Press Release | December 17, 2024 – Minneapolis

Amid Political Uncertainty, The Black Collective Foundation MN invests over $1 Million to Strengthen the Durability of Black-led Organizations Across Minnesota

We are thrilled to announce that we are investing over $1 million in grants to strengthen the systems – the infrastructure, leadership, and culture – of 25 Black-led organizations that are advancing Black-led change across the state. 

In 2025, we will commemorate the historic and global call for racial justice that ignited right here in Minnesota and spread around the world. The call and the need for transformational change still reverberates today. To achieve the visionary change we seek, philanthropy must deeply invest in the permanency of the Black-led change ecosystem so we can better shape the next five years – and our collective futures.

Meet Our Grantees

Proven Impact ($50K)

Through one of its strategic funds, the Black Collective Foundation MN is investing $50,000 each in the following organizations that have demonstrated tangible impact and need support to sustain, scale, or deepen their impact by strengthening their systems. 

• Black Girl Advocate is a mentorship program for Black girls that works to close the gap of representation and reinvent the narratives around Black girls in this community. Their core work is two-fold: advocacy for Black girls and women, and guiding the next generation into greatness and purpose through mentorship and exposure.

• BLovely Productions and LeMae Photography believes storytelling is a powerful tool for healing, education, and empowerment and is dedicated to producing content that authentically reflects the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of Black communities in Minnesota. Through the dual efforts of production and photography, BLovely Productions and LaMae Photography aims to offer a powerful counter narrative that celebrates Black identity and culture.

• Community Member for Environmental Justice corrects the environmental and socio-economic harms that have disproportionately impacted the predominantly Black community of North Minneapolis. Their vision for change is rooted in building a resilient, self-sustaining community where residents have the resources, opportunities, and power to thrive.

• Morning Glory Montessori is the first school of its kind to blend together: Black liberation theology and nonviolence/Beloved Community practices’ African-American culture and history that connects to Black people’s collective story; and high-fidelity Montessori pedagogy expressed in a culturally responsive prepared environment. 

• New Roots Midwest has successfully implemented workforce development initiatives, such as employment training, job placement, and skills development services to help immigrants overcome barriers to employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency. They offer comprehensive services that include career evaluation, resume building, skills development, and job search support for new immigrants to Minnesota and North Dakota. 

• OneMN/Seeds To Harvest is a collaboration of community organizations, leaders, and institutions in and around North Minneapolis. With a reach in seven different cities in the Twin Cities and six other communities within Minneapolis, they coordinate and organize youth under duress. 

• Project Restore Minnesota advances the social, political, and economic interests of Black people across Minnesota by addressing the critical issues facing system-impacted youth, particularly Black boys. The organization seeks to dismantle the oppressive structures that disproportionately affect young Black men in the youth justice system.

• Salem Inc. provides services, connection, and support for African American youth, men and women, and their families – primarily North Minneapolis, South Minneapolis, areas of downtown Minneapolis, and first ring northern suburbs – for more than 20 years. They offer case management, mentor-based support, and community-level response violence intervention, 21 Days of Peace and Safe Passage, for the individuals and communities most affected by violence, mass criminalization, systemic disparities, and historic injustices.

• Sir Boxing Club is a transformative space that not only provides physical training but also addresses broader social, political, and economic needs within the community. The gym is not just a place to train; it is a space where Black families come together to demonstrate the importance of health, discipline, and community involvement. This holistic approach addresses immediate needs and contributes to their long-term personal and professional development.

• Village Arms supports African American families impacted by child protection and racial disparities in the child welfare system from initial reporting and screening to assessment and discharge. Their focus is family preservation and reunification through parenting education, in-home visits, resource acquisition, and advocacy with a cultural base.

Planning & Visioning ($10K)

The Black Collective Foundation MN is investing $10,000 in each of 15 organizations to support their innovative approaches to Black-led change by building strong systems from the start.

• 846s is focused on mental health, with an approach that is deeply rooted in the ongoing fight for the dignity, well-being, and freedom of Black people. 846s creates a safe space for mental health healing journeys of Black, marginalized, and underserved communities across Minnesota to respond to current challenges but also reflect Black communities’ inherent dignity.

• All Things Possible Theatrical and Arts Group uses all forms of the arts, from visual to the performing arts, to help individuals be inspired to create and tell their stories. They believe that, with the power of Black culture using the arts, Black people across Minnesota and beyond will be empowered to rise up and express their stories.

