Health Equity Northland
Health Equity Northland is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in Duluth, Minnesota that runs community health programs — including a giving garden, health navigation, MNsure enrollment, and Long COVID support — serving the Northland African Heritage community through donations and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersDuluth, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Health Equity Northland does
Health Equity Northland is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered at 312 North Central Avenue, Suite 400, Duluth, Minnesota, founded in May 2020 to address health inequities in the Northland African Heritage community. It was launched as the COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project under the leadership of Olihe Okoro, PhD and Janet Kennedy (CEO of Healthy Alliances Matter LLC) with funding from the Minnesota Department of Health and a coalition of community-based organizations. The organization operates a portfolio of programs including the St. Mark Giving Garden (producing thousands of pounds of fresh produce annually at 323 E 7th St, Duluth), Health Navigation via the Resourceful zip-code resource finder, MNsure Navigator enrollment assistance, Paths to Black Health (addressing disparities across housing, education, employment, environmental factors, and healthcare), the Long COVID Program (expanded in 2023 with additional MDH grants), Educational Projects (collaborative videos with UMD students and DanSan Creative on mental health and youth safety), and the annual Winter Out West community event (5th iteration in January 2026).
The underlying technology stack is modest: a Squarespace-hosted public website serving as the primary digital platform, supplemented by Google Forms for MNsure appointment scheduling, PayPal and Venmo for donation intake, and a basic resource-finder tool that matches zip codes to free and reduced-cost community resources. There is no mobile app, no public API, no disclosed SDK, and no documented AI/ML capabilities. Distribution is community-led — leveraging trusted African Heritage healthcare professionals, community research consultants, partner organizations (Lake Superior Community Health & Wellness Center, Duluth Age-Friendly Collaborative, Boreal Waters Community Foundation, Minnesota Department of Health), and recurring events (Winter Out West, Giving Garden volunteer days, elders and fathers day gatherings) — rather than through conventional sales or marketing channels.
The revenue model is non-commercial: the organization is funded entirely through tax-deductible donations (PayPal, Venmo) and grants, with services provided free of charge to community members. The Minnesota Department of Health is the principal institutional funder since 2020, joined in 2025 by the Boreal Waters Community Foundation (formerly Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation). The organization has 5 employees, a single regional footprint in Duluth/Northland Minnesota, and a community-based, event-driven go-to-market motion targeting African Heritage community members, Long COVID patients and caregivers, and food-insecure populations.
Health Equity Northland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Health Equity Northland
- Legal name
- Health Equity Northland
- Website
- https://healthequitynorthland.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Health Equity Northland is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in Duluth, Minnesota that runs community health programs — including a giving garden, health navigation, MNsure enrollment, and Long COVID support — serving the Northland African Heritage community through donations and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Health Equity Northland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Health Equity Services
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Community Food Services (62421)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Health Equity & Social Determinants Program Funding (HLAJALAK), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Health Equity, Community Health & Social Determinants Policy (HLAJAMAG)
Keywords
Where Health Equity Northland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Duluth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Health Equity Northland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions accepted via PayPal and Venmo. Donations support health equity and wellness programs for the community.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Health Equity Northland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Health Equity Northland is a community health nonprofit that delivers health navigation, fresh produce distribution through a community garden, health insurance enrollment assistance via MNsure, Long COVID education, and disparity-reduction programming for the African Heritage community in Northland Minnesota. Services are provided free of charge and funded by donations and grants, with an online resource finder tool and an annual community winter event rounding out the offering.
Product overview
Health Equity Northland is a community health organization operating as a single unified entity focused on health equity and wellness. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including the St. Mark Giving Garden (fresh produce distribution), Health Navigation services (resource connection via Resourceful), MNsure Navigator (health coverage enrollment), Paths to Black Health (disparity reduction), Long Covid Program (awareness and support), Educational Projects (video content and mental health resources), and Winter Out West (annual community event). The offerings work together to address social determinants of health through community-based social impact strategies, with attention to communities of color in the Northland African Heritage Community.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- St. Mark Giving Garden A community garden located at 323 E 7th St, Duluth, MN that produces and distributes thousands of pounds of fresh produce annually to community members, with volunteer opportunities available.
- Health Navigation A health navigation service connecting community members to free and reduced-cost resources including food, housing, and healthcare access, using the Resourceful online resource finder tool that searches by zip code.
- Winter Out West An annual weekend community event held in Western Duluth featuring outdoor adventures, family activities, bonfires, live entertainment, author meet-and-greets, and free movie screenings.
- Paths to Black Health A program that identifies disparities impacting African American health arising from cumulative and historical discrimination in housing, education, employment, gun violence, incarceration, environmental factors, and healthcare, and develops community-driven solutions through a multisector approach.
- Long COVID Program An educational awareness program about long COVID and post-COVID conditions, partnering with the Minnesota Department of Health and community organizations to assess impacts and improve access to quality care for disproportionately affected communities.
- Educational Projects Video-based educational content including UMD student collaborations, youth safety campaigns produced with DanSan Creative, and mental health resources covering pandemic impacts, teen mental health support, and elder care strategies.
