Search Through Minneapolis Grants for Nonprofits in Minnesota

Our focus

This is home. This is where you raise your family, go to work, build a life, and become part of a community. We get it, because this is our home, too.

It's where we work to do the right thing for each other and our community. Whether it is volunteering at food shelves, planting trees and mentoring our youth, nearly 500 employee-led Cargill Cares Councils are coming together for our communities.

From Vietnam to Poland, Ghana to Mexico, Cargill’s employees are active and dedicated community members, partnering with NGOs around the globe to make an impact, where we live and work.

Mission

The Cargill Foundation’s mission is to nourish and educate the next generation for success in school, work and life.

The Cargill Foundation provides support to select nonprofit organizations in our headquarters community of Minneapolis – Saint Paul, MN to minimize the Opportunity Gap for our low income children. We are part of an ecosystem of passionate change-makers, advocates, businesses and more working to make a difference in our community.

• We believe all children must have nutritious food to fuel growth and learning.
• We believe in equitable access to STEM education as a pathway to prosperous careers.
• We believe in preparing and inspiring children for post-secondary education, careers and beyond.

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute $40 million to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement

Tier 1 awards are one-year grants of up to $150,000 for assessment and engagement efforts that increase understanding of the breadth, depth, or impact of local environmental or public health issues. These grants are limited to capacity-constrained and entry-level applicants, as determined by the information you submit in the intake form. These grants will be paid on a milestone basis: 50% up front and 50% at the midway point, upon completion of agreed-upon milestones.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• GIS mapping
• Air quality sensor purchasing and siting
• Air, water, or soil sampling, testing, and monitoring
• Research, surveys, and studies
• Power mapping, public engagement, and public education to improve collective understanding of community challenges, needs, and opportunities.

Through a noncompetitive process, we will also award grants of up to $75,000 to capacity constrained communities and community-based organizations under Tier One.

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 2: Community Education and Planning

Tier 2 awards are one- to two-year grants of up to $250,000 for community-focused efforts that design, inform, and highlight solutions to local environmental or public health priorities. Up to 50% of the grant can be used for relevant property acquisition. Grants will be paid on a reimbursement basis, with a small number of grantees eligible for one advance payment of up to 10% of the total grant.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Developing project plans
• Developing communications and outreach plans
• Conducting workshops and trainings
• Developing curricula, toolkits, or guidelines; developing social media content
• Producing videos or printed materials
• Hosting events and gatherings
• Building or strengthening partnerships and collaboration
• Creating local advisory committees
• Engaging in public review or comment periods
• Developing or updating disaster resilience plans, emergency preparedness plans, or other community planning and visioning efforts

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

Tier 3 awards are one- to two-year grants of up to $350,000 to pilot or implement project plans. Projects may have educational and outreach components, but must focus on developing tangible community assets or providing environmental or public health benefits to one or more disadvantaged communities. Up to 50% of the grant can be used for relevant property acquisition or purchase. Grants will be paid on a reimbursement basis, with a small number of grantees eligible for one advance payment of up to 10% of the total grant.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Strengthening cumulative impact, public health, or environmental protections
• Increasing access to healthy food
• Reducing the use of pesticides or toxic substances
• Cleaning up contaminated sites
• Conducting healthy home assessments
• Increasing energy or water efficiency in homes or buildings
• Launching community energy or water efficiency programs
• Installing water filters; developing community gardens
• Creating community resilience hubs
• Installing green infrastructure projects
• Creating internships or implementing workforce development programs

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

About

Established in 1957, the Elmer L. & Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation strives to improve lives through effective family grantmaking. Now a Signature Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, the Andersen Foundation continues to honor the legacy of its founders while investing in social change.

The Andersen Foundation’s vision is to catalyze positive change by empowering people to contribute to a sustainable world encompassing thriving, livable communities. Their mission is to improve the quality of life through effective family grantmaking.

Values:

The Andersen Foundation embraces the democratic ideals of fairness, justice and opportunity for all. Broad civic engagement, realizing the full potential of people, builds sustainable communities of life.

The Andersen Foundation is committed to carrying on the good works its founders began during their lifetimes.

Legacy Grants

Elmer and Eleanor Andersen supported a wide range of interests throughout their lives, including the arts and humanities, communications, education, environment, human services, and libraries. This grant program continues their legacy of investing in these community issues.

Focus Areas:

• Arts and Humanities
• Communications
• Education
• Environment
• Human Services
• Libraries

Background

Established in 2005, the C.H. Robinson Foundation is a Minnesota nonprofit corporation as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is funded by C.H. Robinson and creates a long-term resource for giving back to our communities through the support of other Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. We work with a trust company that provides support to charitable organizations to provides checks and balances while ensuring compliance with Internal Revenue Service guidelines and corporate tax law.

