately, the area is home to a number of charities whose goal is to help children in a number of different ways.
Geography
The Twin Cities is a popular name for the largest metropolitan area in Minnesota. The metropolitan area is made up primarily of the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Twin Cities metropolitan area is home to more than 3 million people and a number of children's charities. Between 3 percent and 18 percent (depending on the city or suburb) of people in the Twin Cities metropolitan area live at or below the federal poverty level. With an area-wide average of 8 percent (around 240,000 people) living in poverty, many children are in need of charitable assistance.
Types
Children's charities in the Twin Cities include child and youth care, programs to help combat child and youth homelessness and charities offering health and dental care for children. Two charities focusing on these areas are the YouthLink Youth Opportunity Center and YouthCare. Minneapolis is home both to a large foundation focusing on children's cancer research, the Children's Cancer Research Fund, and to a large not-for-profit children's hospital, Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. The Twin Cities area is also home to Children's Dental Services, a not-for-profit clinic whose goal is to offer dental care to low-income children and youth.
Size
The sizes of the charities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area range from annual budgets far under $500,000 to well over $500 million. One of the larger charitable organizations in the Twin Cities is Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. According to Charity Vault, Children's has an assessed value of nearly $900 million and receives as much as $500 million in annual income and contributions.
Potential
Charities like Children's Hospital and Clinics can help to improve the quality of life for children of parents who may not have insurance or the financial resources to pay for major medical care. Children's Dental Services (CDS) works to improve oral health of children in low income families and reduce future dental problems. Charities like the Children's Cancer Research Fund help find treatments and cures for childhood cancers, like leukemia. Social charities like YouthLink and YouthCare have the potential to help at-risk children and youth avoid negative life choices.
Considerations
When considering giving to a charity, make sure that it is registered as a non-profit corporation. Donations to many non-profits are tax deductible. This means that you will not have to pay taxes on donations to eligible Twin Cities charities. When looking for a children's charity in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, ask the organization if donations are tax deductible.
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