Fourth Generation Gives $76,000 to Climate Justice Organizations

Fourth Generation, a program of the Minneapolis Foundation that brings together emerging leaders, philanthropists and changemakers, wrapped up its 10^th grantmaking cycle by awarding $76,000 in grants to eight local organizations that are working to advance climate justice.

Members of Fourth Generation work together to learn the skills of strategic giving and pool their resources to make a much bigger difference in the community than they could alone. Every year, they vote to choose an issue, then work together to research, fundraise and review proposals. The year culminates with the selection of local nonprofits to receive grants.

Fourth Generation adjusted its grantmaking process this spring in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Among other changes, the group made all of its grants unrestricted, giving recipients greater flexibility to meet community needs as they evolve in the coming months.

In a variety of ways, this year’s grantees are all working to create climate solutions that ensure the right of all people to live, work and play in safe, healthy and clean environments.

“This year has shown how much our community is invested in learning about how climate justice impacts Minneapolis,” said Dre Cunningham, Fourth Generation’s Grantmaking Chair. “Their passion is inspiring.”

• Citizens Utility Board received a grant of $6,000 to support its work to transition Minnesota to a low-carbon energy system in which all Minnesotans share in the benefits of low-cost energy efficiency and renewables, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, or income.
• Hope Communities received $10,000 to support collaborative learning and project-based activities to build community and ecosystem resilience.
• Metro Blooms received a grant of $10,000 to support its work healing urban landscapes by building local awareness of resilience strategies, inspiring action to create more just and resilient communities, and achieving measurable change in landscaping norms.
• MN350 received a grant of $10,000 for grassroots organizing in support of the global movement to combat climate change.
• Project Sweetie Pie received a grant of $10,000 to support its work revitalizing North Minneapolis through scattered gardens that will seed community agricultural businesses and ultimately a food corridor with more than 500 living-wage jobs.
• Tamales y Bicycletas, an environmental justice organization that serves Latinx youth and families and BiPOC & LGBTQ communities in the Philips neighborhood and south Minneapolis, received a grant of $10,000. The organization has five main programs that focus on food justice and climate justice through the lens of decolonization and overcoming systemic environmental racism.
• The West Side Community Organization, a neighborhood organization and planning council for St. Paul’s District 3, received a grant of $10,000 to support their work engaging community members in environmental initiatives.
• The Women’s Environmental Institute, a research, renewal and retreat center, received a great of $10,000 to help the organization sustain its work creating and sharing knowledge about environmental issues and policies relevant to women, children and identified communities affected by environmental injustice; promoting agricultural justice, organic and sustainable agriculture and ecological awareness; and supporting activism that influences public policy and promotes social change.

Fourth Generation helps ensure that future generations have the tools they need to carry on Minnesota’s tradition of generosity and make positive change in the community. Over the last ten years, more than 400 members have donated and raised $493,000 to fund grants awarded to nonprofit organizations working to address critical community issues such as affordable housing, criminal justice reform, food justice, small business development, and services for aging Minnesotans.