June 3, 2020

Communities within the state of Minnesota have been dramatically impacted by both the coronavirus pandemic and the recent civil uprising from the murder of George Floyd in South Minneapolis. The Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund for coronavirus focused its more recent grantmaking effort on supporting those communities most directly impacted by these dual crises.

The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation (the Foundation) and a cross-sector advisory committee have selected a fourth round of grantees, awarding over $3 million in funds from the Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund for coronavirus.

Grants were made to 20 organizations, with $2 million awarded to organizations supporting nonprofit recovery and community resilience in the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community, which is facing a high COVID impact, systemic racism, and a community in need of repair and healing; $1.1 million supported additional nonprofit recovery efforts across the state.

These organizations included:

• African American Leadership Forum ($250,000)
• Alliance for Metropolitan Stability ($250,000)
• Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging ($100,000)
• Central MN Council on Aging ($100,000)
• Community and Economic Development Associates ($50,000)
• East Side Funders Group ($250,000)
• Forum of Regional Arts Councils of Minnesota ($250,000)
• Minnesota Children's Alliance ($140,000)
• Minnesota Employment Services Consortium ($250,000)
• Minnesota State Bar Foundation ($100,000)
• Minnesota Voice ($150,000)
• Northwest Regional Development Commission/Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging ($100,000)
• Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians ($150,000)
• Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood & Amherst H. Wilder Foundation ($200,000)
• Southeastern Minnesota Area Agency on Aging ($100,000)
• Springboard for the Arts ($20,000)
• Summit Academy OIC ($150,000)
• Women's Foundation of Minnesota ($250,000)
• Youthprise ($250,000)

“We have seen an enormous outpouring of community support and generosity in response to this crisis. Now, we must work collectively to create a better future through community recovery efforts focused on BIPOC (Black and Indigenous, People of Color) communities, through reforms to systems that are steeped in generations of inequalities, and through doing the long, hard work of becoming a truly equitable society,” said Susie Brown, Minnesota Council on Foundations, President.

Future grants made by the Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund for coronavirus will continue to focus on community recovery, including a strong and healthy nonprofit sector, and a prosperous and equitable Minnesota.