OneMPLS Grants Provide Relief for Local Residents
Seven local organizations will receive a total of $830,000 to address basic needs such as food and housing during the ICE surge.
The Minneapolis Foundation today announced $830,000 in OneMPLS grants to 7 local organizations working to meet urgent community needs as the impacts of recent federal immigration enforcement activity continue to ripple across the region.
“Because the ICE surge’s damage to people in our community continues to grow, the Minneapolis Foundation is granting additional resources for humanitarian relief, especially food and housing assistance,” said R.T. Rybak, President and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation. “Innocent people are suffering, so we encourage others to ‘stop sitting on your assets’ and get help to those in need.”
This marks the latest in a series of announcements the Foundation will make in the coming weeks as it continues to move $2 million in flexible resources from the OneMPLS Fund to trusted community partners. These OneMPLS grants build on more than $1.5 million already distributed this year by the Foundation and its fundholders specifically to organizations providing critical services to individuals, families, and neighborhoods in this moment.
These OneMPLS grants support nonprofit organizations addressing basic needs such as food and rental assistance for individuals and families affected by the ICE surge. Funded organizations are a diverse group of community-based nonprofits serving neighborhoods across the metro area. They were selected for their trusted relationships with communities disproportionally experiencing fear, hardship, and disruption because of the ICE surge.
“We know the effects of the ICE surge will be felt long after enforcement activity ends, and responding to this crisis will take sustained compassion from everyone in our community,” said Patrice Relerford, Vice President of Collective Impact and Giving at the Minneapolis Foundation. “Our partners are doing essential work to meet people where they are, now and in the weeks ahead.”
Photos courtesy of Pillsbury United Communities
One grant will help Pillsbury United Communities operate two food shelves and meet other basic needs for local families. “Minneapolis communities are standing strong during this time when injustice and violence dominate our daily lives,” said Anthony Washington, Interim President & CEO of Pillsbury United Communities. “As we have for almost 150 years, we will continue to stand strong in our values and with our communities and thank the Minneapolis Foundation for its support.”
Here’s the complete list of the OneMPLS grants announced today:
- Communities Advancing Prosperity for Immigrants (CAPI): $150,000 for food, hygiene items, staffing, security, and operations at CAPI’s Brooklyn Center food shelf, which is facing increased demand and safety concerns due to nearby immigration enforcement activity.
- Community Emergency Service (CES): $60,000 for food, transportation, staffing, and volunteer coordination for CES’s Neighborhood Food Market and Food Lockers as demand for fresh food and home delivery increases among seniors and families hesitant to leave their homes.
- Centro Tyrone Guzman: $125,000 for food, basic needs, transportation, rental assistance, and staffing for this longstanding Latine-led organization as families seek increased support amid work, school, and income disruptions tied to immigration enforcement fears.
- Isuroon: $125,000 for food, basic needs, and staffing for the organization’s Halal food shelf and culturally specific food assistance programs as safety concerns drive increased demand for food delivery rather than in-person pickup.
- PRISM: $105,000 for food, basic needs, and rental and utility assistance through PRISM’s Food Shelf and Housing Assistance Program as demand rises for both food access and eviction prevention services.
- Pillsbury United Communities: $165,000 for food distribution, staffing, transportation, security, and safety enhancements at multiple sites as PUC experiences increased demand, delivery requests, and safety concerns across its Minneapolis food shelf and storage locations (e.g. Waite House, Brian Coyle, and North Market).
- Wicoie Nandagikendan Early Childhood Immersion Program: $100,000 for food, community meals, transportation, and staffing for this Dakota and Ojibwe language immersion program as families face increased food needs due to immigration activity and federal funding disruptions.
Designed to respond to urgent and emerging needs, the OneMPLS Fund is supported by the Minneapolis Foundation and its fundholders—more than 1,500 individuals, families, and businesses with charitable funds at the Foundation. Each year, the Foundation identifies one to three pressing issues and invites local organizations to apply for one-time OneMPLS grants. Since its inception seven years ago, the fund has distributed more than $7 million to address challenges ranging from affordable housing to the economic impacts of the pandemic and George Floyd’s murder.
The OneMPLS Fund is intended to complement, not replace, direct donations to local organizations. The Foundation encourages community members to continue supporting organizations they already trust and offers the OneMPLS Fund as an option for those who want to join with others in supporting the community during this time.