The C.H. Robinson Foundation contributes to organizations that make a positive impact on our people, communities, industry, and planet. Through general operating and program grants to nonprofit organizations, our approach to giving is informed by community input, partner dialogue, and regional needs.

Focus Areas

The Foundation's Strategic Industry Grants program funds organizations that:

• Diversify the supply chain and logistics workforce
• Support carriers and drivers
• Provide education in transportation and logistics
• Support environmental sustainability in transportation and logistics

Principled, Intentional Giving

At Tennant Company, we believe a good corporate citizen gives back to the global community in meaningful ways, making it better for future generations. See how our company, our Tennant Foundation and our employees support programs, organizations and individuals who share our commitment to creating a cleaner, safer, healthier world.

Tennant Foundation Grants

Tennant Foundation grants are targeted to organizations serving the Minneapolis community around our headquarters and are typically modest operating grants. When reviewing requests for grants, the Tennant Foundation considers: “”

Examples of our focused giving, include:

• Environmental programs
• Social services
• Workforce readiness through education and vocational rehabilitation
• Cultural and arts organizations

Tennant Company will consider making in-kind or equipment donations outside of the Foundation when requests are employee-supported, when they help to further our giving mission and if the recipient organization meets eligibility requirements.

Promise Act Grant

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will oversee the Providing Resources & Opportunity & Maximizing Investments in Striving Entrepreneurs (PROMISE) Act approved by the Minnesota State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz.

This program, through a series of statewide partner organizations, will award grants to eligible businesses in specific communities. A total of $86,480,000 million will be awarded as grants in multiple rounds.

Grant funds can be used for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, equipment, and other similar expenses that occur in the regular course of business.

Funding

Businesses will be awarded grant funds based on gross annual revenue in the prior year.

• Businesses with gross annual revenue in the prior year of $100,000 or less can receive up to $10,000
• Businesses with gross annual revenue in the prior year of more than $100,000 but no more than $350,000 can receive up to $25,000
• Businesses with gross annual revenue in the prior year of more than $350,000 but no more than $750,000 can receive up to $50,000

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Who We Are - The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

What We Do

We believe that those closest to issues are best positioned to understand and address them. We partner with others to sow and nurture the seeds of strong, vibrant communities by:

• Promoting civic participation and leadership
• Fostering belonging, connection, and inclusion
• Increasing access to opportunities that advance upward mobility
• Seeing and dismantling barriers that hold inequities in place

We are guided in our work by our Strategic Framework, which requires us to be bold, optimistic, and responsive to the voices of those most affected by challenges in our community.

WCA Foundation

Founded in 1866, the WCA Foundation was the first benevolent nonprofit organization in Minnesota. Now a Signature Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, WCA makes grants to a diverse group of nonprofit human service agencies and programs, stewarding an endowment of approximately $18 million.

WCA Foundation Grant

The WCA Foundation values its relationships with grant applicants and views them as partners in changing the lives of women. This philosophy guides the WCA Foundation’s grantmaking and the relationships it strives to develop.

About

Through its grantmaking and other policy-focused efforts, the Foundation seeks to:

• Racial Equity: Incorporate the voices of, and achieve more equitable outcomes for, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities in the Great Lakes region.
• Economic Mobility: Improve the ability of individuals in the Great Lakes region to move up the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next.
• Next Generation: Incorporate the voices of, and improve outcomes for, the next generation of Great Lakes residents, defined as young people born after 2000.

Education & Economic Mobility Grants

The mission of the Education & Economic Mobility Program is to close income and race disparities in college and career success through equitable access to high-quality education. We invest in local, state and federal policies that aim to ensure historically underserved young people 1) have effective educators; 2) graduate high school with academic and career momentum; and 3) attain affordable college credentials with economic value. In the short term, we will invest in research, policy development, and advocacy to help young people recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective Educators

Evidence is clear that teachers and principals are the main in-school driver of student success. Yet, young people of color and those from underserved communities often have inexperienced, unqualified, or ineffective educators. To ensure historically marginalized students have top-notch and diverse educators, the Foundation invests in research, policy development, advocacy, and technical assistance to: 1) use data to better align educator supply and demand; 2) diversify the educator pipeline; 3) build strong pathways from high school into teaching; and 4) spread innovative school staffing models that attract educators, boost retention, and improve student outcomes. Our investments focus on Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and national efforts.

