Twin Cities

Building a more equitable future for all, together

Overview

Across the region, we’re unlocking possibilities

Often ranked as two of the most desirable cities to live, best-of-lists do not account for disparities in housing, employment, education, and wealth, making Minneapolis and St. Paul great places to live for some, but not all, particularly Black and Brown residents. In partnership with leaders and advocates supporting residents and working to change the systems that underlie these disparities, GreenLight breaks down barriers to inclusive prosperity, making measurable progress towards a more equitable future.

Portfolio

Investing in proven organizations to bring to the Twin Cities to address community-identified needs

We partner with local residents to bring proven social innovations to address our community’s most persistent challenges, all too often rooted in racial inequities.

See All Organizations

Addressing challenges in the Twin Cities

2.8X

Black women are 2.8x more likely to die of pregnancy and pregnancy-related causes compared to white women

$33K

Black household median income is $33,000 less than white households

59%

Indigenous students graduate high school at a rate of 58.5 percent

Twin Cities Team and Partners

GreenLight Twin Cities is made up of a diverse group of changemakers from across the community, working together for positive impact in our city.

Irth

Irth

Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD)

Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD)

Team

Diarra Brooks

Diarra Brooks

Program Manager, GreenLight Twin Cities

Simone Hardeman-Jones

Simone Hardeman-Jones

Executive Director, GreenLight Twin Cities

Jo Rutkiewicz

Jo Rutkiewicz

Coordinator (Multiple Sites)

Advisory Council

Cedrick Baker

McKnight Foundation

Renay Dossman

Neighborhood Development Center

Roberta Downing

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Kenneth Eban

Advancing Equity Coalition

Tessa Eddy

Chase Bank

Georgia Fort

BLCK Press

Jeff Greiner

Northern Pacific Group

Andrea Inouye

Office of Mayor Jacob Frey, City of Minneapolis

Charlotte S. Johnson

Otto Bremer Trust

Eric Petersen

Office of Mayor Melvin Carter, City of Saint Paul

Marcus Pope

Youthprise

Karen Richard

Andersen Corporation

Theresa Ricke-Kiely

University of St. Thomas Center for the Common Good

Sharon Sayles Belton

Thomson Reuters

Sharon Smith-Akinsanya

Rae Mackenzie Group

Catherine Squires

(Retired) Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

Tsega Tamene

Pillsbury United Communities

Mary Taris

Strive Publishing

Clare Verbeten

The Partnership, Inc

Timothy Welsh

U.S. Bancorp

John Wilgers

Greater Twin Cities United Way

Marcia Zimmerman

Temple Israel Minneapolis

Founding Investors

ANDERSEN_Logo_TM_Rectangle_RGB_WF-scaled

Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation

Julie and Doug Baker Jr. Foundation

Frankie Bennett

Craig Bentdahl

Archie Black and Jane McDonald Black

bush-foundation
CH-Robinson
Cargill

Margaret A. Cargill Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation

Page and Jay Cowles

Andrew Dayton

deloitte
dfk-logo@2x

Andrew Duff

ecolab

Jonathan and Michele Eisele

faegre-drinker

Simon Foster and Nikki Sorum

Tim Gokey

Jeff and Terri Greiner

Glen and Nancy Gunderson

healthpartners-vector-logo

Ann and Chris Hilger

Virginia Hubbard

iheartmedia-logo-full-color

Rick and Gina King

Craig Leipold and Helen Johnson-Leipold

Jim and Norma Leslie Family Foundation

vikings-horiz
Minnesota-wild

Chuck and Liz Mooty

John W. Mooty Foundation

Rory and Rhonda O’Neill

otto-bremmer-trust

Amy and Chip Pearson Family Foundation

Todd and Fabiana Peterson

Karen and Bill Richard

Saint-Paul-and-Minnesota-Foundation-Logo

The Sanger Family Foundation

securian

John and Sue Simon

Julie and Bob Sullivan

Thomson_Reuters_Logo.5d3a40d4219b7
GTCUW
U-of-St-Thomas
US-Bank-square-logo

Liz and Tim Welsh

Walter and Karen White

WMN Foundation

Type

GreenLight Fund Annual Impact Report July 2022 – June 2023
Annual Impact Report Cover photo

Insights

GreenLight Fund Annual Impact Report July 2022 – June 2023

Oct 20, 2023

Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Greater Newark, Kansas City, National, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Twin Cities

HCMC, other hospitals use new app aimed at improving the experiences of Black birthing families

Media Mention

MinnPost

HCMC, other hospitals use new app aimed at improving the experiences of Black birthing families

Oct 5, 2023

Twin Cities

GreenLight Twin Cities Invests in Irth to Address Maternal Health Disparities

Announcement, Press Release

GreenLight Twin Cities Invests in Irth to Address Maternal Health Disparities

Sep 26, 2023

Twin Cities

Podcast: Leadership Drives – Hear from four GreenLight Site Directors

Media Mention

Leadership Drives

Podcast: Leadership Drives – Hear from four GreenLight Site Directors

Aug 25, 2023

Baltimore, Greater Newark, Philadelphia, Twin Cities

National nonprofit GreenLight seeks to empower Lake Street residents to reduce police interactions
Simone-Hardeman-Jones-headshot

Media Mention

Longfellow Nokomis Messenger

National nonprofit GreenLight seeks to empower Lake Street residents to reduce police interactions

Aug 2, 2022

Twin Cities

LEAD is What’s Next for Lake Street

Media Mention

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

LEAD is What’s Next for Lake Street

Jul 21, 2022

Twin Cities

Lake Street Council helps businesses and nonprofits restore Lake Street

Media Mention

Southwest Connector

Lake Street Council helps businesses and nonprofits restore Lake Street

Jun 2, 2022

Twin Cities

We’re giving the Twin Cities a GreenLight

Media Mention

Insight News

We’re giving the Twin Cities a GreenLight

May 9, 2022

Twin Cities

Join our work in the Twin Cities

We rely on champions and supporters who believe in the power and potential of community-driven change.

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