​This is a season of joy and light. As we at GHR look back on 2015, we would like to express our gratitude for grantees and partners like you, who bring light, innovation and lasting change in the areas of health, education and global development. 

In 2015, our grantees brought together people of different faiths, found new ways to fight Alzheimer's, connected children with families, worked to close the achievement gap in Catholic schools, brought leadership training to Catholic sisters and found other ways to innovate. The video below shares images from the field that illustrate these important priorities. We are humbled by your support, and look forward to continuing collaboration in 2016.

​Wishing you a blessed season and a Happy New Year.

​Amy Goldman
Chief Executive Officer & Chair 
GHR Foundation I ghrfoundation.org I 651.440.2500 

His Holiness Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States created an important moment—unlikely allies came together and people of all faiths were called to advance the common good. Pope Francis has highlighted issues of common concern, from inter-religious collaboration to the importance of service.

To continue momentum following the visit, GHR conducted a brief survey. This online reflection was focused on gathering feedback to Pope Francis’ message and practical next steps. Nearly 100 respondents participated, providing insight and using the moment to look forward. We have compiled the results into a simple and hope-filled book to share reactions and create new connections between partners. As Pope Francis launches the Holy Year of Mercy in another sign of his commitment to openness and collaboration, GHR is motivated to make this moment count.

Please review the report to read quotations and next steps. Feel free to download and share this report containing next steps and words from the Holy Father.

GHR values feedback from our partners and looks forward to implementing our own commitments, including:

1. Convening unlikely partners to find a common path forward
2. Continuing to fund priorities the Holy Father highlighted—inter-religious action and strengthening families

​To learn more about GHR's involvement in Pope Francis' visit to the United States and our commitment to bringing people together, contact us.

GHR Foundation seeks transformational change in education, health and global development, and we partner with the world’s experts in these areas to achieve impact. Some of these partners are other family foundations in Minnesota, a state with a 1,450 foundations working toward important charitable priorities.

The Star Tribune recently published brief profiles on 14 Minnesota foundations, including GHR. The profiles include a brief history, mission and focus areas. The GHR profile highlights our work bringing City Connects to the Twin Cities, an innovative program connecting urban students with resources to meet their out-of-school needs.

Other foundations highlighted include the Blandin Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Minneapolis Foundation and more. We are proud to be part of a cohort of organizations making substantial changes in the Twin Cities and in communities around the world.
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To learn more about how GHR is participating in a powerful exchange of ideas and a community of thought leaders providing locally-driven solutions, contact us.

GHR Foundation’s Health Initiative is dedicated to a game-changing undertaking—the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. The Foundation is targeting funding to improve some of the most important research efforts in the field, including Washington University's DIAN-TU Study. This trial focuses on rapid testing of prevention therapies among families that are most likely to develop the disease.
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Recently, DIAN-TU announced it has completed participant enrollment for the first stage of the trial. This enrollment milestone means the first biomarker results will be available at the end of 2016, with the final cognitive endpoint expected in late 2019. This first stage will determine the effects of two drugs targeting amyloid plaques, which are believed by some scientists to be the first step in the process leading to cognitive impairment.

The DIAN-TU team is working with the next generation of innovative drugs and study designs, and expects enrollment for new drugs. To learn more about DIAN-TU and GHR Foundation’s involvement in other innovative Alzheimer’s prevention trials, contact us.