Changing the way philanthropy works in North Minneapolis
A new approach to place-based, collaborative philanthropy that elevates natural assets and community-driven solutions to achieve a healthy, vibrant community for all who live, work, and own businesses in North Minneapolis.
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On West Broadway, Lowry, around Camdentown and across the North Side, significant changes are happening. New buildings are going up. Long-vacant properties are being redeveloped and occupied. Fresh multi-unit housing is everywhere. For some, these are signs of needed and long-awaited economic development. Others see warning signs of gentrification and the harmful displacement that follows.
We believe that Northsiders should be the central actors in driving change.
Since 2021, NFG has invested in people and places that make the Northside a vibrant community supported by a thriving local economy. Our approach to ensure local ownership and responsive urban design has been to direct flexible dollars for pre-development, acquisition and working capital to Black developers and small business owners.
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In 2022, the Northside Funders Group (NFG) engaged in a series of listening and co-design sessions with youth, teachers, families, school administrators, and organizations serving youth to help us shape a new funding opportunity for new and existing youth enrichment opportunities on the Northside. The result was the launch of the Northside Youth Enrichment Fund (NYEF) to support Northside projects that expand learning by connecting young people to exceptional enrichment opportunities in and outside of the classroom.
More than a source of dollars, the NYEF is modeling how youth can shape and lead grantmaking.
By engaging a youth-led grantmaking committee to read, review and ultimately award grants, NFG is challenging prevailing norms in philanthropy and teaching our members how to create inclusive, proximate, efficient and effective new ways to do philanthropy.
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Northside Funders Group is a funder collaborative that partners to bring resources and investments to learn, leverage, influence, and invest in opportunities to advance social, educational, and economic opportunities in North Minneapolis. Collectively we have learned that, for any place-based philanthropic initiative to be successful, it has to address a full spectrum of issues. So we embrace individual funder’s approaches and align them with collective impact strategies that allow us to scale what works.
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We apply a three-pronged investment strategy to catalyze comprehensive and sustainable change in our two Priority Focus Areas. Funders may pursue different investment entry points toward a mutual goal.
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A vibrant North Minneapolis is not only critical to the people who live, work, and do business there, it is also important to the long-term prosperity of the entire region.
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Northside Storyville tells real stories of real people to change the narrative of North Minneapolis. This video project not only shifts the lens on North Minneapolis, but brings into focus an investment approach that respects and protects generations of cultural assets and catalyzes an exciting, locally-grown vision for the community.