Expanding Opportunities for Children and Families Grant

The Mortenson Family Foundation is dedicated to expanding opportunities for children and families living in poverty by promoting equitable access to education, social development, and mental health resources. By partnering with nonprofit organizations and public schools, the foundation aims to empower communities through culturally relevant learning practices and strong engagement with families. Their focus on racial equity and sustained support for children from prenatal to 18 years ensures a holistic approach to overcoming the barriers faced by underserved populations.

Our Goal
We seek to assist children and families living in poverty to attain equitable access to academic, social development, and mental health/wellness opportunities and systems that are inclusive and center their human dignity and humanity thereby providing the potential for an educated, informed, and liberated student, parent, and community.
Our Beliefs
Knowledge, history, experience, and perspectives of children, families, and communities are at the heart of ensuring every child feels safe to learn and grow to shape their own path in the world.
Culturally relevant ways of learning and innovative practices grounded in strong outcomes of engagement and accountability to the communities are essential.
Academic achievement and social emotional and mental well-being happen through a comprehensive network of quality home, school, and community support.
There is a strong interconnectedness of academics, social and emotional learning, and mental health.
Work grounded in racial equity ensures race, economic status, gender identity, multilingual, sexual orientation and/or ability are viewed as assets.
A strong ecosystem that includes direct services and systems change work that includes education leaders, advocates, and policy work will produce lasting outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Continuous, intensive, and relevant support spanning consecutive years along the continuum of learning for children (ranging in age from prenatal to 18) produces effective and sustainable outcomes.
Our Partners
We are interested in partnering with nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public schools that directly serve or strengthen systems that directly serve children and families living in poverty in the 7-county metro area.
We prioritize organizations centering equity and culturally relevant ways of learning and innovative practices grounded in strong outcomes of engagement and accountability to the children ages prenatal to 18 and their families. We prioritize organizations that are centering Racial Equity both internally and externally and organizations with leadership and boards that are reflective of the community served.
We partner with organizations that:

• Engage beneficiaries in design
• Center student voice and engage families and community as essential partners.
• Directly support children in social and emotional, academic, and mental health/wellbeing

Change, create and/or improve systems to create pathways for children to have equitable access to social and emotional, academic, and mental health /wellbeing resources
Partner with home, schools, and communities
Provide consistent, sustained and asset-based support over multiple years

Eligibility

Our Partners: We are interested in partnering with nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public schools that directly serve or strengthen systems that directly serve children and families living in poverty in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.Our desire is to support:501(c)(3) organizations providing direct services to populations with at least 60 percent of people living in poverty, as defined by the Federal Poverty Guidelines.We welcome unrestricted or program requests from organizations.
We will consider program/project support for public schools (district or charter) serving a population with at least 80 percent of students receiving free and reduced lunch.
501(c)(3) organizations strengthening/changing systems that serve people living in poverty.

Ineligibility

Although the following strategies may complement our overall Foundation goal, they fall outside of our desired focus:ResearchNonecumenical organizations or programs, direct religious activities, or organizations that receive a significant source of funding from sectarian solicitationsSpecial events or sponsorshipsSupport to an individual