Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc.

What Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc. does

Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc. is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that pays cash bail and immigration bonds for individuals who cannot afford them, while advocating for the abolition of cash bail. Its core "product" is direct financial payment of bail bonds on behalf of beneficiaries, augmented over time by regranting to allied community bail funds. Since 2020, the organization reports having freed 2,978 people, posting $20.4M in cash bail payments, $4.8M in immigration bonds, and $6.2M in regrants.

The organization's funding model is donation-driven rather than revenue-generating. In May 2020, following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the organization received approximately $42M in donations, an order-of-magnitude windfall that funded a multi-year scale-up of direct bail and immigration-bond payments. Operating with a lean staff of 1–10 employees under Executive Director Elizer Darris and Managing Attorney Bernice Woods, it also operates in a paired structure with the affiliated Minnesota Freedom Fund Action, which handles political advocacy.

As of June 1, 2025, the organization halted direct bail and immigration-bond payments and pivoted toward systemic advocacy. In January 2026 it launched the Free the People Legal Advocacy Program, and in April 2026 it introduced the Crimmigration in Practice CLE training course for attorneys, signaling an initial move toward fee-for-service programmatic offerings alongside its advocacy work.

Name

Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc.

Legal name

Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc.

Website

https://mnfreedomfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc. is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that pays cash bail and immigration bonds for low-income individuals in Minnesota, advocates for bail reform, and is pivoting toward systemic legal advocacy and attorney training programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Pretrial Release and Legal Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Notary / Bail / Miscellaneous Consumer Bonds (FSAJAIAK), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Bail fund services
• Pretrial release support
• Criminal legal advocacy
• Immigration bond assistance
• Community reentry support

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Minnesota Freedom Fund operates as a nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals and organizations. Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the organization received an outpouring of support from around the world, receiving $42 million in donations. The organization also accepts support through its political advocacy partner, Minnesota Freedom Fund Action.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Minnesota Freedom Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides cash bail and immigration bond payments to free individuals from wealth-based detention, supplemented by pro bono legal advocacy, post-release reentry support, court watching, community education, and policy advocacy. As of June 1, 2025, the organization temporarily paused direct bail and bond payments to refocus on systemic advocacy and community education to end wealth-based detention in Minnesota.

Product overview

Minnesota Freedom Fund is a nonprofit organization that reimagines justice and liberation through systemic intervention and community investment. Originally founded as a bail fund in 2016, the organization has evolved to provide a portfolio of services including: the Free the People Legal Advocacy Program (criminal defense and immigration legal services), cash bail and immigration bond assistance, post-release support services, community education and organizing, court watching, and policy advocacy. The organization transitioned from direct bail payments to systemic advocacy work as of June 2025, and also offers educational programs including Continuing Legal Education courses on crimmigration. All services are focused on ending wealth-based detention and expanding access to freedom, safety, and dignity for all Minnesotans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free the People Legal Advocacy Program Client-centered legal advocacy program providing pro bono criminal defense representation for Hennepin and Ramsey County residents in the gap between public defense eligibility and ability to afford private counsel, and pro bono limited immigration legal services (DACA Renewal, Asylum, Naturalization) for all Minnesota residents.
• Cash Bail and Immigration Bond Assistance Financial assistance program that pays cash bail and immigration bonds for individuals in Minnesota who cannot afford to pay, securing their release from pre-trial and immigration detention.
• Post-Release Support Services Voluntary reentry support service connecting clients released from detention with resources including housing, employment, education, mental health, healthcare, food, transportation, legal services, court reminders, and rides to court.
• Crimmigration in Practice CLE Course In-person Continuing Legal Education course co-sponsored with Nilan Johnson Lewis covering the intersection of criminal and immigration law, approved for 1.75 Standard Credits and 1 Ethics Credit and aimed at practicing attorneys.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,978 people freed from wealth-based jailing
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Minnesota Freedom Fund ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinnesota Freedom Fund Action is a political advocacy organization and partner of Minnesota Freedom Fund. MFF Action engages in lobbying, educates the community, and organizes supporters as they seek to end pre-trial detention and stop the harms of the immigration system in Minnesota.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Philadelphia Bail Fund: Philadelphia-based community bail fund providing bail payment and pretrial support services. Comparable to MFF in mission, donor model, and integration of direct service with policy advocacy.
• National Bail Fund Network: Coalition of over 90 community bail and bond funds across the U.S. MFF is a member organization; the network provides standards, transparency, and coordination among funds performing the same core bail-payment work.
• Chicago Community Bond Fund: Cook County-based nonprofit bail fund that pays bond for people charged with serious crimes and organizes against pretrial detention. Comparable to MFF in single-state focus, donor model, and combination of direct service plus advocacy.
• Bronx Freedom Fund: New York City-based community bail fund that pays bail and bonds for people in pretrial detention. Directly comparable to MFF in cash bail payment, donor funding, and community organizing model.
• The Bail Project: Largest U.S. national nonprofit bail fund operating across multiple states. Directly comparable to MFF in mission (paying cash bail to end wealth-based detention), funding model (donor-driven), and volunteer-driven community engagement.
• Colorado Freedom Fund: Colorado-based nonprofit bail fund that posts bond and advocates for pretrial reform. Closely comparable to MFF in size, single-state focus, donor-supported model, and blended bail-payment plus advocacy strategy.
• Massachusetts Bail Fund: Massachusetts-based nonprofit bail fund providing bail assistance and advocating for pretrial justice reform. Comparable to MFF in single-state bail-payment mission, donor-supported funding, and policy advocacy through a partner entity.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: National nonprofit that works on criminal justice reform, including bail reform, pretrial fairness, and immigration detention. Broader and more established than MFF, but directly comparable on the policy and advocacy dimensions of ending wealth-based detention.
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union): National civil rights and civil liberties organization with significant work on bail reform, pretrial detention, and immigration rights. Operates at a much larger scale than MFF but comparable mission area and advocacy tactics.

Emerging players

• National Partnership for Pretrial Justice: National hub that supports pretrial reforms and works with local bail funds and advocates. Adjacent to MFF's policy work; comparable in pretrial-justice focus though it operates more as a coordinating body than a direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MNFreedomFund
• Facebookfacebook.com/mnfreedomfund
• Instagraminstagram.com/mnfreedomfund/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@mnfreedomfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minnesota-freedom-fund-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc.