The Minneapolis Foundation awards Community Grants from the endowment created by generous Minnesotans through bequests and other unrestricted gifts. The following are a few recent grants which together will help create and sustain a vibrant economy, an inclusive community, and exceptional schools.
Summit Academy OIC will promote changes in the construction industry so greater numbers of low income people and people of color can attain higher paying jobs in the industry. This is an extension of Summit Academy OIC’s efforts to help more people become self-sufficient.
One of those efforts, the 100 Hard Hats program, trains adults from depressed neighborhoods and difficult circumstances to “enter the mainstream of economic and family stability.” Participants are trained and apprentice in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and construction labor. A high school diploma or G.E.D. is required, as is regular attendance. The average annual income of participants upon entering the program is $5,500. Twenty weeks later, they are qualified to earn $36,000.
Founded in 2003, 100 Hard Hats has graduated 75% of its participants. Graduate Eddie Jackson, now helping to construct the Twins Stadium, says, “I can lead a meaningful life and provide support for my 17-year-old daughter.” Watch a video about this program at MinneapolisFoundation.org.
Housing
Greater Minnesota Housing Corporation will help 550 North Minneapolis homeowners maintain and rehabilitate their homes, and will provide affordable single-family homeownership opportunities to qualifying neighborhood residents. Stemming the tide of foreclosures – a shocking 200 homes per half-square mile in Minneapolis’ Jordan neighborhood – is a critical strategy for neighborhood safety and stability.
Peace Foundation will continue to “build economic, political, and community power on the Northside” by: inspiring youth leaders; supporting neighbor-to-neighbor engagement; and establishing a Northside lobbying presence at all levels of government.
Peace Foundation organizes Northside residents in efforts to strengthen their own community, intensively recruiting individuals who have been isolated due to poverty and violence. In addition, Peace Foundation events foster personal connections and citywide unity and promote patronage of Northside arts and businesses (such as the Flow Northside Arts Crawl).
Last year Peace Foundation’s Northside Youth StandUp! members led KARE-11 reporters on a bus tour. These young people make positive changes in their neighborhood and on policies that impact their lives. View the news segment at MinneapolisFoundation.org.
Northside Youth StandUp! member Cordero B. says, “I want to see a change on the Northside so my little sisters can grow up and be able to walk to the store without a worry in the world.”