BY TFN Staff
The Funders Network stands in solidarity with communities in Minnesota and elsewhere who are organizing in defense of human dignity and demanding accountability in the face of escalating immigration enforcement.
What has unfolded in recent days and weeks — including the fatal shooting of Minneapolis residents by federal agents — is not only heartbreaking. It is a warning. When state power is exercised through fear, militarization and lethal force, the consequences ripple far beyond any single incident. Families are shattered. Communities are destabilized. Trust is broken.
This is not a debate about immigration policy or partisan politics. It is about whether people are allowed to live, work, protest and care for one another without fear of violence. It is about whether public institutions are accountable to the communities they claim to serve.
The aggressive and xenophobic posture we are witnessing represents a dangerous escalation — one that inflicts lasting trauma and tears at the social fabric of entire regions.
At the same time, misinformation and divisive narratives are actively obscuring the truth of what is happening to our families, friends and neighbors.
Support Vital Voices in Minnesota — and Elsewhere
This moment underscores the urgent need for philanthropy to invest in local journalism — reporting that is rooted in community, committed to facts and essential to calling out injustice.
In addition to the resources and statements from the sector we have shared below, we encourage you to register for Thursday’s TFN webinar, Vital Voices: Investing in the Power of Community-Rooted Reporting.
Our panel of funders and journalists includes Tim Murphy of the Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation and Mukhtar M. Ibrahim, founder of the Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota, who now serves as the Press Forward Minnesota strategy consultant for the Minnesota Council on Foundations.
Support Organizers, Advocates and Allies
The Funders Network remains committed to supporting movements for justice, equity and belonging.
We urge our members to support the grassroots organizers, legal advocates and those providing for and safeguarding the wellbeing of the most vulnerable in our communities, all of whom are in need of increased resources as a result of these disruptive federal actions.
We have curated a list of solidarity statements, opportunities to provide aid, and additional resources from our TFN members, partners and others in the sector in this message and on our TFN blog.
To add your organization’s statement or resources to this list, please reach out to TFN’s Senior Associate for Communications and Engagement Brooke McPherson at brookem@fundersnetwork.org.
Resources & Call to Actions
“The Best of America: Minnesotans Show their Heart” — McKnight Foundation Resource Page, which includes:
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- Shareable images to shine a light on the courage, kindness and true Minnesota spirit shown by folks across the state
- Know-your-rights tips for Minnesotans
- Ways neighbors and friends outside of Minnesota can show their support
The Immigrant Rapid Response Fund (IRRF) is a coalition of 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. As enforcement actions, policy changes, and sudden disruptions continue to impact immigrant and refugee families, IRRF provides rapid, community-informed funding to organizations on the frontlines of response, care and protection.
Stand With Minnesota, a volunteer-led resource page, which includes:
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- How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota by local Minnesota Author Naomi Kritzer
- Stay Informed About What’s Happening — A list of local Minnesotan news outlets and independent media reporting on the ground
- Testimonies from Minnesotans about what life is like right now
“Standing Together: How to Support Minnesota’s Immigrant and Refugee Neighbors” — Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation
The Minnesota Star Tribune Live Blog
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- Free from paywall blog featuring local journalists
For foundations looking to invest in legal funds for local organizations directly, here are several recommended by the Minnesota Council on Foundations:
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- Immigration Hub — coalition of 5 pro bono immigration legal service providers statewide (housed at Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota)
- Contact: Sarah Henely, sarah.henely@ilcm.org
- Immigrant Defense Network (housed at COPAL)
- ISAIAH
- Unidos MN
- Artists Respond: Safety in Neighbors (housed at Springboard for the Arts)
- CAIR-MN
- Local and citizen media: Sahan Journal (immigrant-focused news); Georgia Fort
- Immigration Hub — coalition of 5 pro bono immigration legal service providers statewide (housed at Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota)
Statements from the Network
The McKnight Foundation
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- Lessons from Minnesota: To Preserve Our Planet, We Must Also Preserve Our Democracy by Ben Passer, director of the Midwest Climate & Energy program at the McKnight Foundation
- Philanthropy Must Stand Up for Minneapolis — and Our Country — Opinion by McKnight Foundation President & CEO Tonya Allen, published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy
- Tonya Allen’s statement on the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti
Minneapolis Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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- President Rich Besser‘s statement on recent events
- Want to Take Action? Here’s Your Guide to ICE Watch Hotlines and Immigration Resources by Eliana Perozo, Next City
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This story was produced through Next City’s Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow for Anti-Displacement Strategies, which is made possible with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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Initiative Foundation
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- President Brian Voerding‘s update on the foundation joining a coalition of local and state foundations to issue rapid-response grants to support the Somali community in St. Cloud and Central Minnesota
The California Endowment
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- “We will not look away. We will not be silent” by President & CEO Brenda Solórzano
Resources, Statements and Social Posts from the Sector
- STAY TOGETHER — Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
- The Minnesota Council on Foundations is hosting a funder briefing — Immigrant Rapid Response Fund: A Coordinated Philanthropic Response for Minnesota — on Jan. 28 featuring the McKnight Foundation’s Muneer Karcher-Ramos
- GREATER MSP Partnership Open Letter — 60+ Minnesota-based companies came together to speak with one voice to call for an immediate de-escalation of the federal action across Minnesota
- Statement from The James B. McClatchy Foundation
- Statement from Jen Ford Reedy, President of the Bush Foundation
- Statement from Carmen Rojas, President & CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation
- Statement from Headwaters Foundation for Justice
- Statement from Maine Community Foundation
- “Worried about supporting ICE through your 401(k)? Here’s What You Can Do.” from Just Futures: Public Benefit Corporation
- Statement from Andrew Dayton, Founder & CEO of The Constellation Fund
- Guidance on Minnesota from United in Advance
To add your organization’s statement or resources to our online resource list on TFN’s Blog, please reach out to Brooke McPherson at brookem@fundersnetwork.org.