Women’s Foundation Awards $425,000 in Fund for Safety Grants

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFM) announced $425,000 in general operating grants to 22 organizations through its Fund for Safety. This grantmaking is a renewal for current grantee-partners so that their resources and programs keep our communities safer by addressing gender-based violence—including trafficking, harassment, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and systemic violence.

In this cohort of Fund for Safety partners, 27 percent are in rural and Greater Minnesota, and 64 percent are led by Black, Indigenous, and women of color. All Women’s Foundation grants support general operating expenses, which provide greater flexibility for organizations. Funding general operations over multiple years is crucial for organizations to build stability around community-sustaining programs.

Funded organizations have the option to be publicly named in a time of heightened concern for the safety and security of their staff and operations.

Grantee-Partners include:

Dakota Wicohan (Morton) | $20,000 — To continue to support youth programs for prevention of gender-based violence, aligned with cultural knowledge and teachings on Dakota ways. Funding will also help expand collaborations and outreach for the annual Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives walk.

Domestic Abuse Project (Minneapolis) | $20,000 — To continue to lead as the facilitators of the Domestic Violence Work Group, which involves the implementation of new processes that address Minneapolis police response to domestic violence and provide trainings for officers.

Minnesota African Women’s Coalition (Lakeville) | $20,000 — To continue to support a series of workshops for immigrant and refugee families in understanding abuse, recognizing their legal rights, and navigating mental health, economic empowerment, and housing systems.

OutFront Minnesota Community Services (Saint Paul) | $20,000 – To continue to support OutFront’s Anti-Violence Program, Education Equity department, and policy and organizing work that serves thousands of LGBTQ+ Minnesotans and allies each year.

QUEERSPACE collective (Minneapolis) | $20,000 — To expand programming for ages 18-24, by launching dedicated Black affinity spaces, developing ToolKit Tuesday wellness sessions, and offering inclusivity training to schools, while exploring new ways to deliver these sessions through development of the QUEERSPACE app.

Sexual Violence Center (Minneapolis) | $20,000 — To sustain and expand survivor-centered programs that address immediate crisis response and long-term healing, including a 24/7 crisis hotline, legal and medical advocacy for survivors, and trauma-informed counseling services. In addition, SVC will begin offering support groups in Scott County in response to increased community demand and new staff capacity.