Community Grantmaking - Minneapolis, MN

Community Grantmaking - Minneapolis, MN

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Carolyn Foundation
Amount: US $15,000 - US $25,000
Last Updated: January 09, 2026

Summary

The Carolyn Foundation in Minneapolis, MN, is dedicated to improving the lives of low-income middle school students by funding programs that help them succeed academically. The foundation prioritizes initiatives that provide access to high-quality education and support during and after school, ensuring these students are well-prepared for their futures. Emphasizing equity, inclusion, and community partnerships, the foundation aims to create lasting positive change for families and the community at large.

Overview

Carolyn Foundation Our Vision To improve the lives of children, families, communities and the environment through the involvement of successive generations of the family of Carolyn McKnight Christian. Our Mission To partner with programs and initiatives that effect positive change now and in the future. Our Values Civility: We are committed to civil discourse and will act with respect and humility, even in the face of opposing views. In order to listen deeply to others, we will work to set aside our assumptions and expand our understanding of the experiences and perspectives of others.Concern for Community: We value the importance and character of communities. We aspire to work as equal partners with diverse community members to understand community needs, to develop solutions and to fund effective programs.Making a Difference: We work to make a significant difference with our emphasis in addressing root causes and effecting long-term systemic change. We know that many systems are often deeply biased, requiring courageous and tenacious work to address generations of inequality.Inclusion: We affirm and value the diversity in our communities and our family including but not limited to: race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation/identity, class, faith and family structures. We will seek out diversity and active inclusion in our processes to deepen our understanding by learning from others’ lived experience.Compassion and Reason: We will seek to bring both compassion and reason to our work to promote justice in all that we do. Minneapolis, MN Carolyn Foundation funds high-quality out-of-school time (OST) youth development programs for low-income middle- through high-school-aged youth in Minneapolis, MN. Based on feedback from the community, we take a two-pronged approach: Core Partners: Through an invited grantmaking process, we support a core group of youth development partners who have distinguished themselves for serving our target population; andYouth Development Grantees: Through a responsive grantmaking process, we support community-led youth development organizations where leadership and staff reflect the demographics and shared lived experiences with the young people they serve. In this we way, we strive to provide both breadth and depth to our youth development focus. Program Alignment: Programs that align with our funding criteria are programs that include the following researched-based best practices: Culturally relevant programs where the leadership and staff reflect the young people they serve. Youth benefit from seeing leaders who look like them and share lived experiences.

Relationship-rich programs that develop deep, meaningful, and supportive relationships between young people and caring adults. Organizations with stable, well-trained staff will be rated more highly than those with revolving staff and volunteers.
“High Dosage” developmentally appropriate youth development programs: Programs that meet often, for a significant time, and for an extended duration will be rated more highly.
Youth voice and choice programs that empower young people to develop agency, independence, and empowerment. Carolyn Foundation does NOT fund adult-directed youth services, such as case management, individual lessons, and tutoring for youth.
Long-term programs where young people can begin in middle school and continue participating and remaining connected over multiple years.
Site Visits: As a general practice, we don’t fund youth programs without seeing the programs, with youth participants present, in action. The relationships and interactions between young people and adults are critical, and we’ve seen many positive and negative cases where what we read and hear differs from what we can experience during a site visit. We believe young people should have a voice, choice, and input into our funding decisions, and one way we incorporate that is through in-person site visits.
Focus: Youth development and leadership out-of-school (OST) programs serving low-income middle-school through high-school-age youth (ages 11-18, grades 6-12).
At a minimum, programs must serve middle-school-age youth (ages 11-13, grades 6-8).
Carolyn Foundation does NOT fund individual youth services, such as case management, individual lessons, and tutoring for youth, etc.
Budget: ~$1.5M or less (organization budget if requesting general operating funds; youth development program budget if requesting a program-specific funding and your organization budget is larger than $1.5M).

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Geography: Carolyn Foundation funds out-of-school-time (OST) programs in the following Minneapolis Communities and schools:Community-based OST programs located in and/or serving youth in the following Minneapolis Communities: Camden, Near North, Phillips, Powderhorn, or in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood; School-based OST programs at the following schools: Ascension Catholic School, Hennepin Middle School, New City School, Northeast College Prep, Prodeo Academy, Risen Christ Catholic School, St. John Paul II Catholic School Ascension Catholic SchoolHennepin Elementary SchoolNew City SchoolNortheast College PrepProdeo AcademyRisen Christ Catholic SchoolSt. John Paul II Catholic School

Ineligibility

If you answer no to any of these questions, you will unlikely receive funding.Is your program an out-of-school-time (OST) youth development program? Does your program operate in one of the listed geographic areas? If your program is connected to a school, meeting at the school, or transporting to and from, is it one of the listed schools? If your program is connected to a school, meeting at the school, or transporting to and from, does the school leader know about and want the program at the school, and can submit a letter of support for this program as part of the application? Has your program operated in either one of the listed geographic areas or listed schools for at least one year, and do you have participation data to share as part of your application? Does the organization’s board and staff mirror the demographics and lived experience of the youth served? Do young people participate multiple hours per week over most of the year? Do staff and young people develop deep caring relationships? Do young people have choices and a voice in program priorities and operations? Does a significant percentage of young people participate for more than one year? Is the percentage of program participants eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch (FRL) at least 50%? In the coming months, can you host an in-person site visit with programming in action?