Immigrant Rapid Response Fund
We stand united and invested in supporting the immediate need for rights and resources in all targeted immigrant communities.
About the Fund
The Immigrant Rapid Response Fund (IRRF) is a coalition of 33 philanthropic leaders rooted in communities most impacted by immigration-related harm. IRRF ensures that resources move quickly, responsibly, and with community accountability to trusted organizations responding to immigration-related emergencies across Minnesota.
Because of more than 65,000 donors and partners, IRRF raised $14.8 million and deployed $12.3 million to 147 organizations across Minnesota in just over three months. As IRRF looks ahead, the coalition remains committed to supporting communities in strengthening the infrastructure needed for future crisis response. That commitment is already continuing through additional grants now being made to support mobilizing and organizing work.
Your support enables rapid, community-informed decisions with immediate impact.
Foundations or other institutional donors, please contact Asha Harrison at asha@wfmn.org. The interest form for future funding is now closed. The final grants for response funding are currently being distributed. Further questions about fund distribution, contact us.
Playbook for Crisis Response
Minnesota showed what is possible when people move with trust and love. Minnesota’s Immigrant Rapid Response Fund: A Playbook for Collective Philanthropic Crisis Response Under System Strain will share what we learned about acting quickly and building while moving. It names the decisions, constraints and tradeoffs that shaped the fund, including how trust carried the work when time was short, and conditions were changing. It also points to what communities need before the next crisis: trusted relationships, clear pathways for moving resources and infrastructure that can hold under pressure.
Funding Priorities
The Immigrant Rapid Response Fund coalition makes rapid, community-guided funding decisions based on emerging needs and available resources. We prioritize organizations that are culturally responsive, linguistically accessible, and deeply rooted in the communities they serve. Funds are directed to organizations working to support:
- Urgent Basic Needs: Providing food, housing, transportation, health care and other essential emergent supports in response to attacks
- Urgent Legal Services: legal defense, due process support, and rights protection
- Mobilizing & Organizing: know-your-rights education, community safety planning, advocacy, and coalition-building
Funding supports work across the Twin Cities metro area and Greater Minnesota, including border communities in South Dakota and North Dakota. See our initial press release.
Funding Process
- Grants are made on a weekly basis beginning January 23, 2026, with a priority on the most urgent community needs.
- Grantmaking has distributed $12.2 million to 147 organizations. Grant sizes range between $25,000 to $600,000. Grants will continue until all funds are distributed.
- Final grant decisions were made on April 10, 2026. The coalition will continue working to support immigrant communities as they begin to rebuild and repair. Future donations will be granted to organizations positioned to support longer-term recovery of impacted communities.
- Grants are unrestricted whenever possible
- There are no reporting requirements. Organizations will have the opportunity to provide stories of impact.
Our Commitment
This work is grounded in dignity, safety, equity, and solidarity. The fund is designed to add resources to communities—not replace existing support while strengthening coordination and collective response. We balance urgent needs with long-term community well-being.
Our History
In November 2024, a group of Latine leaders in philanthropy began preparing for attacks on Latine communities as anti-immigrant sentiment intensified nationwide. The MN Latine Fund was formed to support the long-term sustainability and thriving of Latine communities. As threats escalated, the group created a short-term Rapid Response Fund to address immediate harm.
By November 2025, the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund began to take shape. Attacks on Somali communities in Minnesota made clear that this effort needed to be inclusive of all communities impacted by federal immigration actions. East African philanthropic leaders joined the coalition, along with peers from Asian and Pacific Islander communities and Indigenous philanthropic leaders. Today, the coalition of 33 leaders reflects communities across the Twin Cities metro area and Greater Minnesota.
Thank You, from Minnesota
The Fund officially launched on January 12, 2026, with a goal of raising at least $5 million to support Minnesota nonprofits on the frontlines of the immigrant and refugee response. We are humbled by the generosity we have seen from across the country and around the world. This work is grounded in solidarity and the belief that there is enough for everyone when we work together.
Who We Are
The Immigrant Rapid Response Fund committee is comprised of 33 philanthropic leaders standing together in solidarity with our communities.
