INVESTING CAPITAL

The Funders Collaborative invests the following resources in pursuit of our vision: time and energy of members and staff, access to national expertise and best practices, and investment capital through the Catalyst Fund. The Catalyst Fund invests to leverage the public investment in the Central Corridor Light Rail Line to maximize the benefit for people who live and work in the neighborhoods along the Central Corridor.

HOW WE MAKE INVESTMENTS Through The Catalyst Fund

The Catalyst Fund proactively seeks opportunities to invest capital that advance the outcomes defined in our vision. These resources are separate from, and a supplement to, the programs and initiatives of our individual member foundations.

We invest in the following ways:

1. Building shared solutions. We help strategic partnerships get started by convening the parties and bringing our vision and resources. We ask our partners to determine the strategy: define what learning is needed, setting goals, identifying policies and programs, detailing outputs, defining outcomes, and indicating measures.
2. Learning opportunities. We fund opportunities for the strategic partnerships to learn more about ways to advance the achievement of the outcomes defined in our vision.
3. Implementation. We provide resources to help carry out the policies and programs identified as a result of these strategic partnerships.

HOW TO APPROACH THE FUND

The Catalyst Fund invests in opportunities created through community partnerships and, on a restricted basis, in projects pursued by individual organizations that achieve the Funders Collaborative’s values and outcomes as defined in our vision. The Fund invests proactively. That is, we may help shape the funding proposals, and we only consider proposals or letters of inquiry that we have invited.

The best way to start the invitation process is to contact the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative Director:

Jonathan Sage-Martinson
Central Corridor Funders Collaborative
451 Lexington Parkway North
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104
jonathan@funderscollaborative.org
651-280-2384

The Catalyst Fund does not support ongoing operational funding. In most cases, ongoing projects or programs previously supported by individual Catalyst Fund members will not be supported by the Fund.

The Fund is not intended to replace the existing funding relationships of its members, but instead to complement their work. If you are working on a specific Central Corridor-related project that is a good fit for the Catalyst Fund, but it has received support in the past from individual Catalyst Fund members, please contact your program officer at the member foundation for clarification. When responding to an invitation for submission, please consider the Catalyst Fund FAQs.