Supporting Racial Equity in Our Community

Our grant will aid in providing 50 unsheltered, exploited youth with access to trauma-responsive, culturally appropriate support services to mitigate risk factors contributing to youth homelessness, while interrupting and preventing cycles of trafficking and exploitation.

Ain Dah Yung Center shares a vision for an inclusive, diverse and vibrant community where all families have access to basic needs and where youth are prepared for life-long success. Programming acknowledges and addresses centuries of historical trauma experienced by the American Indian community and prioritizes the importance of providing culturally responsive housing and services for American Indian youth, who statistically experience homelessness at a vastly disproportionate rate.

This grant will expand student-driven projects engaging BIPOC* youth in Northwest Hennepin County, Minnesota. The Annex and their partners will provide support for young people to learn new skills, develop leadership abilities, and grow confidence in themselves. This is important for increasing educational equity because BIPOC youth often lack a voice in shaping school services that are targeted toward them.

CIS-TC conducts targeted, trauma-informed interventions that connect students to basic needs resources and provide support as they catch-up in their learning. They provide mentorship, academic support, and life skills training to meet students where they are in their learning and further evaluate additional needs, such as food, housing or mental health support.

Model Cities helps potential homebuyers develop a foundation of financial literacy to build assets, stability and independence - all of which contribute to safer communities for BIPOC families.

Neighborhood HealthSource will expand their Northside Youth Healing Team to address gun violence and trauma in North Minneapolis. As part of the program, they will address and support healing from trauma as individuals, as a community, and as organizations working in North Minneapolis.

Project DIVA International serves middle and high school Black girls in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding suburbs with culturally relevant mentoring and career development services and provides the tools, skills and experiences to help Black girls set and achieve goals.

Sabathani's training program prepares participants for employment in livable-wage jobs. The program is anchored around intensive, individually tailored, culturally responsive case management. Services include career counseling and goal setting, soft employment skills, a healthy lifestyle assessment, resume building, and practice interviews.

The Foundation supports new African immigrants in the Twin Cities by building a workforce pipeline to obtain gainful employment through career coaching, academic and workforce skills training, wrapa round services, and culturally competent mentorship.

This grant to StudiOne-Eighty will support two programs: Rising Community Leaders, which trains and mentors young leaders working in urban Minneapolis, helping them understand racial and systemic barriers and breaking the cycle of generational poverty; and Lake Street Works, a construction school in the neighborhood where high school students will receive two years of construction, personal development and financial literacy training.

The Movement for Violence Prevention program includes training and curriculum for students to recognize red flags for violence, reduce their risk of victimization, and build healthy relationships. Youth learn safe social media use and how to respond if online safety is threatened. They also receive safety planning and referrals to help young people who are experiencing difficulties at home or in relationships that interfere with their education.

Urban Homeworks and the Southside Peacekeeping Coalition have created and supported a partnership of organizations working in South Minneapolis that pool resources and community connections to bring safety and security to specific neighborhoods. Coalition partners bring residents and neighbors together to inform and adjust community safety strategies, and build relationships with a group of local, trained peacekeepers.

VOA High School addresses the educational opportunity gap in the Twin Cities by combining a cutting-edge educational model with holistic supports that work to ensure that a student's opportunities are not defined by zip code, race/ethnicity, family's income, disability status, or other factors. The grant will increase VOA High School's ability to create opportunity for underestimated students by offering a holistic center for education, wellness and hope.

The biggest challenge facing BIPOC people leaving emergency shelters is securing a safe, healthy and affordable place to live. This grant will improve community safety by providing support to up to 125 survivors of domestic violence. Resources include shelter, advocacy, training, and housing stability.