General Mills Foundation Awards $500,000 in Grants to Local
Community-Based Organizations
The General Mills Foundation today announced 50 grants of $10,000 each
to nonprofit organizations across the Twin Cities with programs designed
to improve the lives of people within the local communities of color.
The grant recipients were selected for the wide range of individuals
they serve including children, youth and adults, and for the innovative
services they provide including resources for immigrant families, food
shelf support, community gardens, early childhood care and education,
and programs for at-risk youth.
“Through our Celebrating Communities of Color grant program, the General
Mills Foundation is proud to support innovative, community-based
programs that are meeting critical needs and enriching the lives of many
in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area,” said Ellen Goldberg Luger, General
Mills vice president and executive director of the General Mills
Foundation. “Now in its eighth year, our Celebrating Communities of
Color grant program has impacted the lives of more than 600,000
individuals across the seven county metro area through our work with
more than 250 community-based organizations. We’re excited to continue
our support of nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities, as they
provide vital services to the local communities of color and others in
our area.”
Launched in 2004, the Celebrating Communities of Color grant program has
provided a total of $4 million dollars in grants to Twin Cities
nonprofits. Sixty percent of the organizations selected this year are
receiving a Celebrating Communities of Color grant for the first time.
Following is a sampling of the 2012 Celebrating Communities of Color
grant recipients. For a full list and summary of this year’s grant
recipients, visit: http://www.generalmills.com/Home/Responsibility/community_engagement/Grants/Twin%20Cities_area/Communities_of_color/grant_recipients_2012.aspx
Above the E.D.G.E.
Sports and Leadership Education Program
Minneapolis,
Minn.
The Sports and Leadership Education after-school program helps at-risk
youth develop a healthy spirit of fun and sportsmanship. The program is
focused on developing positive character, instilling principles to
empower youth and engage them in pursuing their passion and purpose in
life. A series of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
workshops will expose a group of 30 to 35 youth to careers in science
and technology and prepare them for pursuing college and post-secondary
employment. Each student will partner with a mentor in a STEM career
that interests them. In addition, youth will learn about sports and
leadership through basketball games and enrichment programs to build
character, strengthen health and life skills and personal responsibility.
CAPI USA - Centre for Asians and Pacific Islanders
Healthy
Gardens/Farmers’ Market Project
Minneapolis, Minn.
CAPI is working to empower immigrants and refugees, particularly women,
as community leaders through gardening and small-scale farming, to
create access to affordable healthy, fresh and culturally suitable food.
This project will empower 60 low-income Southeast Asian and African
immigrant families to create systemic change through gardening and
small-scale farming. The project could impact 2,500 individuals,
including family members, farmers’ market customers, and CAPI Food Shelf
clients who receive fresh produce donations by project participants. By
empowering immigrants and refugees to address hunger and nutrition in
their own communities, this initiative will create far-reaching
long-term impacts.
Fresh Air, Inc.
Youth Get Real: Rapid Response Resource
System
Minneapolis, Minn.
This program, working with KFAI radio, engages low-income, at-risk youth
in actively addressing poverty and access to limited resources. Often
there are resources that are available only for a finite amount of time:
a homeless shelter with several empty beds for the night, or a food bank
with excess produce that will soon expire. Quickly connecting those in
need to what's available is imperative. KFAI, in collaboration with KMOJ
radio, will work with at-risk youth interns to use social media, email,
and text messaging to connect those in need with existing resources.
KFAI will do outreach to organizations that provide resources to
low-income people in the seven county Twin Cities area and encourage
staff at these organizations to email an assigned KFAI staff person as
resources become available that fit this “short shelf life” model. Using
social media, KFAI youth will spread the word about these items to
low-income people in at least one to two messages per day and in turn,
organizations that serve low-income people will promote the program to
their clients.
Information on the General Mills Celebrating Communities of Color
initiative and grant application forms are available at: http://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/community_engagement/Grants/Twin%20Cities_area/Communities_of_color.aspx
About the General Mills Foundation
The mission of the
General Mills Foundation, celebrating 58 years of giving, is to nourish
communities. Continuing its tradition of generous giving and global
community support, General Mills contributed nearly $120 million to
charitable causes in fiscal year 2011—up 18 percent from the previous
year. We invest in and collaborate with community organizations and
programs that unleash the power of food across a spectrum of social
issues, including hunger, nutrition and healthy, active lifestyles. In
addition, 83 percent of U.S. employees volunteer. To learn more about
the ways General Mills nourishes lives through philanthropy and
community engagement, please join us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GeneralMillsGives
or visit us at www.GeneralMills.com/en/Responsibility/Community_Engagement.