College and Career Readiness

There is overwhelming evidence that a college degree significantly improves life outcomes. Yet not enough high school students—especially young people of color and those from underserved communities—are prepared to succeed in post-secondary. To help students get on the right path, the Foundation supports federal and state policies to: 1) align K-12, higher education, and workforce systems; 2) increase access and success in rigorous courses; and 3) increase access to high-quality work-based learning activities connected to careers with family-sustaining wages.

Post-Secondary Success

A post-secondary degree remains the surest path to social and economic mobility. Yet colleges fail to enroll and graduate students of color and students from low-income households at the same rate as White and wealthier students. This contributes to racial and socioeconomic disparities in education and career outcomes. To address these disparities, the Joyce Foundation supports federal and state policies that: 1) scale proven student support models to improve community college outcomes; 2) preserve access for students of color and rural students to affordable, high- quality public college options and labor markets that require college degrees; 3) seek racial and family income representativeness at selective public universities; and 4) narrow gaps in post-graduate financial outcomes for students of color and low-income students.

Mission

PFund Foundation builds equity with LGBTQ+ communities across the upper Midwest by providing grants and scholarships, developing leaders, and inspiring giving.

Vision

PFund Foundation invests in thriving and more equitable communities for queer people in the upper Midwest.

PRISM Fund

PRISM (Promoting Rural Interconnections for Sexual Minorities) grants support rural LGBTQ+ organizations from across PFund’s five-state service area.

The PRISM program works to increase the capacity and connection of rural LGBTQ+ serving organizations through grants, trainings and cohort collaboration.

PFund builds community and provides resources for LGBTQ+ individuals across the upper Midwest and the First Nations therein.

 Prioritized Communities

The LGBTQ+ community of the upper Midwest is not monolithic. Factors such as age, race/ethnicity, geography, disability, income, and gender all influence the challenges facing queer individuals. PFund Foundation recognizes that some subpopulations of the queer community may need elevated levels of support to achieve equitable outcomes. To address this need, PFund Foundation has identified three prioritized communities who are especially important to our work:

Queer People of Color

LGBTQ+ people who also belong to minority racial and ethnic groups experience additional oppression and discrimination—both inside and outside of queer communities. 

PFund demonstrates its commitment to queer people of color through its programs. 55% of 2022 PFund Scholars identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. During the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, PFund launched a $90,000 emergency fund (now known as the Equity Fund) for queer entrepreneurs of color in Minneapolis to help their businesses survive the economic impacts of the coronavirus and unrest following the murder of George Floyd. In 2022, PFund offered a second round of grants from the Equity Fund for queer BIPOC business owners in Minneapolis.

Gender-Expansive People

Transgender, gender-expansive, and nonbinary individuals are being made the targets of discriminatory legislation and scapegoating at the regional and national levels. The pandemic has also disproportionately impacted transgender and gender non-conforming college students: the Williams Institute at UCLA found that transgender students were six times more likely to have been seriously ill or hospitalized with COVID-19 than their cisgender peers. 55% of 2022 PFund Scholars identify as transgender, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, or nonbinary.

Queer People in North and South Dakota

LGBTQ+ people living in North or South Dakota face a unique set of challenges, including the ongoing impacts of high COVID-19 rates, political environments actively hostile to queer and trans individuals, and fewer nonprofit resources for queer communities (especially outside of large cities). PFund estimates there are at least 82,000 queer individuals living in the Dakotas and the foundation is in the process of building a new targeted outreach program to LGBTQ+ people in rural areas the upper Midwest in 2022.

WCA Foundation Grant

The WCA Foundation is a volunteer-led grantmaking organization whose mission is “Women changing the lives of women.” Its members, all local women, are committed to learning about and responding to the most urgent needs of women in communities across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. They contribute their time, talent, and care to advance the foundation’s mission and engage in participatory grantmaking during two grant rounds a year.

Funding

In this grant round, the WCA Foundation will fund project-specific requests. It will award roughly $675,000 to 25 to 30 organizations, with grant amounts ranging from $10,000 to $30,000..

Our History

On August 27, 1953, Archie D & Bertha H Walker established the Archie D & Bertha H Walker Family Foundation. The purpose, as stated in conformity with the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation Act, "shall be to foster and promote charitable, scientific, literary, religious and educational ends,..." their personal reasons for establishing such an institution were to support and encourage charitable activities. They wished to devote the excess of funds over and above their needs, and those of their family, to improve the community in which they lived. They wished to enhance the effectiveness and value of those funds devoted to the charitable activities in which they had become interested. They encouraged their family members to become involved in community programs which improve and enrich the life of their community.

