Together we can grow your organization’s capacity & range

By founding TEA, I am continuing my commitment toward improving our communities directly by helping mission-centered organizations and the people within them. I believe that the nonprofit sector is a catalyzing force in our country and the people who come together around a shared mission are some of the most powerful change-makers in our communities. The pathway TEA brings clients through is unique to each client and forged in partnership with the Executive Director, Board leadership, and key staff members, and will lead to increased philanthropic investment, effective planning, sound fiscal governance, and creative public private partnerships.

Professional Experience:

“Tom Evers has spent his career helping nonprofits reach their full potential through philanthropy and strategic leadership with his extensive experience working on youth and conservation issues on both the national and local level … He has extensive experience in growing and working with Boards of Directors, managing staff to success, developing and implementing long-range strategic plans, marketing, and magning all aspects of fund development and philanthropy”

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board of Commissioners (Resolution 2023-255)

Minneapolis Parks Foundation - Prior to establishing TEA, I served as Executive Director of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation for nearly a decade, transforming it from a small nonprofit into a robust and important philanthropic partner to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and an active participant in national networks including Reimagining the Civic Commons, City Parks Alliance, and the national Percent for Place coalition.

In my time with the Parks Foundation, we grew from three part-time staff and a $500,000 annual budget to a robust team of seven full-time staff members and a $2 million annual budget. We successfully launched and completed the $18 million RiverFirst Capital Campaign, collaborated closely with the MPRB on the community engagement and advancement of many parks projects, stabilized the People for Parks Fund through a merger, and worked with MPRB to support the 2016 citywide initiative to secure more than $300 million in increased funding for neighborhood parks through the 20-year Neighborhood Park Plan (NPP20). But most importantly, I built a supportive team culture that allowed us to meet our mission goals and allow team members to grow professionally.

Playworks Minnesota - In 2010, I became the founding executive director for Playworks Minnesota, a national education organization focused on improving school environments and strengthening student social and emotional well-being by creating healthy, playful environments in every school. In this role, I grew the Minneapolis team to a staff of 20 serving schools in Minneapolis and Saint Paul and the greater Twin Cities. I established a local board of directors that continues to guide and grow Playworks Minnesota’s impact in the region.

Trust for Public Land - Between 2000 and 2010, I rose into leadership roles at the Trust for Public Land as the Midwest Region Communications Director and Director of Philanthropy for Minnesota and the Northwoods. In this time there, I helped secure significant philanthropic investments for land conservation throughout the upper Midwest, contributed to national initiatives, and worked on the successful public funding campaigns, including the 2008 Constitutional Amendment committing dedicated conservation funding for clean water, habitat, and the arts for Minnesota.

Additional Nonprofit Organizations: Clean Water Action, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Vermont State Parks and Recreation, and Prevent Child Abuse Vermont.

Master’s of Public Affairs – Humphrey School, University of Minnesota: I earned a Master’s of Public Affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs with a focus in nonprofit finance and governance. 

Salzburg Global Fellow: In 2017, I was invited to join the Salzburg Global Institute as a Salzburg Global Fellow. Through this role, I convened with park, conservation, and youth program professionals from around the world exploring strategies for designing cities with children and play in mind. Through this work, a series of principles were adopted to promote more child-friendly cities around the globe.

Volunteer Roles:

Urban League Twin Cities (2015-2022) Board of Directors: Chaired the strategic planning committee as well as served as treasurer, vice-president, and president in two terms on the board. 

Standish Ericsson Neighborhood Association (2006-2011) Board of Directors: Treasurer, Vice President, and President

Reimagining the Civic Commons: Through my role with the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, I was a founding member of the national Percent for Place Coalition, which was forged in 2020 to develop new federal funding pathways for civic infrastructure and the public realm.