Twin Cities

Building a more equitable future for all, together

An image of the Twin Cities with a colorful mural and buildings in the background.

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

Irth logo with brown woman on top of the I with a gold crown and gold hoop earrings.
LEAD, Minneapolis logo with blue and green circles wrapping around LEAD.

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
A headshot of Diarra Brooks with a nature background.

Diarra Brooks

Program Manager, GreenLight Twin Cities

Simone Hardeman-Jones
A headshot of Simone Hardeman-Jones with a nature background.

Simone Hardeman-Jones

Executive Director, GreenLight Twin Cities

Jo Rutkiewicz
A headshot of Jo Rutkiewicz with a nature background.

Jo Rutkiewicz

Coordinator (Multiple Sites)

Advisory Council

Cedrick Baker

McKnight Foundation

Renay Dossman

Neighborhood Development Center

Roberta Downing

Harper Downing LLC

Kenneth Eban

MKE Consulting Group Inc.

Tessa Eddy

Neighborhood Development Center

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

Pleasant Radford Jr

UCare

Karen Richard

Andersen Corporation

Sharon Sayles Belton

Thomson Reuters

Sharon Smith-Akinsanya

Rae Mackenzie Group

Dr. Catherine Squires

(Retired) Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota & African American Leadership Forum

Tsega Tamene

Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

Mary Taris

Strive Publishing

Clare Verbeten

Minnesota State Senate & The Partnership, Inc

Timothy Welsh

U.S. Bancorp

John Wilgers

Greater Twin Cities United Way

Founding Investors

Andersen windows and doors logo with black and white triangles in an orange block.

Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation

Julie and Doug Baker Jr. Foundation

The Bank of America Logo with red and blue stripes positioned in a diamond shape over the text.

Frankie Bennett

Craig Bentdahl

Archie Black and Jane McDonald Black

bush foundation logo with a b inside a multicolored block to the left of the text.
CH Robinson logo with blue stop sign shaped object with arrows inside in a circular pattern.
Cargill logo with green leaf attached to the top of the text.

Margaret A. Cargill Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation

Page and Jay Cowles

Andrew Dayton

deloitte logo with green period.
dfk international logo with green destroyed circular logo to the left of the text.

Andrew Duff

ecolab logo in blue.

Jonathan and Michele Eisele

faegre drinker logo with green and black swirls attached to one another.

Simon Foster and Nikki Sorum

Tim Gokey

Jeff and Terri Greiner

Glen and Nancy Gunderson

healthpartners Logo with green and blue squares tilted in a diamond shape with a small purple square in the middle.

Ann and Chris Hilger

Virginia Hubbard

iheartmedia logo with an antenna and audio waves inside a red heart.

Rick and Gina King

Craig Leipold and Helen Johnson-Leipold

Jim and Norma Leslie Family Foundation

Minnesota Vikings Logo in purple with a portrait of a viking to the left of the text.
Minnesota wild circular logo with green and red accents with a mountain and sun in the center.

Chuck and Liz Mooty

John W. Mooty Foundation

Rory and Rhonda O’Neill

Otto bremmer trust logo with gold circles arranged in a pattern to the left of the text.

Amy and Chip Pearson Family Foundation

Todd and Fabiana Peterson

Karen and Bill Richard

Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation Logo with a yellow star to the left of the text.

The Sanger Family Foundation

Securian Financial Logo with green circles and semicircles arranged in a cross pattern.

John and Sue Simon

Julie and Bob Sullivan

Thomson Reuters Logo with small orange circles lined up in a circular pattern getting smaller toward the middle of the circle.
Greater Twin Cities United Way Logo with circular logo with blue hand below an orange stick person and yellow sun rays.
University of St. Thomas Logo in purple with purple shield to the left of the text made up of a sun in the middle and book above.
US Bank logo with US text in red block.

Liz and Tim Welsh

Walter and Karen White

WMN Foundation

Type

A Path to Healing Through Innovation
Simone and James sitting on a bench on stage with the presentation behind them, with flowers on either side of them.

News

A Path to Healing Through Innovation

Sep 12, 2024

Twin Cities

Here’s one way we’re addressing the high Black maternal mortality rate in the Twin Cities
Simone and Kimberly sitting on stage speaking during Irth's Launch Event, with their headshots on a slide behind them.

Media Mention

Star Tribune

Here’s one way we’re addressing the high Black maternal mortality rate in the Twin Cities

Jul 11, 2024

Twin Cities

GreenLight Fund Names Ali Knight as Chief Executive Officer
A headshot of Ali Knight with a window in the background.

Announcement, News, Press Release

GreenLight Fund Names Ali Knight as Chief Executive Officer

Apr 16, 2024

GreenLight Fund Annual Impact Report July 2022 – June 2023
The cover photo of the annual impact report with a young woman wearing a yellow sweater standing outside with her arms crossed.

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
Simone and Kimberly standing in front of a GreenLight Fund sign at Irth Social Hour.

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
Irth logo with brown woman on top of the I with a gold crown and gold hoop earrings.

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
The GreenLight Fund Logo with a green flag shaped background.

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
A headshot of Simone Hardeman Jones with a green blurred background.

Media Mention

Longfellow Nokomis Messenger

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

Aug 2, 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.