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Good afternoon Community,

It was clear to me from the start that the coronavirus pandemic would change daily life for all Minnesotans—both in the short- and long-term. I also knew that systemic racism would make these changes feel heavier in communities where Black People, Indigenous People, and people of color (BIPOC) lived, worked, and organized. Communities of people who risk their safety making deliveries, cleaning hospital rooms, or having to shelter in place with a violent partner or in overcrowded conditions.

The pandemic has brought some changes that Headwaters can’t control. Even as we shifted our own operations, we knew we had to take action for our community. So, on March 15th, Headwaters launched the Communities First Fund <[link removed]>for our grantee partners—prioritizing organizations led by and for BIPOC. My team and I got to work and started fundraising. Thanks to our relationships with individual and institutional donors, the Fund secured over $ 500,000 in its first 24 hours. To date, we have raised over $ 900,000.

Today, we announce 30 new Communities First Fund grant recipients:

* African Career and Education Resource, Inc. <[link removed]>
* American Indian Community Housing Organization <[link removed]>
* APIA Film Collective <[link removed]>
* Asian American Organizing Project <[link removed]>
* Awood Center <[link removed]>
* Ayada Leads <[link removed]>
* Bdote Learning Center <[link removed]>
* Black Visions Collective <[link removed]>
* Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha <[link removed]>
* Dakota Wicohan <[link removed]>
* Defend Glendale and Public Housing Coalition <[link removed]>
* Dream of Wild Health <[link removed]>
* The Enitan Story <[link removed]>
* Hispanic Outreach Program of Goodhue County <[link removed]>
* Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together <[link removed]>
* Immigrant Development Center <[link removed]>
* InquiliXs UnidXs por Justicia <[link removed]>
* Lao Assistance Center of MN <[link removed]>
* Manidoo Ogitigaan <[link removed]>
* Native American Community Development Institute <[link removed]>
* Native Governance Center <[link removed]>
* Navigate MN <[link removed]>
* Pueblos de Lucha y Esperanza <[link removed]>
* ReleaseMN8 <[link removed]>
* Restaurant Opportunities Center of Minnesota <[link removed]>
* Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment <[link removed]>
* South Sudanese Foundation
* Voices for Racial Justice <[link removed]>
* West Side Citizens Organization <[link removed]>

This first wave of 30 general operating grants totals $ 443,500 and will support work that:

* West Side Citizens Organization <[link removed]>
* promotes healing, solidarity, and mutual aid;
* helps people build power and organize in the name of systems change; and
* strengthens organizational and community capacities to be their most resilient and creative.

When we let organizations know about their Communities First Fund grants, we listened as their stories came in:


Launching a new fund isn’t an easy thing to do now, but it is the right thing to do now. It’s encouraging to see new rapid response funds pop up across the region and the nation. I’m calling on even more funders to speed up their responsive grantmaking pace and practice. We have the resources. Now is the time to let grantees know we have their backs. That means turning restricted gifts into flexible funding and making it easier for organizations to access grant opportunities.

I’m also calling on donors at all levels: keep learning about and giving to as many funds and grassroots BIPOC-led organizations as you can. Headwaters is so proud of how our supporters have stepped up for the Communities First Fund. Thank you for making these grants possible.

What isn’t changing at Headwaters is our fierce commitment to the power of relational fundraising and grantmaking. Our brilliant Giving Project <[link removed]>cohort is closer to their individual and collective goals, leading work under less than ideal circumstances. Later this summer, after our volunteer review panel makes recommendations to the Board of Directors, we’ll announce our next round of Community Innovation Grant <[link removed]>recipients. We’re still checking in with current donors, and we’re always excited to connect with a new donor.

My team and I are making plans to support grantees beyond the Communities First Fund and will share details with you soon. Until then, let me share one last message from a grantee partner that I think captures our shared spirit and resiliency: " Although we’re in a challenging time, we’ll continue advocating for a just and more prosperous community. "

In radical solidarity,
Maria De La Cruz, JD
Executive Director














































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