West Bank Fund Awards Capacity-Building Grants

The West Bank Community Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation has awarded $19,000 in one-time capacity building grants to ten organizations that provide services to residents living in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis.

These grants will enable organizations to expand and deepen their work in the neighborhood, supporting diverse cultures and improving social connections across cultures and generations. Funds will be used for staff development, wellness, training, planning, technology, and other projects.

People’s Center Clinics & Services, which has provided health care in the West Bank for more than 50 years, is among this year’s grant recipients. The organization will use its funding to pilot a walking tour for its staff about the history, culture, and significance of the West Bank. “This vibrant, diverse community enriches our organization, and we are so pleased to connect our staff, board members, and volunteers with the neighborhood. Our team is as diverse as this neighborhood,” said Paula Guinn, Chief Advancement and External Relations Officer at People’s Center.

Photos courtesy of People’s Center Clinics & Services

• AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY: $1,500 for translation services that will support the East African Debate Program by improving its marketing materials to better communicate with parents in their home language, and to support the recruitment and retention of Somali, Oromo, and Arabic students.
• BRIAN COYLE COMMUNITY CENTER: $1,500 to support the 2023 Cedar-Riverside Mulitcultural Dinner.
• CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER: $1,500 to support the West Bank Block Party, which brings together artists, community members, and organizations to celebrate the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
• KFAI, FRESH AIR RADIO, INC: $1,500 to support efforts to embed equity and social justice throughout the organization and its community listening programming through the creation of an equity and social justice community lead.
• KOREAN SERVICE CENTER: $1,500 to support recycling for senior congregate dining and the replacement of disposable food containers with improved reusable containers.
• MN350: $1,500 to engage East African residents on issues of racial justice and public transit.
• MIXED BLOOD THEATRE: $1,500 to support the 12×12: Cedar-Riverside project, which engages the community in the co-creation of a new performance on racial healing from intergenerational trauma.
• PEOPLE’S CENTER CLINICS & SERVICES: $1,500 to support staff and community engagement initiatives through educational opportunities and walking tours to bolster provider-patient relationships.
• THEATRE IN THE ROUND PLAYERS: $1,500 to support increased diversity in audience and artist bases through increased awareness of a new Neighborhood Rush Ticket initiative and theatre workshop opportunities.
• WEST BANK BUSINESS ASSOCIATION: $5,500 to support small grants for projects that show care for the neighborhood, including community gardens, clean-ups, special events and performances, and other activities that bring joy to the community.

The West Bank Community Fund was established in 1991 by the Cedar Riverside Project Area Committee, a citizen organization authorized by the City of Minneapolis to review development activities in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. The fund was endowed with money that flowed to the community upon the sale of Riverside Plaza. Since its inception, it has made more than $350,000 in grants to support projects that benefit the neighborhood.

Grants from the West Bank Community Fund are awarded every two years, with decisions made by an advisory committee of neighborhood residents and staff members of the Minneapolis Foundation. The fund’s next grant round will be held in 2025.