West Bank Community Fund Grants

The West Bank Community Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation offers grants to organizations working to serve the needs of residents living in the West Bank area of Minneapolis, which falls in ZIP code 55454 or the triangle of land bounded by Interstate 94, the Mississippi River, and Interstate 35W.

The primary objective of proposals for these grants should be to:

1) Recognize the diverse cultures of West Bank residents and improve social connections across cultures and generations; and
2) Encourage West Bank residents to engage in community and policy issues that are important to them.

FUNDING PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO APPLICATIONS THAT FOCUS ON:

• Partnerships and collaborations that bridge barriers among West Bank residents, especially efforts to close gaps in access to public services and support.
• Projects that are designed to empower African youth, their families, and immigrant elders.
• Partnerships and collaborations that build on community assets and expand opportunities for West Bank participants to fully participate in the arts, culture, the local business community, and society at large.

WE WILL NOT FUND:

• Capital requests
• Individuals
• Organizational deficits

Applicants may request up to $5,000. We have approximately $30,000 available to grant and anticipate awarding up to 10 grants, depending on the number of requests received and approved. Funded activities are expected to be short-term in nature and completed within 12 months.

Funding will be awarded to 501(c)(3)s, a 501(c)(4)s, government entities (including schools), religious institution, or others with a fiscal agent.

Applicants must also be:

• Located in the 55454 ZIP code or able to demonstrate that you provide services benefiting residents of the West Bank.
• Up to date with the reporting requirements of any previous grants you have received from the Minneapolis Foundation

Priority for funding will be given to organizations that are physically located in the 55454 ZIP code. Organizations located elsewhere will be considered if they demonstrate that this is their primary service area and that they meet the other funding criteria.

We will begin accepting applications on February 19, 2025. Applications must be submitted online via SurveyMonkey Apply. The deadline to apply is 1 p.m. on March 12, 2025.

We recommend downloading this preview document, which will help you prepare to apply online. We encourage you to log in to our application portal well before the deadline to ensure that you have access to it and that your organization’s contact information is current.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

• Application
• Project budget
• Organization budget

FUNDING DECISIONS AND GRANT TERMS:

Funding decisions will be made in late March or early April of 2025. The grant period for this opportunity will be from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.

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For more information about this funding opportunity, please contact Program Officer Josh Johnson at jjohnson2@mplsfoundation.org or 612-672-3862.

Please download this FAQ document for tips on using the online application portal. If you have technical questions or need assistance with the portal, please contact our Grant Administration team at grantsupport@mplsfoundation.org or 612-672-8665.