Annual Grant Giving Program

• Combating Racism, Prejudice & Exclusivity: Programs that address the dismantling and prevention of racism, prejudice & exclusivity.
• Programs in the Arts: Programs that support the creation of art, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
• Chemical Dependency: Programs which deal chiefly with alcoholism, and its effects upon children and their development.
• Minor Grants of $1,000: Programs in the areas of conservation and ecology, health, culture, recreation, education, & social welfare.

Best Buy Foundation

The Best Buy Foundation™ conducts its work via a strategic grant portfolio, in partnership with nonprofit organizations across the country that share our focus on supporting young people in building brighter futures through tech access, career training and the cultivation of vibrant communities.

Twin Cities Fund

The Twin Cities Fund supports nonprofit youth programs in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area that provide teens from disinvested communities access to tech skills and career training. The fund also supports arts and culture organizations that contribute to the vibrancy of the Twin Cities area. Funding is available for both programming and capital grants. Requests are reviewed by focus area.

Arts and Culture General Operating Grant

The Best Buy Foundation™ provides general operating support to enhance the cultural life and vitality of the seven-county Twin Cities metro area. General operating grants are made to Twin Cities-based and serving arts and culture organizations dedicated to creating, producing, presenting, preserving, or exhibiting works of art.

Overall goals of the Twin Cities Arts & Culture grant program are to:

• Provide general operating support to Twin Cities-based and -serving arts and cultural institutions and organizations.
• Recognize the contributions of Twin Cities-based organizations that have a demonstrated track record of service and the financial management and programming capacity to continue providing service.
• Encourage and increase opportunities for involvement and participation in arts and cultural activities by disinvested communities.

Funding

Awarded grants will be a minimum of $5,000. The median grant amount is $10,000. Up to one year of funding.

Our Goal

We seek to assist children and families living in poverty to attain equitable access to academic, social development, and mental health/wellness opportunities and systems that are inclusive and center their human dignity and humanity thereby providing the potential for an educated, informed, and liberated student, parent, and community.

Our Beliefs

To achieve this goal, we believe:

• Children and their families are resilient, resourceful and have a wealth of knowledge on how to improve their lives and shape the world they want to live in.
• Education is key to helping children, families, and communities overcome poverty.
• Knowledge, history, experience, and perspectives of children, families, and communities are at the heart of ensuring every child feels safe to learn and grow to shape their own path in the world.
• Culturally relevant ways of learning and innovative practices grounded in strong outcomes of engagement and accountability to the communities are essential.
• Academic achievement and social emotional and mental well-being happen through a comprehensive network of quality home, school, and community support.
• There is a strong interconnectedness of academics, social and emotional learning, and mental health.
• Work grounded in racial equity ensures race, economic status, gender identity, multilingual, sexual orientation and/or ability are viewed as assets.
• A strong ecosystem that includes direct services and systems change work that includes education leaders, advocates, and policy work will produce lasting outcomes for children, families, and communities.
• Continuous, intensive, and relevant support spanning consecutive years along the continuum of learning for children (ranging in age from prenatal to 18) produces effective and sustainable outcomes.

Our Partners

We are interested in partnering with nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public schools that directly serve or strengthen systems that directly serve children and families living in poverty in the 7-county metro area.

We prioritize organizations centering equity and culturally relevant ways of learning and innovative practices grounded in strong outcomes of engagement and accountability to the children ages prenatal to 18 and their families. We prioritize organizations that are centering Racial Equity both internally and externally and organizations with leadership and boards that are reflective of the community served.

We partner with organizations that:

• Engage beneficiaries in design
• Center student voice and engage families and community as essential partners.
• Directly support children in social and emotional, academic, and mental health/wellbeing
• Change, create and/or improve systems to create pathways for children to have equitable access to social and emotional, academic, and mental health /wellbeing resources
• Partner with home, schools, and communities
• Provide consistent, sustained and asset-based support over multiple years
• Work toward outcomes
• Demonstrate quality

Background

Established in 2005, the C.H. Robinson Foundation is a Minnesota nonprofit corporation as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is funded by C.H. Robinson and creates a long-term resource for giving back to our communities through the support of other Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. We work with a trust company that provides support to charitable organizations to provides checks and balances while ensuring compliance with Internal Revenue Service guidelines and corporate tax law.

Through general operating and program grants to organizations that address hunger, provide shelter, support K-12 education and develop workforce, the C.H. Robinson Foundation helps strengthen the greater metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Giving Priorities

The C.H. Robinson Foundation Twin Cities Grants Program is focused on strengthening our local communities and supporting basic needs of hunger, shelter, education and workforce development.

