For nearly a decade, the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota has worked alongside local partners to support education and economic development in North Minneapolis.
Now, we’re entering a new phase in that work. While economic development has been an important part of our efforts—most visibly through the redevelopment of our headquarters at 927 Broadway—our focus going forward will center on young people in North Minneapolis.
“We’ve seen the brilliance of Northside youth up close. This new focus builds on their strengths and deepens our commitment to supporting their success.”
– Joel Luedtke, Program Director, Phillips Family Foundation
Over nine years of community-led grantmaking, Northside youth, educators, and parents have guided the Foundation’s broad strategies and specific funding decisions. Our Education Community Advisors co-authored our new grantmaking strategy, and we’re excited to help realize their ambitious aspirations for Northside youth.
During this time, we’ve also witnessed the impact of the many educators, mentors, employers, and nonprofit teams who are committed to the success of young people in North Minneapolis. This community is home to many inspiring organizations, from longstanding institutions like Cookie Cart, where generations of young people have earned their first paycheck, to newer programs like Minneapolis Climate Action, which offers summer internships for youth interested in green energy careers.
We believe there is more we can do to strengthen and sustain this rich ecosystem of opportunities for Northside youth. By concentrating our efforts, we can make a bigger difference—bringing greater focus and resources to one of North Minneapolis’ greatest assets: Its young people.
What’s Changing
Going forward, the Foundation will focus on helping North Minneapolis youth successfully transition from high school into college, careers, and long-term economic stability. Here are three ways we are doing this today:
1. Investing in Transition-Age Youth
Our grantmaking will support organizations serving Northside youth as they shape their futures in high school and beyond. We fund programs that provide young people ages 14 to 24 with career-relevant learning, mentoring and coaching, and opportunities to grow as leaders and activists. These investments build on work we’ve been doing for many years, and we look forward to announcing our latest grants soon.
2. Strengthening Connections Between Youth-Serving Organizations
In partnership with Ujima Collective, we are hosting a series of quarterly convenings for organizations serving North Minneapolis youth. More than 110 youth and adult leaders attended our first meeting in December. These gatherings are designed to strengthen relationships, spark new ideas, and expand pathways to opportunity for young people. The next convening is on April 7. Register here.
3. Launching a New Scholarship for North Minneapolis Young Men
In partnership with UNCF, we have launched the UNCF Eddie Phillips Scholars. This program will provide cohorts of young men from North Minneapolis with:
- Up to $10,000 in scholarship support for two years
- A structured cohort experience
- Dedicated mentorship led by Dr. Abdul Omari, one of our community’s leading experts on advancing college success for Black men
The first cohort will be selected soon and begin college this fall, with 15 new scholars selected each year. Please note that we also continue to fund the Phillips Scholars program, a partnership with the Minnesota Private Colleges Fund supporting scholarships and community service for students at MPCF member institutions across the state.
Why This Matters
This strategy represents a significant increase in our investments in post-secondary success. Just as important, it reflects what we have learned from youth, families, and community partners over the past nine years.
North Minneapolis already has deep talent, strong institutions, and powerful community leadership. We are grateful to all who are working to support local youth, and we believe that our collective efforts will help make the Northside the best place in our region for young people to launch into successful adult lives.
We are not starting from scratch. We are building on abundance.
If you would like to connect or learn more, please reach out to Joel Luedtke, Program Director for Education, at jluedtke@phillipsfamilymn.org.
