What Black Collective Foundation MN does

Black Collective Foundation MN (legal name: Minnesota Black Collective Foundation) is Minnesota's first Black community foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating from 2429 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, since its founding in July 2020 in direct response to the murder of George Floyd. The foundation channels philanthropic capital to Black-led organizations and leaders advancing racial justice through a portfolio of interconnected programs: the Community Builders participatory grantmaking model, which trains community members to design and decide on grant investments; MN LEAD, a five-year statewide legal education and defense initiative that has engaged 700+ organizations; the New Suns Fellowship for individual racial justice leaders; signature convenings including The Collective Sum summit and Rooted & Radiant; and original research including the 'Toward Power-Shifting Solidarity' report. Since 2020 the foundation has invested over $3.2 million across 30+ Black-led organizations and 20+ individual leaders.

The foundation operates a community-led go-to-market model that combines participatory grantmaking with relationship-driven fundraising from a defined coalition of Catalyst Funders (Target Foundation, Carlson Family Foundation, Mortenson Family Foundation, Thrivent, U.S. Bank Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, Knight Foundation, Bush Foundation, General Mills, Winnebago Industries Foundation, McKnight Foundation) and broader institutional and individual donors. Revenue streams consist of large-scale Catalyst Funder contributions ($200,000-$3,000,000+), ongoing institutional partner donations, and individual gifts processed through a Bloomerang donation platform. The organization's stated strategic ambition is to build Minnesota's first Black community-led endowment to provide perpetual funding for Black-led change.

The foundation is led by President and Co-Founder Lulete Mola, with senior leadership including CeMarr Peterson as Sr. Director of Impact, and co-founders Repa Mekha (President & CEO of Nexus Community Partners) and Chanda Smith Baker (President & CEO of St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation) serving in advisory governance. The technology stack is minimal by design: a Squarespace website, Bloomerang CRM for donations, and standard social media channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook). Operating with a 1-10 person staff, the foundation is not a technology business and derives no commercial advantage from proprietary software, AI, or platform architecture.

Name

Black Collective Foundation MN

Legal name

Minnesota Black Collective Foundation

Website

https://minnesotablackcollectivefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Collective Foundation MN is Minnesota's first Black community foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grants to Black-led organizations and racial justice leaders through participatory grantmaking, fellowships, legal education, and convenings, supported by institutional and individual philanthropic donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy and Racial Justice Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy
• Racial justice grantmaking
• Participatory grantmaking
• Leadership development fellowships
• Community foundation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Catalyst Funder Contributions: Large-scale contributions from foundations and corporations ($200,000-$3,000,000+) designated as Catalyst Funders to accelerate the foundation's launch and operations.
2. Institutional Partner Donations: Ongoing contributions from institutional partners including corporations, family foundations, and community foundations.
3. Individual Donations: Direct gifts from individuals via credit card, debit card, or bank account through the organization's donation platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Black Collective Foundation MN is Minnesota's first Black community foundation that operates participatory grantmaking programs to direct resources to Black-led organizations and leaders advancing racial justice. It runs grant programs (Proven Impact, Strength & Sustain, Rapid Response), the New Suns Fellowship for civic leaders, the MN LEAD legal education initiative, and signature convenings (The Collective Sum, Rooted & Radiant) to strengthen the ecosystem of Black-led change.

Product overview

The Black Collective Foundation MN is Minnesota's first Black community foundation operating as a unified platform of interconnected programs rather than a traditional product. The core offerings include: Community Builders participatory grantmaking that cedes power to community members; MN LEAD legal education and defense initiative for racial justice organizations; the New Suns Fellowship for leadership development; The Collective Sum and Rooted & Radiant convenings; and research reports on power-shifting solidarity. These programs work together to invest in, strengthen, and sustain the ecosystem of Black-led change across Minnesota.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MN LEAD (Minnesota Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense for Racial Justice): A five-year, multiracial, statewide initiative focused on strengthening the racial justice ecosystem through legal education, operational training, and field-building resources to racial justice organizations.
• New Suns Fellowship
• Community Builders
• The Collective Sum
• Rooted & Radiant