To be considered for a Twin Cities grant from the C.H. Robinson Foundation, your charitable organization must meet one of our giving priorities:

Hunger

• Serving the local community through food shelves/pantries/banks
• Providing meal service or food programs targeted to specific needs of senior citizens, youth, people living with life threatening illnesses, etc.

Shelter

• Providing transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Offering emergency shelter for those facing homelessness or domestic violence
• Supplying essential household items and furniture for those in need

Education

• Improving educational opportunities for k-12 for students facing barriers to success
• Developing youth to become successful, productive adults through core educational programming
• Supporting systemic improvements to advance education outcomes for students, schools and educators
• Cultivating talent for successful careers in supply chain and technology

Workforce Development

• Strengthening pathways to quality jobs for low-income workers
• Supporting strategies that move low-wage workers into higher wage jobs including bridge, upskilling, and credentialing
• Improving the quality of low-wage occupations
• Building the capacity of workforce and education organizations to prepare for the future needs of the labor market
• Additional consideration may be given for:
  • Workforce development and talent pipeline initiatives for supply chain and logistics
  • Workforce development and talent pipeline initiatives for technology

Economic Mobility – Capacity Building Grants

The Minneapolis Foundation announces a call for proposals from organizations that advance economic mobility.

This grant round reflects updates we have made to our Racial and Economic Justice grant program in response to feedback about the need for more flexible resources to support nonprofit organizations working in this space. Our 2025 grants will focus on capacity building and operating support as these organizations adjust to changes in the funding and policy landscape.

Funding will be awarded to organizations working to build a more sustainable economic landscape in which communities can thrive and individuals have greater economic mobility.

We will fund activities that support scenario and transitional planning that build capacity and strengthen nonprofit organizational structures. These include, but are not limited to:

• Financial Assessment and Management to properly assess, manage, and identify private, institutional, state, and federal funding sources.
  • Diversifying and rightsizing funding and revenue sources.
  • Upgrading financial systems to track and report financials to ensure long-term financial health.
• Staff and Administrative Capacity to manage and improve programs that have experienced increased demands.
  • Staffing to meet increased demand.
  • Evaluation of program efficacy.
• Technology Resources to help nonprofit organizations update and evolve the systems they use to meet community needs.
  • Database system updates to efficiently capture and organize data on service delivery and outcomes.
  • Cybersecurity updates to accurately track and protect data.
• Organization Planning to help nonprofit leaders and their boards reflect and seek advice to increase organizational sustainability.
  • Strategic planning to guide organizational development and services.
  • Leadership transition planning, including succession or collaborative leadership modeling.
  • Exploration of organizational mergers and consolidations.
  • Scenario planning and evaluation to identify long-term risks and opportunities.
  • Mission re-alignment to define mission, vision, and goals.
• Community and Stakeholder Engagement to build stronger connections with the community, supporters, and donors for increased visibility and impact.
  • Development of strategic partnerships to amplify impact and responsiveness.
  • Advocacy and community organizing to foster civic participation.
  • Increased communications, information sharing, and engagement with community and stakeholders
• Legal Resources to ensure nonprofits can operate while minimizing legal risks and maximizing their ability to serve communities.
  • Implementation of risk management strategies.
  • Creation and review of contracts, mergers, acquisitions, and dissolutions.
  • Work to ensure compliance with changing state and federal regulations.

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Fund for Safe Communities

Established in 2018, the Fund for Safe Communities supports direct service programs, communication, advocacy, and organizing efforts led by community-based organizations. We prioritize efforts that are led and influenced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and which are grounded in the needs of diverse Minneapolis neighborhoods.

• Prevention: This fund aims to prevent community violence.
• Systemic Issues: This fund supports organizations and efforts focused on addressing systemic inequities and reforming the criminal justice system.
• Outreach: This fund supports efforts to heal individuals and communities affected by horrific tragedies, including the murder of George Floyd.

The CDC defines community violence as violence that happens between unrelated individuals, who may or may not know each other, generally outside the home. Examples include assaults or fights among groups and shootings in public places, such as schools and on the streets. Research indicates that youth and young adults (ages 10-34), particularly those in communities of color, are disproportionately impacted.

Fostering Resilience Grant

We are pleased to announce that the Fund for Safe Communities is now accepting applications for grants that foster resilience.

The Fund for Safe Communities supports tangible, specific, and meaningful actions to address and prevent community violence. Our Spring grant round was designed with the insight and recommendations of the fund’s advisory committee, a group composed of emerging leaders who have personal experience with community violence. Through this funding opportunity, we will support programs and activities that offer prevention, intervention, restoration, and resilience oriented services to people in Minneapolis, with a focus on youth and young adults between the ages of 11 and 30.