- MNsure Navigator Health coverage enrollment assistance that helps community members find, choose, and enroll in health coverage through Minnesota's MNsure health insurance marketplace, with appointments scheduled via Google Forms.
Quantifiable outcome
- Thousands of pounds of fresh produce distributed annually to community members through the St. Mark Giving Garden
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Health Equity Northland
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Health Equity Northland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Health Equity Northland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Boreal Waters Community FoundationcoreFormerly Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, rebranded in 2025. Committed to investing in people, ideas, and places across the North region. Provides grant funding and community investment support.
- Healthy Alliances Matter LLCcoreLed by Janet Kennedy as CEO, this company partnered with Health Equity Northland under leadership of Olihe Okoro, PhD to form the COVID-19 Needs Assessment collaborative. The organization also operates under the dba Healthy Alliances Matter for All.
- Duluth Age-Friendly CollaborativecorePartnership focused on dismantling ageist attitudes, policies, and systems to create a livable age-friendly community. With projected 33% increase in Minnesotans 65+ between 2021-2037, collaborating on Community Action Plan based on AARP's 8 Domains of Livability.
- Lake Superior Community Health & Wellness CentercoreHealth access partnership providing community members connections to healthcare services. Referenced as key partner for health navigation and access programs.
- University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD)minorCollaboration with UMD students on video project creation for health education content. Students contribute to creating educational videos for community outreach.
- DanSan CreativeminorCreative agency that produced videos for youth safety campaigns and community health messaging to help young people stay safe.
- Multiple Community OrganizationscoreCollaborative formed with multiple community organizations to assess needs of Northland African Heritage community, facilitate partnerships among community-based organizations and healthcare systems, and support COVID-19 prevention efforts.
- St. Mark (Giving Garden Location)minorHost site for the St. Mark Giving Garden, a community garden project producing thousands of pounds of fresh produce annually for community distribution.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Health Equity Northland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NAACP: National civil rights organization with health equity as one pillar of advocacy work — broadly comparable in mission of advancing racial equity and health access, though much larger and broader in scope.
- National Urban League: Large historic civil rights and equity organization with health-and-wellness programming for African American communities — comparable mission of advancing racial equity, but operates at a national scale far beyond HEN's regional footprint.
- Partners in Health: Global health justice organization delivering healthcare to poor and marginalized populations with a community-based accompaniment model — shares HEN's community-rooted approach to health equity though at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
Direct peers
- Black Women's Health Imperative: National nonprofit dedicated to advancing health equity and well-being for Black women through advocacy, education, and policy — directly comparable mission of addressing racial health disparities through community-based programs and policy work.
- Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum: Health-equity nonprofit focused on AAPI communities using policy, advocacy, and community-based programs — analogous organizational model and mission targeting a specific underserved community, though serving a different population.
- Black Mamas Matter Alliance: National nonprofit advancing Black maternal health through community-driven research, policy, and care — directly comparable health-equity nonprofit structure targeting African American health outcomes.
- Health Leads: National nonprofit addressing SDOH through community resource navigation programs — directly comparable in providing health navigation and connecting underserved communities to social resources, though operating at greater scale.
- Roots Community Health Center: Community health organization rooted in serving African American communities with healthcare access, navigation, and social support programs — closely mirrors HEN's model of combining trusted community presence with health equity programming.
Emerging players
- Community Health Impact Coalition: Coalition advancing community health worker programs globally to address health inequities — adjacent to HEN's model of using trusted community-based professionals to bridge healthcare gaps for underserved populations.
Regional players
- African American Health Program (Montgomery County): County-level public-private initiative addressing health disparities in the African American community through education, navigation, and clinical services — similar regional nonprofit/government hybrid model targeting African American health equity.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Health Equity Northland social profiles
Digital presenceHealth Equity Northland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Health Equity Northland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Health Equity Northland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Health Equity Northland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Health Equity Northland
What does Health Equity Northland do?
Health Equity Northland is a community health nonprofit that delivers health navigation, fresh produce distribution through a community garden, health insurance enrollment assistance via MNsure, Long COVID education, and disparity-reduction programming for the African Heritage community in Northland Minnesota. Services are provided free of charge and funded by donations and grants, with an online resource finder tool and an annual community winter event rounding out the offering.
Is Health Equity Northland a public or private company?
Health Equity Northland is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Health Equity Northland founded?
Health Equity Northland was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Health Equity Northland based?
Health Equity Northland is headquartered in Duluth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Health Equity Northland make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations.
Who are Health Equity Northland's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NAACP, National Urban League and Partners in Health. Direct peers are Black Women's Health Imperative, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Health Leads and Roots Community Health Center. Community Health Impact Coalition is listed as an emerging player. African American Health Program (Montgomery County) is listed as a regional player.
Does Health Equity Northland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Health Equity Northland.
What industry is Health Equity Northland in?
Health Equity Northland's product category is Community Health Equity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAL, Public Health & Health Equity Organizations, with a secondary code of HLAJALAK, Health Equity & Social Determinants Program Funding. Its NAICS code is 813212.