- Maryan Abdinur,
Mortenson Family Foundation - Farhiya Abdulkarim,
Bush Foundation - Roxane Battle,
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota - Ramla Bile,
Bush Foundation - Sara Boedecker-Johnston,
Mortenson Family Foundation - LaCora Bradford Kesti,
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota - Monica Cruz Zorrilla,
Imagine Deliver - Kate Downing Khaled,
Imagine Deliver - Naima Farah,
Black Collective Foundation MN - Flor Frey,
MN Latine Fund - Rachel Gonzalez,
Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
- Pakou Hang,
Northwest Area Foundation - Ambar Hanson,
Mortenson Family Foundation - Rabya Hassen,
Mortenson Family Foundation - Saanii Hernandez,
Constellation Fund - Erika Idrovo-Cuesta,
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota - Ivette Izea-Martinez,
Greater Twin Cities United Way - Henry Jiménez,
Propel Nonprofits - Muneer Karcher-Ramos,
McKnight Foundation - Eli Kramer,
Immigrant Rapid Response Fund - Jen Lowman Day,
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota - Migdalia Loyola Meléndez,
Headwaters Foundation for Justice
- Elda Macias,
MN Latine Fund - Jama Mohamed,
Morgan Family Foundation - Lulete Mola,
Black Collective Foundation MN - Awale Osman,
Minnesota Council of Foundations - Gloria Perez,
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota - Sherry Sanchez Tibbetts,
Greater Twin Cities United Way - Jo-Anne Stately,
Minneapolis Foundation - Terri Thao, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
- Patricia Torres Ray,
MN Latine Fund - Sandy Vargas,
MN Latine Fund - Katya Zepeda,
Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
147 Organizations Funded
Nonprofits across the state have pivoted operations to provide urgent needs in their communities.
Organizations receiving IRRF grants include:
“This investment is only possible because of the incredible, multicultural organizations on the front lines providing food, housing, transportation, and community safety, while being directly impacted by this crisis. We need to support and care for these critical community-led organizations and provide resources for long-term sustainability,”
Gloria Perez, president & CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and a member of the coalition.
FAQ
What kinds of work does IRRF support?
IRRF supports efforts that respond to urgent needs and strengthen community resilience, including:
- Emergency basic needs such as food, housing, transportation, and health care
- Legal services that defend rights and ensure due process
- Community organizing, education, safety planning, advocacy, and coalition-building
Funding prioritizes work that is culturally responsive, linguistically accessible, and community-led.
Is this an open application process?
No. IRRF is currently not an open application. Funding is distributed by invitation to ensure rapid response during emergencies.
How can funders or community members support IRRF?
You can support IRRF by contributing to the fund, sharing information with trusted community partners, or helping identify organizations responding to urgent needs.
I want to be considered for funding
The interest form closed on April 3 at 4 p.m. Final grant decisions for this fund will be made on April 10.
How can I learn more about the grant process?
See our grant guidelines. The interest form for future funding is now closed. The final round of rapid response funding will be determined on April 10, 2026.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Qué tipos de iniciativas financia IRRF?
IRRF apoya esfuerzos que responden a necesidades urgentes y fortalecen la resiliencia comunitaria, incluyendo:
- Necesidades básicas de emergencia, como alimentación, vivienda, transporte y atención médica
- Servicios legales urgentes por defensa legal, apoyo al debido proceso y protección de derechos
- Organización comunitaria, educación, planificación de seguridad, abogacía, y creación de coaliciones.
La financiación prioriza el trabajo que es culturalmente pertinente, lingüísticamente accesible y liderado por la comunidad.
¿Es este un proceso de solicitud abierto?
No. Actualmente, IRRF no cuenta con un proceso de solicitud abierto. La financiacón se distribuye por invitación para garantizar una respuesta rápida durante emergencias.
¿Cómo pueden los financiadores o los miembros de la comunidad apoyar a IRRF?
Puede apoyar a IRRF contribuyendo al fondo, compartiendo información entre redes comunitarias de confianza o ayudando a identificar entidades que respondan a necesidades urgentes.