What We Will Fund

Here are a few examples of activities we are interested in supporting:

• Activities that promote wellness and help manage stress and trauma.
• Programs and initiatives that ease the re-entry process for those who are justice-involved.
• Services that address the diverse needs of individuals most proximate to violence.
• Sports or physical activity programming that offers fitness and other coaching-based opportunities.
• Mentor-mentee programming that exposes young people to meaningful and productive relationships outside of school and their homes.
• Art, poetry, writing, design, and other creative media that foster meaningful actions to create safer communities.

We also welcome additional ideas about what is needed to prevent community violence and promote wellbeing. It’s important to note that we want to support organizations that are already deeply connected in the community, while investing in new efforts that approach violence prevention using innovative strategies.

Funding Amount and Duration

The fund will issue between $300,000 and $500,000 for this opportunity. Grants will range from $15,000 to $30,000, and we plan to award 20 to 25 grants.

The grant period for this award will be up to 12 months.

Amazon Literary Partnership Grant: US

From the time we opened our virtual doors, Amazon has helped writers tell their stories and find readers. Since 2009, Amazon Literary Partnership has provided more than $17 million in funding to local, regional, and national organizations across the country that empower writers to create, publish, learn, teach, experiment, and thrive in order to reach their audiences.

Amazon Literary Partnership seeks to fund organizations working to champion diverse, marginalized, and underrepresented authors and storytellers. From New Orleans to Houston, Minneapolis to Salt Lake City, our previous grant recipients represent both local and national institutions of all sizes and include nonprofit writing centers, residencies, fellowships, after-school classes, literary magazines, national organizations supporting storytelling and free speech, and internationally acclaimed publishers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Writers supported by these organizations have become bestselling authors and literary award winners.

Grants are given to innovative groups whose core mission is to support diverse, underserved, and marginalized writers, develop emerging writers and/or build the careers of working writers to connect them with readers. We help writers across all genres and formats, fiction and nonfiction, including poetry and translation.

Our Legacy

For more than 100 years, the Target Foundation (founded as The Dayton Foundation) has upheld the idea that the prosperity of a business is dependent on the prosperity of the communities in which it operates. It’s an important part of our history and our commitment to serve and support our neighbors.

In 2019, the Foundation expanded its support to address the growing urgency in our hometown, across the country and globally to help address widening socioeconomic gaps.

Target Foundation

We’re proud to continue our long legacy of support for communities in our hometown and around the world.

At the Target Foundation, we envision a world where all families and communities have the resources they need to determine and realize their own joy in life. It’s a reality that is out of reach for far too many families as they struggle for access to economic opportunity and stability, for equity and for the kind of empowerment that lifts up their communities. We believe we have a responsibility to work to remove structural barriers and help create access for those who have been left out. When we shift power to communities, they can more meaningfully participate in the economy, creating a world where all families can thrive.

Serving as a learning lab, the Target Foundation is committed to enabling shared prosperity and opportunity by upholding equity and inclusion for all communities. Guided by our deep commitment to community, we invest in leaders, organizations, coalitions and networks that expand economic opportunity equitably, enabling communities to determine their own futures. We support strategies that center and elevate the voices, stories and leadership of individuals and communities that have historically been silenced.

The Target Foundation is leaning into trust-based philanthropy to drive systems change, with values rooted in advancing equity, shifting power and building mutually accountable relationships. The Foundation’s capabilities allow it to work toward long-term solutions across complex and interconnected economic issues, grounded in the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) as well as Global South communities and organizations.

Building on our legacy of giving in our twin hometowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and extending across the U.S. and in emerging economies around the world, we remain committed to listening, learning and building the kinds of relationships with partners that will shift systems to realize a world where joy is for all.

Hometown Racial Equity Grant

Advancing racial equity for underserved and under-resourced communities to enable shared prosperity and opportunity for all.

At Target Foundation, we believe a vibrant and growing economy is only possible when economic opportunities are available to all our neighbors. The Target Foundation is committed to advancing racial equity and shared prosperity in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the greater state of Minnesota.

In addition to supporting the overarching Minneapolis-St. Paul philanthropic ecosystem and addressing persistent and immediate community needs, the Target Foundation hometown program concentrates its investments in organizations working to address the specific systemic and structural barriers facing Black communities, Indigenous communities and communities of color. We do this in four priority areas: entrepreneurship and small business, workforce development, housing and asset building.

