Minneapolis Public Safety Transformation Grants

The Minneapolis Public Safety Transformation Fund was created as a direct result of the murder of George Floyd. Advanced by a group of Twin Cities businesses and philanthropic organizations, its purpose is to fund initiatives that will transform public safety in Minneapolis by actively confronting racial disparities and a history of racism to improve safety, trust, and greater wellbeing for Black and Indigenous communities and communities of color.

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, free from police brutality and other forms of violence. You are invited to share your ideas for creating a safer and more prosperous community.

The Minneapolis Public Safety Transformation Fund is a component fund of the Minneapolis Foundation. While the Fund is housed at the Minneapolis Foundation, it is overseen by a committee of community, civic, business, and philanthropic individuals who have independently raised the funds eligible for grantmaking. The committee has determined the funding guidelines and will oversee grant decision-making for the Fund.

As you consider this Call for Ideas, Leslie Redmond (infoleslieredmond@gmail.com) is available to answer questions about the content of your proposal. Please read through the eligibility, guidelines, and application process first.

Eligibility and Guidelines

The primary focus of the Fund is to address public safety for residents of the City of Minneapolis. Grants will be made to further that purpose and can be made to organizations and/or entities that will facilitate that outcome independently or in collaboration with other entities. Funding will be awarded to small businesses, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, and individuals that will serve the Minneapolis community. The Fund will prioritize proposals that are proposed by those most affected by police brutality and crime.

How to Apply

Funding will be awarded in a two-step process. This Call for Ideas is open to anyone with ideas for improving public safety for residents of the City of Minneapolis. The oversight committee will review these ideas and invite some applicants to apply for funding in response to a Request for Proposals.

Ideas must be submitted online via the Minneapolis Foundation’s online portal. We encourage you to log in well before the deadline to ensure that you have access and that your organization’s contact information is current. We also recommend that you download this preview document, which will help you prepare to submit your ideas online.

Key Dates

• Call for Ideas submission portal opens – September 8, 2021
• Call for Ideas submission deadline – September 23, 2021 (12pm CDT)
• RFP open to those invited to apply – October 15, 2021
• RFP deadline for those invited to apply – October 29, 2021 (12pm CDT)
• Notice of grant decisions – November 22, 2021
• Funding available for release – December 3, 2021

Technical Assistance

If you have technical questions about this process, please contact the Minneapolis Foundation’s Grants Administration team at grantsupport@mplsfoundation.org or 612-672-8665.