Products and services

• Community Builders Program A signature participatory grantmaking program that trains community members across Minnesota in philanthropy, grantmaking, and racial justice, then empowers them to design and decide on impactful grantmaking investments for the foundation.
• MN LEAD (Minnesota Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense for Racial Justice) A five-year statewide initiative that delivers legal education, operational training, risk-assessment tools, and field-building resources to racial justice organizations so they can sustain race-conscious programming amid external pressures.
• New Suns Fellowship A leadership development fellowship that provides Black civic leaders with direct grants (approximately $10,000–$20,000 per fellow), retreats, executive coaching, and wellness support to sustain their community-centered work.
• The Collective Sum A premier multicultural convening that gathers leaders, organizations, and businesses committed to advancing racial justice through speakers, learning tracks, workshops, and immersive experiences.
• Rooted & Radiant An annual cross-sector Juneteenth gathering that brings together leaders from philanthropy, business, nonprofit, education, government, and community to nurture belonging within the Black-led change ecosystem.
• Threading the Genius of Black-led Change An annual engagement in which partners experience Black-led change firsthand through site visits to community partners at the forefront of transformative work.
• Grantmaking Programs Culturally grounded participatory grantmaking that distributes Proven Impact grants, Planning & Visioning grants, Strength & Sustain flexible funding, Leadership Development grants, and Rapid Response emergency funding to Black-led organizations.
• Research & Learning Reports Research reports produced in partnership with Center for Evaluation Innovation and Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity that provide data-driven insights on anti-Black racism and philanthropic investment in Black-led social change.

Quantifiable outcome

• Invested over $3.2 million to amplify Black-led change since 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Nexus Community PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner; co-founder Repa Mekha is President & CEO. The MN Holistic Black-Led Movement Fund is housed at Nexus Community Partners.
• Center for Evaluation InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for the 'Toward Power-Shifting Solidarity' report, providing evaluation expertise for the foundation's research initiatives.
• Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to the 'Toward Power-Shifting Solidarity' report and advancing systems change imperatives through data.
• African American Leadership ForumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfluence Sponsor for The Collective Sum 2025; partnered for Radical Black Futures series featuring Tricia Hersey.
• Minnesota Public RadiosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Partner sponsor for The Collective Sum 2025 summit.
• GreenLight FundsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Partner sponsor for The Collective Sum 2025 summit.
• Project for Pride in LivingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Partner sponsor for The Collective Sum 2025 summit.
• Reviving Roots Therapy & WellnesssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner providing group wellness and healing sessions for New Suns Fellowship participants.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP): Research and advocacy organization that tracks and promotes equitable philanthropic practices. Comparable as a field-builder that produces reports and training to shift philanthropic norms, though NCRP does not itself make grants.

Regional players

• The Minneapolis Foundation: Minnesota's oldest community foundation, with deep racial-equity programming and an institutional partnership with BCFMN (co-founder Chanda Smith Baker leads it). Comparable as a Minnesota-focused community foundation doing place-based grantmaking.
• Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation: Minnesota community foundation and BCFMN anchor partner. Comparable as a regional community foundation with racial-equity commitments and an MN LEAD Anchor Funder relationship.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. foundations with a major focus on racial and economic justice globally. Comparable thematic focus but vastly larger scale and global scope.
• McKnight Foundation: Major Minnesota-focused foundation with large-scale grantmaking across climate, arts, and equity. Comparable as a regional funder, but operates at significantly larger scale and with broader programmatic mandate.

Direct peers

• ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities: National membership association of funders focused on Black communities and racial equity philanthropy. Directly comparable to BCFMN as a Black-focused philanthropic intermediary doing research, training, and convening across the field.
• Hill-Snowdon Foundation: Family foundation focused on Black-led organizing and community development through grantmaking and capacity building. Highly comparable as a Black-focused philanthropic organization practicing participatory grantmaking.
• Marguerite Casey Foundation: National foundation focused on social, racial, and economic justice through grantmaking to movement-building organizations. Comparable mission and unrestricted-grant philosophy to BCFMN.
• Borealis Philanthropy: Racial-equity focused funder collaborative that pools resources from multiple foundations and re-grants to movement-building organizations. Comparable model of intermediary grantmaking for racial justice causes.
• Black Freedom Fund: California-based Black-led rapid-response fund that explicitly inspired BCFMN's MN LEAD initiative. Directly comparable model providing legal defense and infrastructure for racial-justice organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Black-Collective-Foundation-MN-100085427554911
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-collective-foundation-mn
• Instagraminstagram.com/mnblackcf
• Xx.com/MNBlackCF

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Black Collective Foundation MN