• Entrepreneurship and Small Business: The Foundation supports entrepreneurship initiatives that address current ecosystem gaps, drive inclusive practices and create access to knowledge, services, networks and capital for entrepreneurs at all stages.
• Workforce Development: The Foundation supports employment and technical training opportunities to ensure the workforce development system operates effectively and connects job seekers and workers with the skills they need to succeed.
• Housing: The Foundation supports efforts that increase housing availability, stability and access — creating pathways to greater opportunity.
• Asset Building: The Foundation supports organizations that improve the asset-building opportunities available to traditionally marginalized communities, especially those that are engaged in work to increase financial inclusion, wealth building and overall financial health.

Why We Care

Target is proud to have called the Twin Cities our home since its founding more than 100 years ago. Our commitment to our hometown region continues to be a signature legacy of the Target Foundation.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul region is home to more than three million people. The region’s assets include the natural beauty of its parks, woods and lakes; a deep, vibrant and robust history of craft, visual arts, music and theater; numerous longstanding international anchor corporations; and widespread and increasing racial, ethnic and cultural diversity.

There are many communities who continue to be at an economic disadvantage despite our region’s thriving job market and strong economy.

Similar patterns can be found across the nation — rising income inequality and persistent racial gaps in health, education, employment, income and wealth preventing all people from realizing their full economic potential. As the demographics of our region continue to shift, the costs of inequality will grow.

However, the Twin Cities not only mirrors what is happening throughout the United States, but in several key areas, our hometown actually fares worse. Recent statistics on home ownership, income inequality, wages, and educational attainment all paint a picture of glaring disparities that could impact the region’s long-term success.

Equalizing economic opportunities for communities of color is not just important for these families and communities but also critical to a vibrant and growing economy, which ultimately benefits all.

Compelled by this data, Target Foundation recognizes that everyone’s future depends on overcoming inequalities and has made racial equity the cornerstone of its hometown program.

Our Desired Outcome

In our hometown program area, the Target Foundation envisions racial equity that enables shared prosperity and opportunity for all. To achieve this vision, the Foundation believes that our hometown region needs:

• A strong frontline of Black-, Indigenous- and people of color-led direct service organizations that are well-resourced, connected and able to serve the most marginalized communities, lifting them out of poverty and into economic vitality.
• Well-coordinated and well-resourced multi-sector networks, coalitions and alliances that are catalyzing economic development in the Twin Cities’ poorest neighborhoods, while displacing no one and leaving no one behind.

Who do we want to impact?

• Black communities, Indigenous communities and other communities of color.
• Historically disinvested communities.
• Individuals with low income.

Funding

Estimated grant size will range from $25,000-$200,000.

Best Buy Foundation

The Best Buy Foundation™ conducts its work via a strategic grant portfolio, in partnership with nonprofit organizations across the country that share our focus on supporting young people in building brighter futures through tech access, career training and the cultivation of vibrant communities.

Twin Cities Fund

The Twin Cities Fund supports nonprofit youth programs in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area that provide teens from disinvested communities access to tech skills and career training. The fund also supports arts and culture organizations that contribute to the vibrancy of the Twin Cities area. Funding is available for both programming and capital grants. Requests are reviewed by focus area.

Capital Grants

The Best Buy Foundation™ provides capital support directed specifically toward projects from nonprofit organizations aligned to our core philanthropic focus of Teens & Tech, Career Pathways and Arts & Culture.

Funding is available in two areas of focus: Bricks & Mortar and Capacity. If your request falls under both areas, please select the category that most closely fits your request.

Bricks & Mortar

Bricks & Mortar grants supports organizations’ investment in buildings, facilities and equipment. Funding may support the total cost of acquisition, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, creation or improvement of public spaces or other improvements to a facility for the purpose of Teens & Tech, Career Pathways or Arts & Culture programming.

As part of their Bricks & Mortar proposal, applicants may also request support for equipment, technology, software or hardware purchases. It is neither required nor expected that you purchase technology and equipment from Best Buy.

Best Buy Foundation

The Best Buy Foundation™ conducts its work via a strategic grant portfolio, in partnership with nonprofit organizations across the country that share our focus on supporting young people in building brighter futures through tech access, career training and the cultivation of vibrant communities.

Twin Cities Fund

The Twin Cities Fund supports nonprofit youth programs in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area that provide teens from disinvested communities access to tech skills and career training. The fund also supports arts and culture organizations that contribute to the vibrancy of the Twin Cities area. Funding is available for both programming and capital grants. Requests are reviewed by focus area.

Capital Grants

The Best Buy Foundation™ provides capital support directed specifically toward projects from nonprofit organizations aligned to our core philanthropic focus of Teens & Tech, Career Pathways and Arts & Culture.

