OneMPLS Fund

Responding to emerging needs
women sitting around a table, laughing together

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 invite local organizations to apply for one-time funding through this fund. A gift to the OneMPLS Fund is a simple yet powerful way to strengthen our community.

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 $10 million in grants to more than 170 nonprofits. With help from Minnesotans like you, we have made a big impact on:

Basic Needs –
ICE Surge

In early 2026, we distributed more than $3 million to local organizations meeting immediate needs, such as food and housing, for individuals and families.

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Protecting
Public Media

In the fall of 2025, the OneMPLS Fund supported Save the Signal Minnesota, a new statewide effort led by Press Forward to protect the future of public media.

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Economic Mobility – Capacity Building

In the spring of 2025, we supported work to build a more sustainable economic landscape in which communities can thrive and individuals have greater economic mobility.

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Fair Housing

In 2023, we supported fair housing, distributing grants to not only preserve and create affordable housing, but help address the root causes of housing disparities.

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Capacity Building

In 2021, we strengthened local nonprofits that were stretched by the pandemic, helping them enhance their capacity to meet evolving community needs.

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Rebuilding (COVID-19 Phase II)

In the summer of 2020, we lent a hand to BIPOC-owned businesses grappling with the dual crises of COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd.

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Pandemic Relief (COVID-19 Phase I)

In 2020, we quickly distributed nearly $2 million to 150 organizations that serve communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

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Affordable Housing

Our inaugural grant round focused on stable housing for families and youth, with $500,000 awarded to five nonprofits in the fall of 2019.

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In 2023 and 2024, the OneMPLS Fund focused on fair and affordable housing. Watch this video to learn how one of our grant recipients, Hope Community, is supporting local residents on their journey to homeownership. 

Our Approach

To move resources efficiently and reduce barriers for nonprofits, our staff awards grants through the following approaches:

  • Partnerships with trusted intermediaries with strong community relationships.
  • Insights from interviews, listening sessions, and research to identify urgent needs.
  • Direct invitations to apply, rather than competitive grant rounds or RFP processes.

This approach helps us move resources quickly, reduce administrative burden for nonprofits, and prioritize organizations with deep community trust, established track records, and lived expertise while directing funding where it can have the greatest immediate impact. The OneMPLS Fund does not fund individuals or for-profit organizations.

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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Supporting Student Stability

The OneMPLS Fund has awarded $500,000 to Minneapolis Public Schools to expand housing support for students and their families.

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Rooted in Community, Ready in Crisis

When the surge of federal agents brought patrols to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, Pillsbury United Communities stepped up to meet urgent community needs with support from the Minneapolis Foundation.

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OneMPLS Grants Surpass $2.8 Million to Support Local Families

Funding fuels 23 local organizations that are providing assistance with housing, food, and other urgent needs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • May I target my donation to a specific organization?

    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.

  • Should I give to the OneMPLS Fund instead of making other donations?

    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.

  • Can my family foundation help address emerging issues through the OneMPLS Fund?

    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 the Philanthropic Services team at psadmin@mplsfoundation.org for details on how to direct a grant to the OneMPLS Fund.

  • May individuals apply for assistance from the OneMPLS Fund?

    No, the OneMPLS Fund is designed to make grants to 501(c)(3) organizations and groups with a fiscal sponsor.

Questions?

Contact Patrice to learn more about the OneMPLS Fund.

Patrice Relerford
Vice President of Collective Impact and Giving