The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation today announced that, together and independently, they have awarded more than $7 million to Minnesota nonprofits in their first round of 2022 grantmaking. Grants will support community organizations as they rebuild in a time of Covid-19 and after civil unrest.
“We are fortunate to have highly committed nonprofit organizations throughout Minnesota that boldly, compassionately and imaginatively address some of the most challenging issues facing our communities,” said Tiffany Kong, the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s director of Community Impact. “It is a privilege to be able to support the important community-led work these organizations are doing to advocate for equity and improve the wellbeing of all Minnesotans.”
The following organizations were among the most recent round of grant recipients:
Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s Reentry Clinic was awarded $40,000 by F. R. Bigelow Foundation to sustain its work helping people transition from incarceration back into society by offering legal representation and connections to other services, including community education. The clinic also gives Mitchell Hamline students real-world legal experience as, under the supervision of faculty and experienced attorneys, they help clinic clients with family law, criminal record expungement and other legal matters.
Anna Marie’s Alliance was awarded $25,000 by Mardag Foundation to ensure ongoing support for survivors of domestic violence in central Minnesota. Anna Marie’s Alliance operates the only domestic violence shelter in central Minnesota, serving Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Mille Lacs and Wright counties. Since 1979, Anna Marie’s Alliance has sheltered more than 17,000 women and children and provided crisis intervention and other resources to countless more.
Face to Face was awarded $80,000 by the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and F. R. Bigelow Foundation to support its ongoing provision of services to youths experiencing homelessness. Face to Face is a safety net provider of health care, counseling, food and transportation services through SafeZone, a drop-in center for youth in downtown Saint Paul, as well as through its clinic on Saint Paul’s East Side.
HOME Line was awarded $65,000 by the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and F. R. Bigelow Foundation to support its work providing legal, organizing, educational and advocacy services to tenants to help them solve their rental housing problems. Demand for its services grew dramatically as it worked to help renters avoid eviction during the pandemic.
Standpoint (formerly Battered Women’s Legal Advocacy Project) was awarded $20,000 by Mardag Foundation to support its statewide work promoting justice for domestic and sexual violence victims. Demand for Standpoint’s representation, training, litigation support and legal advocacy services nearly doubled during the pandemic.
Restoration For All was awarded $50,000 by the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and F. R. Bigelow Foundation to support its continuing efforts to reduce economic disparities and improve wellbeing among African immigrants and refugees, especially women and girls. Taking a uniquely culturally sensitive approach, Restoration for All honors and elevates traditional values that are strengths of immigrants and refugees while creating a safe space for growth and mutual support and exploring paths to economic self-sufficiency.
RISE (Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment) was awarded $30,000 by the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation to support its work challenging Islamophobia, gender inequity and racism. RISE focuses especially on women in the Minnesota Muslim community who are underrepresented in the political process. In 2021, RISE launched a leadership development series, led by local Muslim women, to help crease financial literacy and build wealth.