Funding is available in two areas of focus: Bricks & Mortar and Capacity. If your request falls under both areas, please select the category that most closely fits your request.

Capacity

Capacity funding supports nonprofits’ organizational capacity and programmatic effectiveness.

One-time support may be provided for:

• Strategic planning
• Succession planning
• Program evaluation
• Staff, board or volunteer training and development program design/piloting and
• Program expansion
• Strategic marketing or communications
• Development plans
• Equipment, technology, and software or hardware purchases

Support may include staffing expenses and/or consultant costs for any of the aforementioned capacity needs. It is neither required nor expected that you purchase technology and equipment from Best Buy.

About the Foundation

For over three decades, the James R. Thorpe Foundation has supported educational and youth-serving organizations in the Minneapolis area, along with many non-profits in the arts and social service arenas. We have chosen to focus on smaller groups (those with operating budgets of $3 million or less), feeling that our dollars can provide more meaningful assistance to these groups. Since 1974, the James R. Thorpe Foundation has contributed nearly $12 million to the Minneapolis community. 

The Thorpe Foundation limits its support to organizations with operating budgets of $3 million or less (even if the program for which the organization is seeking funding has a budget of less than $3 million).

Support For Youth

The Thorpe Foundation funds organizations that provide individual youth, ages 12 to 18, with the support and services needed for a successful and healthy transition to adulthood. The Foundation supports efforts that:

• Promote the development of self-awareness, self-management, and interpersonal skills needed for success in life, work, and school,
• Focus on teaching youth the academic and employment skills necessary for adulthood,
• Build participation in the arts and other enrichment activities which incorporate positive youth development goals, and
• Use reciprocal multigenerational programs that foster empathy and build relationship across-generations.

Types of Support

The Thorpe Foundation is most likely to make general operating or program support grants.

The Minneapolis Foundation announces a call for proposals from nonprofits, schools, and school districts seeking grants for work that advances equity and supports youth voice in local K-12 schools. Our Reimagine Education grants prioritize efforts to:

• Support public schools and school districts with the implementation of literacy strategies grounded in the science of reading, with the goal of ensuring all children can read at or above grade level.
• Elevate student and community voices and leadership to build bridges between schools, families, and communities in order to improve school climate, learning environments, and academic outcomes.
• Provide opportunities for educators to build their understanding of race and equity and implement strategies that create culturally responsive and inclusive schools.
• Advocate for policies at the school, local, and state level to address systemic disparities in Minnesota’s education system.

WHAT WE WILL FUND

We plan to award between $1 million and $1.2 million to 25 to 30 organizations. Grants will range from $25,000 to $75,000, with an average award of roughly $40,000.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of  the types of work we plan to support:

• Professional development and training to support teachers and school leaders to implement evidence-based literacy instruction
• Recruitment and retention of diverse educators with equity-focused mindsets
• Principal and teacher leadership and collaboration
• Student leadership and power building
• Development of equity and climate frameworks
• Local or state policy advocacy
• Development and implementation of strategies to support student mental health and improve school climate and culture
• Efforts to engage students and their families in district and school-level decision-making

We are also open to other ideas that help create equitable outcomes for children and youth from local Black, Indigenous and communities of color.

Climate Action and Racial Equity Fund Grant

We are pleased to announce that the Minneapolis Climate Action and Racial Equity Fund will soon begin accepting applications for its next round of grants.

This fund, a partnership between the City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation, offers grants for place-based, community-driven initiatives and projects that result in a demonstrable reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions. Proposals should align with the goals of the Minneapolis Climate Action Plan and the Minneapolis Strategic Racial Equity Plan.

Funding

The fund will grant approximately $300,000 this year, with awards expected to range between $20,000 and $50,000.

About the Foundation

Since 1974, the James R. Thorpe Foundation has been a committed grantmaking partner dedicated to making the greater Minneapolis area better for all its citizens.

The Foundation funds organizations that provide individual youth with the support and services needed for a successful and healthy transition to adulthood. In the last decade, support for the growing senior community has emerged as a funding priority. The Foundation funds organizations that are committed to supporting vulnerable seniors, age 55+ to age with dignity, independence, and connection.

Opportunities for Seniors

The Thorpe Foundation funds organizations that are committed to supporting vulnerable seniors, age 55+, to age with dignity, independence, and connection.

The Foundation supports efforts that:

• Provide home and community-based services that allow seniors to remain in the residence of their choice as long as they are able,
• Reduce social isolation by providing opportunities for seniors to form or deepen social connections, develop new skills, and foster creativity,
• Help seniors engage meaningfully in their communities, and
• Use reciprocal multigenerational programs that foster empathy and build relationship across-generations