OneMPLS Fund
The OneMPLS Fund pools money from people like you to respond nimbly to our community’s most urgent needs. Every year, we target 1-3 pressing issues in greater Minneapolis and use this fund to address them. A gift to the OneMPLS Fund is a simple yet powerful way to help dozens of organizations that are making an impact locally.
How Your Support Helps
The OneMPLS Fund draws upon our extensive network of community partners and the expertise of our grantmaking staff. Since launching in 2019, it has made more than $4.5 million in grants to roughly 170 nonprofits. With help from Minnesotans like you, we have made a big impact on:
The OneMPLS Fund supports organizations that embrace:
Innovation
The ability to identify and implement groundbreaking, catalytic, or upstream solutions
Systems Change
Strategies that increase access to opportunity by targeting inequitable policies and practices
Multi-generational Approaches
Work that strengthens our community across generations
Intersectionality
Integrated approaches that recognize the connections between community issues
Community Voices
The perspectives and leadership of people who are most impacted by community challenges
The Latest
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Responding to Emerging Needs through the OneMPLS Fund
Through the OneMPLS Fund, we have witnessed firsthand the power of a collective impact fund that can respond nimbly to community needs.
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Community Resilience Supported by the OneMPLS Fund
Since its inception in 2018, the OneMPLS Fund has enabled people and businesses to respond quickly and flexibly to community needs.
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$1.57 Million Awarded in OneMPLS Rebuild Grants
Funding will support 16 nonprofits that are working with small businesses damaged in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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To ensure that we can coordinate and share resources from the OneMPLS Fund as nimbly as possible, donors may not restrict their grants to an individual grantee. If you have a specific organization you would like to support, we encourage you to give directly to that organization and suggest providing a general operating grant. If you have a Donor Advised Fund at the Minneapolis Foundation or are interested in establishing one, our Philanthropic Advisors can help you navigate the needs across our community.
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No. The OneMPLS Fund is not intended to be the only vehicle to give funds to nonprofits working to address our community’s most urgent issues. We encourage you to give directly to organizations you may have supported in the past or nonprofits you know are addressing needs in your community.
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Yes! We welcome other philanthropic entities to join us in this collective giving fund and will keep you updated about how the funds are used. Please contact Jenny Johnson at jjohnson@mplsfoundation.org for details on how to direct a grant to the OneMPLS Fund.
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No, the OneMPLS Fund is designed to make grants to 501(c)(3) organizations and groups with a fiscal sponsor.
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Yes, current grantees are eligible to apply.
Let's Get Started
We’d love to tell you more about the OneMPLS Fund and how you or your organization can join us in supporting our community’s emerging needs. For questions about grants, contact Patrice. For questions about donations, contact Eric.
Eric is committed to providing an optimal experience for individuals, families, and organizations that partner with the Foundation. His responsibilities include overseeing donor-engagement programs and services, assisting fund advisors in achieving their charitable goals, and grant screening and selection. Before joining the Foundation in 2000, Eric held positions at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and Augsburg University. He believes that time with family, friends, and outdoors is time well spent.
Patrice joined the Foundation in 2015 as a policy associate and Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow. She was promoted to lead the Foundation’s education grantmaking and strategy later that year. Patrice continues to guide the Foundation’s Reimagine Education strategy which focuses on advancing equity and closing opportunity gaps. However, she also guides our Collective Giving and related strategies (OneMPLS Fund, Giving Circles, etc.) to ensure local philanthropy is more inclusive and responsive.
Patrice worked for People Serving People homeless shelter in Minneapolis prior to joining the Foundation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and began her career as a K-12 education reporter at the Star Tribune. Patrice also completed a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Patrice is a proud first-generation college graduate who credits her parents, brother, mentors, and public high school for her accomplishments.