2012 Celebrating Communities of Color Grant Recipients
(Alphabetical
by Organization)
Above the E.D.G.E.
Sports and Leadership Education Program
Minneapolis,
Minn.
AMAZE
Native Children's Families All Matter
Minneapolis, Minn.
American Composers Forum
MN Indigenous Music & Movies in the Park
Saint
Paul, Minn.
American Indian Family Center
Mother's Circle/Father's Circle
Saint
Paul, Minn.
Asian Media Access Inc.
Youth Media Force
Minneapolis, Minn.
Assistance League of Minneapolis/St. Paul
Food for Kids
Richfield,
Minn.
Bedlam Theatre, Inc.
Native-American Somali Friendship Production
Minneapolis,
Minn.
CAPI USA - Centre for Asians and Pacific Islanders
Healthy
Gardens/Farmers’ Market Project
Minneapolis, Minn.
Center for Communication and Development
We The People
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Centro Cultural Chicano
Raices Latino Youth Leadership Program
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio, Inc.
Family Enhancement
Program
Minneapolis, Minn.
Connections to Independence (C2I)
Healthy Mind, Body & Soul
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Minnesota Chapter
Muslim
Youth Leadership Symposium
Minneapolis, Minn.
Emerge Community Development
Emerge Link
Minneapolis, Minn.
Emergency Food Shelf Network
Culturally Specific Initiatives
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Fresh Air, Inc.
Youth Get Real: Rapid Response Resource System
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Guadalupe Alternative Programs (GAP)
Building Community at the
Crossroads
Saint Paul, Minn.
Hmong American Partnership (HAP)
Inter-generational Southeast Asian
Health Project
Saint Paul, Minn.
ImpactLives Inc.
Leadership Development Through Service Learning
St.
Louis Park, Minn.
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Sankofa’s Kitchen
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Inter-congregation Communities Association (ICA)
Feeding a
Community of Color
Minnetonka, Minn.
Jabbok Family Services
Innovative Supports to Empower Parents
(INSTEP)
Minneapolis, Minn.
Kids In Need Foundation
Twin Cities Teacher Resource Center
Minneapolis/Saint
Paul, Minn.
La Oportunidad, Inc.
Latino Youth Program
Minneapolis, Minn.
Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota
Youth Advancement:
Post-Secondary Pathways Initiative
Minneapolis, Minn.
Learning Disabilities Association, Inc.
Learning Connections
Golden
Valley, Minn.
McDonough Organization for Respect and Equality for People (MORE)
Basic
Needs Program (Expansion)
Saint Paul, Minn.
Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC)
Ginew/Golden Eagle Program
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Minneapolis United Soccer for the City
Minneapolis United Financial
Aid
Minneapolis, Minn.
Minnesota Chinese Dance Theater
Descendants of the Dragon
Saint
Paul, Minn.
Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, Inc.
Accelerating
Academic Success for More African American Students in Minnesota
Saint
Paul, Minn.
Mixed Blood Theatre Company
Mixed Blood Teatro
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Mizna
Twin Cities Arab Film Festival
Minneapolis, Minn.
Mounds Park Academy
Believe and Achieve Summer Program
Saint
Paul, Minn.
Open Cities Health Center, Inc.
Growing Up Healthy: Kids &
Communities
Saint Paul, Minn.
Penumbra Theatre Company
Penumbra Theatre 2012 Summer Institute
Saint
Paul, Minn.
People Serving People, Inc.
Culinary Arts Training at PSP
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Ragamala Music and Dance Theater
1,001 Buddhas
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Saint Paul Area Council of Churches
Department of Indian Work
Saint
Paul, Minn.
Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation Inc.
Tutoring Partnership for
Academic Excellence
Saint Paul, Minn.
Saint Paul Public Schools
African American Male Initiative
Saint
Paul, Minn.
Säjai® Foundation
Outdoor Kids are Healthy Kids
Hamel, Minn.
Somali Women United Council of America (SWUC)
Somali Women's Food
Shelf Program
Minneapolis, Minn.
SteppingStone Theatre
The Story of Ruby Bridges
Saint Paul,
Minn.
The Cedar Cultural Center
Somali Cultural Revival
Minneapolis,
Minn.
TLC Education Foundation
Academic Tutoring and Nutritional
Education Program
Minneapolis, Minn.
West Broadway Area Coalition
West Broadway Farmers Market
Minneapolis,
Minn.
West Side Citizens Organization (WSCO)
West Side Urban Agriculture
Saint
Paul, Minn.
YouthLink
Art View
Minneapolis, Minn.
Zenon Dance Company and Schools, Inc.
Dance Residencies for
Underserved Communities
Minneapolis, Minn.
