The Minneapolis Foundation is accepting applications for its Economic Mobility Grants Program.
Donor Name: Minneapolis Foundation
State: Minnesota
County: Hennepin County (MN)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/15/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The 2026 Economic Mobility grant guidelines reflect important updates designed to meet evolving community needs—particularly challenges stemming from Operation Metro Surge. This year’s funding will focus on nonprofit organizations that provide small business support and play a vital role in strengthening entrepreneurship and the local economy. To deepen the impact, they will concentrate investments in a smaller cohort of grantees, offer larger awards, and extend the grant period to two years.
The Economic Mobility grants support organizations working to build a more sustainable and resilient economic landscape—one in which communities and businesses can thrive, and individuals have greater economic mobility. This work is guided by extensive community input and builds on more than five years of investment in small business development and key commercial corridors. They are committed to supporting those most impacted by economic inequities and to advancing community-led solutions.
Priorities
Priority for funding will be given to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that:
- Are based in and serving Minneapolis communities and the inner-ring suburbs of Hennepin County (Brooklyn Center, Edina, Golden Valley, Richfield, Robbinsdale, and St. Louis Park).
- Provide multiple services and support to small businesses, with the majority of the organization’s programming focused on technical assistance, business development, access to capital, or other initiatives that strengthen and sustain the local small business ecosystem.
- Support entrepreneurs who face systemic barriers to business ownership and growth, including but not limited to businesses located in historically underinvested communities (e.g., areas experiencing higher poverty rates, limited access to capital or financial services, lower small-business density, and/or higher commercial vacancy rates).
- Support small businesses located along key commercial corridors that have experienced historic disinvestment or barriers to capital and resources.
- Examples in Minneapolis include Lake Street, West Broadway Avenue North, and Central Avenue Northeast. They recognize that there are many key commercial corridors throughout Minneapolis and the inner-ring suburbs.
Funding Information
- Approximately $2 million is available for grant.
- Funding Range: $50,000 and $100,000.
Grant Period
Organizations awarded a two-year.
Foundation Funds
They will support organizations that play a vital role in supporting small businesses located in historically underinvested areas, helping them grow and strengthen the local economy. Grants will provide general operating support, offering flexibility to organizations as they build strong, sustainable infrastructure and respond to the evolving needs of the entrepreneurs they serve. Funds may be used to strengthen service delivery, expand access to capital and technical assistance, invest in staffing and systems, or deepen partnerships across the ecosystem of services and support for small businesses. Strengthening the ecosystem is essential to maintaining resilient local economies, expanding entrepreneurial opportunities, and fostering long-term economic mobility.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofits that primarily support small businesses.
- Organizations should demonstrate a track record of supporting the small business ecosystem through equitable capital deployment (access to capital, grants, and loans), technical assistance, and strategies that expand entrepreneurship opportunities, create jobs, and generate lasting economic mobility. They will fund organizations that support small business development and growth through efforts and initiatives that include, but are not limited to:
- Technical assistance and small business support: Comprehensive and culturally relevant business development services that increase the business readiness, revenue growth, and long-term viability of small businesses (e.g., business strategy and planning, financial management and capital readiness, procurement and contracting, etc.).
- Expanding access to capital: Flexible and responsive capital solutions that expand access to financing for small businesses, particularly those facing systemic barriers (e.g., small business loans, direct grants, alternative financing models, refinancing options, etc.).
For more information, visit Minneapolis Foundation.
