FAQs

Rise has office locations throughout the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Greater Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. We also provide employment services in hundreds of community businesses. Our administrative offices are headquartered at 8406 Sunset Road in Spring Lake Park, a northeast suburb of Minneapolis. Click here for a map of Rise locations. 

Rise unlocks potential and opens doors to success for people with disabilities or other challenges through creative solutions and customized support. We envision a progressive, supportive, and collaborative environment that fosters meaningful growth and provides opportunities to live a life filled with purpose

We expect excellence from our team members every day. We ensure that they and the people we serve feel valued and respected at all times. At Rise, we each are expected to be respectable, accountable, and adaptable.

We serve people who have a wide range of disabilities, including mental health, intellectual / developmental, physical, emotional, sensory (hearing and visual), learning, brain injuries, and other disabling conditions. We also provide services to people who are Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard-of-Hearing through the Minnesota Employment Center, a collaboration with Lifetrack.

In addition, Rise serves refugees and immigrants who have barriers to employment such as language, culture, lack of transferable work skills, limited education, and transportation, as well as diagnosed and undiagnosed disabilities. We also serve people who are receiving MFIP (Minnesota Families Investment Program) who are striving to move from welfare to employment.

Rise offers a wide variety of career planning, job training, employment, school-to-work transition, job placement services, and follow-up support services. We also offer mental health housing support services such as independent living skills training, transitional housing, outreach to people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, and other housing supports in Central Minnesota only.

In addition, Rise recognizes the importance of personal growth in all aspects of one’s life. People participating in Rise’s day and employment programs have opportunities to engage in life enrichment activities as part of their weekday schedule, including volunteer projects, art therapy classes, and community outings.

Currently, Rise serves more than 3,500 people annually with 400-plus staff team members. Since its incorporation in 1971, Rise has served at least 30,000 people.

Each of Rise’s programs has its own eligibility requirements; you can look up these requirements here. The referring agency (i.e., county of responsibility, school district, Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services, etc.) is responsible for a person’s service fees; hence, there is no cost to the participant.

Rise’s production facilities offer business customers a wide range of subcontract services including assembly, kit packing, packaging, and bindery. We also have teams of trained and supervised people available to work in area businesses in service areas (i.e., retail stores, hotels, and restaurants) and manufacturing. Read more about Rise’s Business-to-Business Solutions.

Rise has numerous “funding streams” which support our administrative, program, labor/production, and transportation services. The major portion of our income is generated from program service fees, followed by contract labor and production subcontract sales. Rise receives some time-limited grants from federal, state, and county entities to support specific program services and special projects. A smaller portion of our income is also generated through donations, special fundraising events, United Way contributions, and gifts from private foundations and individuals. Our operating budget for 2021 is $26.9 million.

Every three years, Rise undergoes a rigorous and thorough assessment of its program services by surveyors from CARF International (the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities). This intensive accreditation process examines and evaluates all aspects of the agency, including Rise’s management system, employment programs and services, production procedures, and administrative organization to assess its compliance of CARF’s international standards of performance.

CARF accreditation gives consumers and funders confidence that an independent monitoring system is in place. The community can be assured of Rise’s accountability and high-quality program and services. Read more about Rise’s CARF accreditation.

Rise values being a person-centered organization. This impacts how we carry out our services for the people we support as well as our organizational culture. We recognize and celebrate people’s unique and individual differences. Rise is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, welcoming people of all races, religions, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, and backgrounds.

We are always looking for volunteers to support our programming and help us carry out our important mission. For more information, check out our volunteer page here or get started by filling out an application. Our volunteer program team loves finding the right fit to match your interests and skills. Contact the volunteer program at volunteer@rise.org or 763-792-2454 for more information.

Rise stays open whenever possible; you should always assume we will be open until you hear otherwise. Rise does not base its decision to stay open or close on local school districts’ actions, so please do not assume if your school district is closed, that will Rise be closed.

Those who use Rise transportation services get picked up at their homes and are not waiting outside; therefore, it is unlikely we would ever close due to the temperature. All Rise program participants who have complex health needs have a weather-related protocol which is approved by their team and determines when a person should not go to work due to weather conditions.

To stay up-to-date on weather delays and closures, check our Facebook page at Rise (Rise, Incorporated). Tune into WCCO-AM radio (channel 830) and WCCO-TV Channel 4 or their websites at WCCORADIO.com or WCCO.com.

To better assess conditions and allow for snow plowing to occur, Rise may delay start times by one hour. This means that transportation routes would start one hour later and offices will open one hour later. Watch WCCO.com for up-to-date information on late starts and closures. Greater Minnesota locations and work sites may have a different procedure than the sites in the Twin Cities. Follow the procedures and directions given to you by your Rise supervisor.

Rise is closed for the following 2021 holidays:

• New Year’s Day: Friday, January 1, 2021
• Memorial Day: Monday, May 31, 2021
• Independence Day: Monday, July 5, 2021
• Labor Day: Monday, September 6, 2021
• Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 25, 2021
• Day after Thanksgiving: Friday, November 26, 2021
• Christmas Eve: Friday, December 24, 2021

2019 Annual Report