Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
The 3 Most Impactful Components of Our Work
Culturally Grounded Participatory Grantmaking
Community Builders Practice - Participatory, Racial Justice Grantmaking: Training community members across MN in philanthropy, grantmaking, and racial justice. Post-training, they design and decide on impactful grantmaking investments for The Collective.
Black-led Change Grants: In 2024, the Black Collective Foundation MN awarded a total of $1,047,392 to 63 Black-led change makers working to advance the social, political, and economic interests of Black people across Minnesota.
Black-led Change Fellowship: A year-long program supporting the holistic well-being of Minnesota’s innovative leaders, fostering resilient organizations and a strong, connected ecosystem. In 2024, we debuted the New Suns Fellowship, dedicated to investing in proven organizers and leaders who are engaged in community-centered civic action.
Nurturing, Connecting, & Strengthening the Ecosystem of Black-led Change
Rooting: Curated gatherings for Black leaders across various sectors to network, build relationships, and reflect on racial justice work, providing support for Black professionals to thrive. Our 2024 event brought together nearly 200 people to celebrate Juneteenth to center Black culture, Black joy, and Black dignity. How we nurture, gather, and support the ecosystem of Black-led change is a critical part of our work. The space is curated for fostering connections, mentorship, relationship-building, and learning. These gatherings celebrate the greatness of our culture and provide the critical support needed for all of us to thrive in our professional lives.
Threading: Threading is an annual engagement for 200 of our partners to experience the spirit and genius of Black-led Change. Leaders from philanthropy, community organizations, and businesses visit local sites at the forefront of transformative work. Participants walk away with meaningful connections, an expanded knowledge of Black-led change, and a deeper understanding of the Black Collective Foundation MN. In 2024, our third-annual event, themed "We Remain Fearless," featured leaders from the Global Black Economic Forum, McKnight Foundation, and World to Win discussing how legal actions against racial justice work impacts our work locally and nationally.
Reviving Wellness: Partnership with Reviving Roots to offer holistic mental health and wellness support to community partners and Black-led Change Fellows, enhancing accessibility to wellness and sustainability of leaders.
Power-Shifting Solidarity: We facilitate, support, and inspire the philanthropic, non-profit, and social impact field to be in power-shifting solidarity to realize the promise of racial justice. We partner with renowned organizations to advance systems change through data, relationships, and networks. In November 2024, the Collective launched the MN LEAD (Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense) initiative, a multiracial effort to build a strong, interconnected ecosystem that proactively addresses legal challenges to race-conscious grantmaking, programs, and activities.
Research and Advocacy: Our first research report, "Toward Power-Shifting Solidarity," released in May 2023, explores data on anti-Black racism, racial justice, and Black-led social change to inspire
greater alignment with philanthropic investment in racial justice.
Current Goals
As we approach the 5-year Remembrance of the uprising for racial justice, the Collective is committed to leading on racial justice in Minnesota, including addressing the coordinated attacks on civil rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that are undermining our community-led efforts to address structural racism. The ecosystem for visionary, transformative social change must be more durable. To create a lasting impact, we must nurture an ecosystem that supports Black-led change beyond election cycles, harnessing civic engagement year-round. Over the next 12 months and beyond, we will remain fiercely committed to our mission to build philanthropic power and strengthen the ecosystem of Black-led social, political, and economic change in Minnesota and beyond.
Our proactive tactics include expanding a proven model from California, the Minnesota Legal, Education, Advocacy, and Defense Fund (MN LEAD). This is a multiracial initiative that proactively addresses legal challenges to race-conscious programming, shapes narratives, and supports strategic efforts to connect the ecosystem advancing racial justice. MN LEAD will engage in the following strategic efforts: strengthening Minnesota's Racial Equity Ecosystem through legal support and resources, connecting the ecosystem of racial justice, and defending and deepening support for race-conscious programming through strategic messaging and narrative efforts.
The New Suns Fellowship is a revision of our individual leadership investment program dedicated to investing in proven organizers and leaders who are engaged in community-centered civic action. The fellows will serve as a brain trust of advisors to the Collective as we support responsive organizing and guide philanthropic investments that align with our mission.
In November 2025, we will host The Collective Sum, the largest gathering of Black-led changemakers and allies committed to racial justice in Minnesota. This multi-day conference will unite individuals, organizations, and ideas focused on advancing racial equity and justice. By bringing together these diverse communities, we aim to strengthen our collective impact and chart the course for the next five years of our movement.
Launching a Donor Advised Fund Program (DAF): The Collective is creating the infrastructure to launch a DAF program so donors can grow their charitable funds while assisting the Collective in moving our mission forward.
Starting an Endowment: Our goal is to establish an endowment within the next 12 months, designed to ensure that the funds we build today will be available to support our community for years to come. The Investment Task Force is a committee of the Black Collective Foundation MN, responsible for managing the foundation’s investments, including the creation and oversight of our endowment.
Strengthening the Ecosystem: We continue to strengthen the ecosystem of Black-led change through community convenings, retreats, and more.
Resource Black-led organizations: Work with the community to fund creatively and abundantly and invest $1 million in grants to resource community-centered and culturally powered solutions.
Community or Constituency Served
As Minnesota’s first Black community foundation and a pioneer of culturally specific philanthropy nationwide, The Collective partners with individuals and institutions to boldly invest in organizations, leaders, systems, and ideas.
Geographic Area Served
Statewide Minnesota
