Deadline: 22-Oct-21
The Minneapolis Foundation is inviting applications for Climate Action and Racial Equity Grants Program for place-based, community-driven initiatives and projects that result in a demonstrable reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions.
Proposals should align with the goals of the Minneapolis Climate Action Plan and the Minneapolis Strategic Racial Equity Plan.
Priorities
Priority will be given to projects that:
- are led by and serve Black or Indigenous communities, people of color, and/or immigrants.
- serve residents with designated Green Zones in the City of Minneapolis.
Focus Areas
Projects should encompass the following racial equity focus areas:
- Workforce/Team Structure: Assess organizational workforce and/or project team composition to ensure it reflects the diversity of the community your proposed project aims to benefit. Describe the current make-up of the team/organization that will be focused on this project. If your current team does not reflect the racial and ethnic make-up of the community your project will serve, describe the strategies you will implement to address that gap.
- Spend: A key mechanism to advance racial equity is through spending organizational funds with businesses owned by Black or Indigenous communities, people of color and/or immigrants, particularly in industries where these businesses are under utilized. Describe your current organizational/team philosophy and experience supporting businesses of this nature and your commitment to doing so with funds acquired through the Climate Action and Racial Equity Fund.
- Racially Disaggregated Data: It is impossible to address issues of racial inequity without first naming the nature of disparity through the use of data that is disaggregated by race. Community-level data of this nature is available from many sources to describe the disparities that exist in housing, health, education, sustainability, employment, and more. Where it isn’t available, organizations and individuals need a strategy to capture this data through community engagement, particularly with the communities most impacted by systemic and institutional racism. Please describe how you are using racially disaggregated data in defining your planning project proposal, establishing success factors, and assessing the impact of your work.
- Community Engagement: Initiatives focused on reducing and/or eliminating racial disparities are only effective when they are informed by the communities they are designed to benefit.
Plans
- Minneapolis Climate Action Plan: Projects should further one or more of the four key goals of the Minneapolis Climate Action Plan related to reducing green house gas emissions. These goals include:
- Energy Efficiency: Significantly improve the energy efficiency of the commercial, residential, and public buildings.
- Renewable Energy: Increase the use of local, renewable energy.
- Reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled: Reduce vehicle miles traveled in Minneapolis.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Shrink the waste stream by reducing waste, encouraging reuse, and increasing recycling of both organic and inorganic material.
- Minneapolis Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan
- Projects should also advance the Minneapolis Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan.
- The City of Minneapolis defines racial equity as the development of policies, practices, and strategic investments to reverse racial disparity trends, eliminate institutional racism, and improve outcomes and opportunities for all people.
Funding Information
- The fund has $250,000 available for grants in 2021.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Locations: All projects must happen within the City of Minneapolis; preference given to projects serving Green Zone residents
- Eligible Applicants: This funding opportunity is open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits, schools, churches, neighborhood organizations, business associations, and charitable/grassroots organizations with a fiscal agent.
For more information, visit https://www.minneapolisfoundation.org/stories/climate/2021-climate-action-and-racial-equity-grants/