• Biking with Baddies hosts cycling rides in nature that benefit community building, health and well-being, visibility, representation, economic empowerment, advocacy, social justice, and empowering black people through leadership. The space allows Black people to connect, share, learn, and build networks that are valuable both personally and professionally.

• BOB Rewards Club has helped increase the number of Black-owned businesses in Minnesota since 2016. Their vision is to create economic systems that increase generational wealth for Black Americans in Minnesota and nationwide. BOB Rewards Club also hosts events for and with Black-owned businesses, including the largest Juneteenth celebration in the state of Minnesota.

• Bubble Line Brewing Company will be the first Black woman-owned brewery in Minnesota, with an aim to promote community and employee wellness and expand diverse representation in the craft brewing industry. They will offer beer making workshops, craft brewing apprenticeships for future Black brewers, and top-notch offerings for employees.

• Construction CREDS, LLC is building a technology platform to enable a more diverse pool of skilled tradespeople to connect with mainstream construction work. These expanded opportunities for work will foster the opportunity for Black prosperity in the form of more jobs, training, and development; exposure to other contracting work; and access to investments and wealth building.

• Digie Made, LLC  improves the quality of life for Black males by providing culturally congruent content with a focus on leadership, self-awareness, and the development of young minds. The organization provides mentoring that supports students in their journey to adulthood.

• Healing By Lauryn is deeply passionate about getting Black folks to rest and prioritize their well-being. Lauryn has been a massage therapist for 11 years with a dream to own a rest retreat outside of the city offering Black folks a space to peacefully exist.

• Just B Solar Co. seeks to institutionalize renewable energy education in a way that becomes a standard part of the curriculum in schools across Minnesota, particularly in under-developed and under-resourced predominantly Black and Brown communities.

• Peace in Practice is a Black-led, homegrown, holistic wellness movement that specializes in developing culturally relevant, trauma-informed professionals and programs centering mindfulness and yoga in Black and Brown communities. Each offering aims to promote holistic wellness, increase knowledge of how to manage stress and trauma, and build healthy coping mechanisms and relationships.

• Rochester in Color amplifies the voices of Black and minority communities through innovative media and community outreach. Their online magazine and e-newsletter feature profiles of local role models and shine a light on Black-owned businesses.

• Sister Saves Sisters began as a mentorship program designed to empower Black teen girls in Rochester, MN. Over the years, the organization has supported over 100 girls, many of whom have graduated, and at least 20 of them have gone on to college. Through mentorship, life skills training, and building strong community ties, Sister Saves Sisters creates an environment where these girls can excel academically, emotionally, and socially.

• The Ark Lounge, LLC aims to create a space that encourages community, support, and empowerment for Black adults in Minnesota, particularly those with Christian faith. The Ark is designed to be more than just a lounge; it is a hub for connection, inspiration, and personal growth that aims to create a space that uplifts Black professionals, enabling them to thrive spiritually, socially, and economically in an environment that is responsive to their needs.

• The B Suite is a dynamic resource hub dedicated to fostering the social, political, and economic interests of Black people by providing culturally specific coworking spaces, networking opportunities, and professional development resources. Through sustainable community building, The B Suite aims to contribute to the long-term strength and unity of Black communities in Minnesota.

• The Bureau  is a multidisciplinary creative studio and media platform that serves as a hub of skill development for local Black communities, including advertising and production, creative strategy, and product development. By mentoring, hiring, and providing opportunities for young Black artists, The Bureau addresses systemic inequalities affecting Black people in a majority white sector. 

Press Release | November 20, 2022 – Minneapolis

First Black Community Foundation in Minnesota Awards More than $1M to Local Change Makers

The first Black Community Foundation in Minnesota recently selected 30 Black-led organizations, initiatives, and leaders to receive $1M+ through a collaborative process to change the way we honor and fund Black-led change.

Each Black-led organization received $50,000 in flexible funding to cover programs, organizational resiliency, and additional general operating needs. In addition to supporting the organization, each key leader received an additional $10,000 grant to directly support the sustainability and growth of their leadership. The 15 grantees, called Black Led Change Partners, were selected based on their community impact and visionary, history-making ideas for change. Their collective genius meets the moment with a force for good, focused on impact areas such as reparations, economic prosperity, culture, narrative change, healing, education, and more. A full list of grantees can be found here below.

The Black Collective Foundation MN (formerly the Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice) was formed against the backdrop of the 2020 uprising for racial justice. Co-founders Lulete Mola, Repa Mekha, and Chanda Smith Baker were called to harness both the struggles and possibilities of the historical moment to move the philanthropic sector beyond momentary sympathy and into power-shifting solidarity and transformation.

