MN Forward Pooled Fund Grant Program - Futuring Grant

The MN Forward Pooled Fund Grant Program - Futuring Grant supports organizations and coalitions in Minnesota with budgets of $3 million or less. This initiative prioritizes efforts led by impacted communities aiming for long-term visions of resilience and strength. Grants of $50,000 are available to groups focused on advocacy, organizing, capacity building, and cultural initiatives, addressing the needs arising from federal shifts while ensuring diverse leadership and community engagement.

Grants from the MN Forward Pooled Fund will emphasize efforts created and led by communities impacted by the short- and long-term effects brought on by federal shifts. This new grant program for organizations and coalitions with annual or program budgets of $3 million or less.
Futuring Grants will support organizations and coalitions/collaboratives building for futures beyond the current moment with 10-, 20-, and 30-year visions where impacted communities are leading and thriving.
Priorities
The MN Forward Pooled Fund will emphasize efforts created and led by communities impacted by the short- and long-term effects brought on by federal shifts.
Priority for groups supporting multiple organizations or leaders. Emphasis placed on applications that demonstrate impacted communities and geographies are in leadership, have informed and formed the process and solution, will benefit from the effort being funded.
Grants are available to groups working across many disciplines including but not limited to:

• AdvocacyOrganizingServicesCapacity buildingTraining/facilitationArts & cultureHealing
• Funding
• Grants will be a set amount of $50,000 per grantee.

Eligibility

Future Planning Grants will support:Protecting current civil liberties, documenting/archiving current democratic practices for future use and/or growing efforts that advance a multiracial participatory democracy
Systems change, building alternative structures and imagining/co-creating the future of civil society and/or community care infrastructure
Developing, experimenting, growing, maintaining and/or returning to culturally specific practices/ways of beingGrants are available for Minnesota-based, Minnesota-serving organizations and/or coalitions/collaboratives with an annual budget of $3 million or less.For coalitions/collaboratives this refers to the budget of the collaborative effort not the total budgets of all participating groups.Eligible organization types include 501c3, 501c4 and 501c6 organizations, LLCs that provide services to nonprofits, groups with a fiscal sponsor, and tribal government programs with program budgets of $3 million or less.Grants from the MN Forward Pooled Fund are for Minnesota-based efforts created by and for Minnesotans impacted by effects brought on by current federal shifts. At least 30% of grants awarded will be for proposals led by rural communities

Ineligibility

Not eligible:Religious organizations for expressly religious purposes
Efforts that are duplicative of work funded by MN Legal Fund hosted by Minnesota Council on Foundations and MN LEAD hosted by the Black Collective Foundation MN
Proposals to fill budget gaps/replace government grants due to federal changes