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.

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.

Black Homeownership   The Twin Cities region has the largest disparity in the nation between Black and white homeowners. The Foundation is working to help close that gap by supporting sustainable, community-led efforts that increase Black homeownership as a means of building generational wealth.

Grants fund re-imagined, bold and innovative solutions such as targeted financial support for prospective Black homebuyers, strategies that take reparative action to address past racial injustices, and efforts that foster larger systemic change to eradicate discriminatory practices and policies that impact Black homebuyers.

Reimagining Public Safety   We invest in Black-led 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 and confront racial disparities. Our objective is to improve safety, trust, and greater wellbeing among BIPOC 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.

Racial Justice Fellowship Program   While leadership programs in the Twin Cities abound, programs geared specifically for Black people who are descendants of enslaved Africans are difficult to come by. Following a local landscape analysis to understand the need and gap, the Foundation sought to co-create a fellowship program to support Black organizers, activists, and leaders.

We have partnered with the Cultural Wellness Center to co-design and administer the Black Legacy Fellowship, a three-year pilot project. The 12-month fellowship program provides a cohort of local Black changemakers with financial resources, coaching, and reciprocal learning to uplift their work in the community and support their personal wellness and renewal.

Black Mental Health & Wellbeing   The Foundation builds the capacity of Black-led organizations who provide mental health, trauma response, and healing resources to meet the needs of Black youth, families, and communities in the Twin Cities is critical. Our goal is to expand access to community-led and culturally relevant supports that help people move beyond crisis toward community health and wellness.

Rebuild and Recovery   From 2020 to 2022, the Foundation funded BIPOC-led organizations to support recovery in cultural corridors and BIPOC-owned businesses affected by the uprising following George Floyd’s murder. We responded quickly and provided funding to businesses and organizations working to rebuild and recover from damage to their buildings and interruptions to their services.

View the Pohlad Family Foundation’s past Racial Justice grants.