Rapid Response Fund

Program Status: Applications are temporarily paused as of March 20, 2026. Current funds are exhausted. This is a pause, not an end. The foundation is actively working to secure new funding and will share updates with the community as soon as applications can reopen.

Purpose: The fund moves resources quickly to support community-led safety, healing, and mutual aid in response to escalating state violence and community needs.

Why This Fund Exists

Native communities in Minnesota are experiencing escalation of state violence through immigration enforcement, including harassment, detention, and family separation. Native people, including vulnerable relatives who are unhoused or living with addiction, are being targeted and detained. Federal officers have denied Tribal IDs as valid documentation of citizenship. Many Native people, including elders, are carrying deep fear that prevents access to essential services including ceremony, work, and support services.

What This Fund Supports

The fund supports community-led work including:

• Safety, mutual aid, organizing, and culturally grounded healing
• Real costs such as:
  • Food for gathering spaces
  • Gas for community rides
  • Blankets and cold-weather gear
  • Other essential supplies and equipment

Focus: Native relatives stepping into leadership to care for both Native and non-Native communities, guided by responsibilities as first peoples and stewards of the land.

Tiwahe's Role

Tiwahe serves as an organizer of organizers by:

• Convening and facilitating across jurisdictions
• Ensuring vital community work is recognized and resourced even when it falls outside mainstream philanthropy's radar
• Using values as a compass to stay oriented toward care, solidarity, and enduring traditional practices
• Building spaces for collective healing, visioning, and world-building rooted in traditional ways of being

Funding Partners

Supported through partnerships including LinkingLeaders and funders such as Vitalogy Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation.

Geographic Scope: Minnesota (focus on Native and BIPOC communities)

How to Apply

Current Status: Applications are temporarily paused as of March 20, 2026. The foundation is actively working to secure new funding and will reopen applications soon.

Eligibility:

• Doing community-led work that supports safety, mutual aid, organizing, or culturally grounded healing
• The fund is designed to support real needs as they arise, especially for people and groups overlooked by traditional funding systems

Application Process:

1. Wait for reopening announcement from the foundation
2. Submit application describing community-led work and specific needs
3. Include details of how funds will support safety, mutual aid, organizing, or healing initiatives

Note: This fund is designed to be responsive and move resources quickly, so application requirements may be flexible to accommodate real-time community needs.