July 12, 2011

In the second quarter of 2011, the Funders Collaborative awarded five grants totaling more than $335,000. The five grants awarded in Q2 support all four of the Funders Collaborative goals, including Access to Affordable Housing, Strong Local Economy, Vibrant Transit-Oriented Places, and Effective Coordination and Collaboration.
 
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The Twin Cities Community Land Bank received $10,200 to support learning sessions on the creation of a region-wide strategic acquisition fund.
 
STRONG LOCAL ECONOMY
The University Avenue Business Preparation Collaborative (U7) received $200,000 to support a program to help small businesses prepare for, and thrive, in the changing Central Corridor marketplace through training, technical assistance, and financing in 2011.
 
HIRE Minnesota was granted $20,000 to create a workforce forecasting tool for use by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and Central Corridor LRT construction contractors.
 
VIBRANT TRANSIT-ORIENTED PLACES
Springboard for the Arts received a $75,000 investmentto support Irrigate, an artist-led community development project designed to create a cultural corridor that preserves and builds distinct neighborhood identities.
 
EFFECTIVE COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION
The Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs will receive $20,000 to support the Central Corridor Internship Program to increase community participation in the Central Corridor Affordable Housing Coordinated Plan Working Group.
 
Through Q2 2011, the Funders Collaborative has made 43 grants worth more than $3.9M within four key areas, including Access to Affordable Housing, Strong Local Economy, Vibrant Transit-Oriented Places, and Coordination and Collaboration. For a full list of investments, click here.
 
Partner Grant Announcement: Corridors of Opportunity Outreach and Engagement Grants
The Corridors of Opportunity Community Engagement Team is now accepting applications for its first round of grant funding. The Corridors of Opportunity Outreach and Engagement grants support innovative and effective placed-based initiatives that engage and involve underrepresented communities (low-income, communities of color, immigrant communities, persons with disabilities) in participation, decision-making, and leadership roles around transit corridor planning and implementation. 
 
These grants will fund projects in seven corridors within the system of existing and planned transitways in the region: Southwest LRT, Bottineau Transitway, Gateway Corridor, Cedar Avenue BRT, Central Corridor, Hiawatha LRT and Northstar Commuter Rail. The deadline to apply is 4 pm on August 15, 2011. To learn how to apply, go to http://engagetc.org/grants/ or attend an upcoming information session:
6:30 – 8 pm
Monday, July 18
East Side Neighborhood Development Company
925 Payne Avenue, Suite 201
St. Paul, MN 55130
Register to attend
 
6:30 – 8 pm
Thursday, July 21
All My Relations Art Gallery
1414 East Franklin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN, 55404
Register to attend

If you have questions or would like more information, visit www.engagetc.org or contact: Margaret Kaplan at mkaplan@umn.edu  (612) 624-2300 or Neeraj Mehta at nmehta@nexus.org (651) 379-0508.