In 2022, The Black Collective Foundation MN embarked on a creative grant making process, partnering with 15 Black community builders to design the grant program and award the initial grants. These 15 talented, community focused individuals were selected through an open nomination process to bring a culturally rooted, philanthropic approach to life. This cohort reflected the diversity of the Black community, and gave seats at the table to those who have been historically excluded from the industry. 

Over six months, Community Builders learned about racial justice centered philanthropy, designed a grant-making program, informed the interconnected challenges to address, and put forth transformative solutions. In addition to being compensated hourly for their time, upon completion of the program, participants will receive a $10,000 grant each to put towards their own initiatives and leadership in the community. 

Selected grantees will continue to find support in and inform the growth of The Black Collective Foundation MN. They will convene over the next year to build relationships amongst one another in the spirit of strengthening the ecosystem of Black-led change in Minnesota.  

Grantees:

Press Release | November 12, 2021—Minneapolis

Lulete Mola Becomes First President of Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice

The Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice (the Collective)—a Black-led initiative formed in response to the killing of George Floyd—today announced Lulete Mola will become its first President on November 15. 

Lulete is a co-founder of the Collective, with Repa Mekha, President & CEO of Nexus Community Partners, and Chanda Smith Baker, Chief Impact Officer and Senior Vice President of the Minneapolis Foundation, who will continue leading as Co-chairs of the Collective’s Advisory Committee. Lulete joins this work from the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, where she served for eight years, most recently as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer.

Since launching in June 2020, the Collective has supported meaningful dialogue and action on race, equity, and justice with philanthropic organizations across the state, convened leaders in the sector, engaged in strategic planning, and raised $3.6 million. The Collective is housed at Nexus Community Partners and aims to become an independent philanthropic institution and build a long-term infrastructure to advance racial justice.

“Having completed a thoughtful strategic planning process, we have a clear understanding of what it will take to support and sustain the ecosystem of Black-led social change in MN—an independent philanthropic institution that focuses on the promise of racial justice. We are building on work that has come before us and invite the philanthropic, nonprofit, and larger social change field to work in partnership with us as we continue to build. I am thrilled Lulete is stepping into this role as we take the Collective into its next phase,” said Chanda Smith Baker, co-chair of the Collective. 

The Collective has a three-part vision to strengthen and support social change in Minnesota: (1) Build community-led philanthropic power by raising $25 million to deploy resources for both short- and long-term needs; (2) Serve as a backbone organization that supports, inspires, and holds the philanthropic field accountable to advancing racial justice; and (3) Sustain and grow the capacity and well-being of Black leaders, organizations, and the movement for racial justice. 

 “What we are building is part of a new national movement in philanthropy— where communities most proximate to racial injustice are not only asking to be represented at the table,” said Lulete. “We are creating our own tables, grounded in culture and community, and inviting historically powerful groups to join us. In the last 16 months in Minnesota, we’ve lived through a changing world full of hope, tragedy, resilience, and possibility. While we formed in response to the murder of George Floyd, we’ve experienced the death of more Black people at the hands of police here in Minnesota. Still, criminal justice is only one among many interconnected issues that disproportionally impact Black Minnesotans. I am honored to serve in this role and work with a community I love, in principled struggle, to center Black dignity and build philanthropic power that transforms the social change field and sustains the long road to liberation.” 

Collective co-chair Repa Mekha said, “When we launched, we asked ‘How much greater can philanthropy be?’ Today we cast forth a sustaining vision for work that is rooted in a long history of aspiration and ‘calling,’ a new model of philanthropy. Our work to date has been leading us in this direction. And we have engaged multiple stakeholders and audiences over the last 16 months to inform the Collective’s potential. Given the nuanced journey that we’ve been on during those 16 months, and the new Strategic Plan we’ve completed, the hiring of Lulete to lead is a natural progression of our goals. Our commitment is to lead by example, continuing to step out and take meaningful action to change systems, practices, and policies within organizations and the field. And also to bring innovation and profound imagination.” 

Lulete Mola’s Bio:

Lulete Mola is committed to social change that is intersectional, centers dignity, and led by communities most impacted. As the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, Lulete put this commitment to action as at the lead strategist and co-visionary of community investments, field-building programming, strategic communications, and bold fundraising that enable large-scale systems change. In this role, Lulete also led the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota, a $10 million public-private partnership to achieve equity in opportunities and improve the lives of Black, Indigenous, and young women of color. 

