Responding to
Emerging Needs through the OneMPLS Fund
The past two years have tested our families, our neighbors, and our nation in ways none of us could have imagined.
They have also shown us the enduring value of flexibility, grit, and the generosity of people and businesses like you. And they have illuminated the path that lies ahead as we come together to build a stronger, more just community.
Through the OneMPLS Fund, we have witnessed firsthand the power of a collective impact fund that can respond nimbly to community needs. That’s why the Minneapolis Foundation is deepening our commitment to the OneMPLS Fund—and why we are inviting you to continue this work with us.
Acting Nimbly to Support Neighbors
When the Minneapolis Foundation launched the OneMPLS Fund, we had no idea that we were months away from a pandemic, or from a global reckoning over racial injustice that would be sparked by a murder in our own community. What we knew is that Minneapolis faces complex, critical challenges—and that addressing them would take nimbleness and the support of people and businesses across our community.
Thanks to the OneMPLS Fund’s donors, the Minneapolis Foundation was ready to act quickly when the pandemic hit. After an inaugural grant round in 2019 that focused on affordable housing, the OneMPLS Fund distributed more than $4 million last year to local nonprofits meeting the needs of neighbors who endured some of 2020’s toughest blows: Low-income families with kids. Seniors in residential facilities. Gig workers, artists, and restaurant employees. Small business owners reeling from both COVID-19 and the civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder.
Building on Impactful Success
The needs are still urgent today—and so we are not letting up. Going forward, we will use the OneMPLS Fund as an evergreen tool to target our community’s most pressing challenges. Every year, we will target 1-3 critical issues in greater Minneapolis and use the OneMPLS fund to address it.
In 2021, we are strengthening local nonprofits that have been stretched by the pandemic, helping them enhance their capacity as they meet the evolving needs of the diverse communities they serve. Today, we are pleased to invite you to learn more about our next OneMPLS grant round, which launches in a few weeks.
This kind of responsive grantmaking relies on the continued support of people like you who care about the future of our community.
