Racial Justice
The Foundation’s justice-oriented approach aims to build a Twin Cities where everyone can thrive.
Our racial justice work is grounded in these beliefs:
Every human, regardless of race and ethnicity, deserves a life free of discrimination, oppression and violence.
It’s critical to include the expertise of those closest to a problem in finding the solutions to that problem.
True justice requires shifting power to marginalized communities who have not had an equal voice.
Justice requires us to learn from past successes and failures while holding hope and optimism for the future.
In June 2020, in response to the murder of George Floyd by law enforcement and our nation’s continued underlying systemic racism, the Pohlad family committed $25 million over five years to advance racial justice in the Twin Cities.
We define Racial Justice as the systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all. It is not just the absence of discrimination and inequities, but also the presence of deliberate systems and supports to achieve and sustain racial equity through proactive and preventative measures. It includes the active and strategic process of repairing the harmful impacts of systemic racism.
Racial Justice Grants Committee
Strategy development, power, and decision-making are shared with community members through our Racial Justice Grants Committee.
In 2020, we formed the Racial Justice Grants Committee which includes members of the Black community, Foundation board, and Pohlad Companies employees with wide-ranging expertise. The committee plays a key role in advancing our racial justice work, and it is the first time the Foundation has publicly partnered with community members on strategy-setting and grantmaking.
Consistent with our practice of centering solutions that represent the personal experiences, input and needs of those closest to the issue, our grant programs respond to evolving community needs.
We invest in these program areas:
Equitable Homeownership The Foundation is working to help close the Twin Cities’ homeownership gap by supporting sustainable, community-led efforts that increase homeownership for under-resourced groups as a means of building generational wealth.
Grants fund re-imagined, bold and innovative solutions such as targeted financial support for prospective homebuyers and efforts that foster larger systemic change to eradicate discriminatory practices and policies.
Reimagining Public Safety We invest in grassroots organizations working to end police violence and improve public safety. Alongside these efforts, we are working in partnership with four metro-area cities (Brooklyn Center, Golden Valley, Minneapolis, and St. Paul) to transform traditional approaches to public safety. Our objective is to improve safety, trust, and greater wellbeing among all residents in the Twin Cities.
Key components of this work include community engagement, alternative emergency responses to behavioral health crises, increased police performance and accountability, a commitment to racial equity in public safety, and an evaluation plan to measure progress.
View the Pohlad Family Foundation’s past Racial Justice grants.
“The Pohlad Family Foundation came with an open mind on how they can work with us.”
-Warren McLean, Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON)