Lulete is devoted to engaging in and supporting community organizing, movement building, and work to advance women's political leadership. She is on the Minnesota Council of Foundations Board of Directors, the VoteRunLead National Advisory Board, and serves on Minnesota’s Advisory Task Force on Expanding the Economic Security of Women. Lulete is the recipient of the 2020 SOAR fellowship with the Aspen Institute Forum on Women and Girls, Humanity in Action Fellowship, Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project Fellowship, and the Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity Award. Lulete graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota.

About the Collective

The Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness and Realize Racial Justice (the Collective) was launched in response to the murder of George Floyd and subsequent community and national uprisings to denounce anti-Blackness and racism in Minnesota. The Collective is a Black-led initiative that engages a collective of philanthropic and community partners to effect long-term systems and community change.  

The Collective is committed to centering Black liberation as a cornerstone of freeing Indigenous, people of color, and all people in Minnesota. The Collective seeks additional ongoing investment to harness the power, leadership, and brilliance of Minnesota’s Black communities to invest in innovative solutions across transformational justice, safety, economics, health, and well-being. Join the philanthropic commitment for racial justice at: MNPhilanthropicCollective.org.

Press Release | July 14, 2020 - Minneapolis

Philanthropic Collective Partners to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice

The Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice—a coalition of foundations and philanthropic organizations formed in response to the killing of George Floyd—today issued a statement denouncing anti-blackness and racism in Minnesota. Calling for transformation in the field of institutional philanthropy, the collective announced that it will raise $25 million and invites additional funds to invest in a visionary and historic Black-Led Movement Fund.

The collective has a three-part vision for Minnesota philanthropic institutions: (1) invest in the MN Holistic Black-Led Movement Fund; (2) sign on to a bold and courageous joint statement positioning philanthropy’s responsibility in anti-racism work; and (3) join a long-term transformation table to establish and enhance policies, procedures, and practices to address anti-Blackness and work towards racial justice.

The MN Holistic Black-Led Movement Fund is housed at Nexus Community Partners. The Fund seeks additional ongoing investment to harness the power, leadership, and brilliance of Minnesota’s Black communities to invest in innovative solutions across transformational justice, safety, economics, health, and well-being. Additionally, the Fund will sustain the ecosystem of Black-led social change in Minnesota as an effective and intersectional movement that ignites and sustains change to impact additional communities of color and all people. Led by a community participatory grantmaking process, the Fund will deploy resources for both short- and long-term needs guided by a vision to cultivate and to maximize its impact for years to come. Nexus is working with Black Visions, a Minnesota-based Black-led movement organization to design a process for fund development and disbursement.

“The field of institutional philanthropy has the resources, influence, and positionality as cross-sector connectors, and it has a duty to engage in a deep reckoning to build, yield, and share power in order to elevate the voices of the people most impacted by systemic racism and inequity,” said Lulete Mola, vice president of community impact at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota  and a co-chair of the collective. “This moment calls on philanthropy to take meaningful action in the field to expand the frame on diversity, equity, and inclusion and be boldly steeped in anti-racism and racial justice.”

In its statement, the group urges Minnesota philanthropic institutions to unite their collective power, invest in Black-led racial justice work, and boldly condemn anti-Blackness, anti-Black police violence, and racism experienced by Black people, Native people, and all people of color. The statement asks philanthropy to center Black voices, knowledge, and activism in this pursuit of transformation as it drives toward meaningful change.

 “We acknowledge the field has flaws. Philanthropy can be associated with social and political change in this country, but it can also be linked to a long history of inequities and trauma in Black, Indigenous, and communities of color. With this collective, we ask, ‘How much greater can philanthropy be?’ Can we transform into practitioners who hold the field of philanthropy to a higher charge, acknowledging that real racial justice calls for balanced social, political, and economic power? Philanthropy needs to be willing to step out and take meaningful action to change systems, practices, and policies within organizations, the field, and society,” said Repa Mekha, president and CEO at Nexus Community Partners, and a co-chair of the collective, along with Chanda Smith Baker, senior vice president of community impact at the Minneapolis Foundation.

Join the philanthropic commitment for racial justice at: MNPhilanthropicCollective.org

The Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice is a growing partnership of the following:

• Blandin Foundation

• Bush Foundation

• Frey Foundation MN

• Heading Home Minnesota Funders Collaborative

• Give MN

• GHR Foundation

• Headwaters Foundation for Justice

• Knight Foundation

• McKnight Foundation

• The Minneapolis Foundation

• Minnesota Council on Foundations

• Mortenson Family Foundation