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Justice & Liberation Fund Moves $2 million to Black-Led Organizing

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A historic $2 million is moving into the hands of Black-led organizers across Minnesota, guided entirely by community leadership. 

The 2025 Justice and Liberation Fund (J&L) will support 40 Black-led organizations with 2-year general operating grants of $25,000 each. The fund was guided by 14 community members committed to supporting Black liberation.

As our community prepares to honor Juneteenth, these grants represent an ongoing commitment to Black liberation and resourcing work that builds Black power, dignity, and self-determination.

This year’s $2 million in grants was jointly funded by Headwaters Foundation for Justice and Black Visions, with each organization providing $1 million in grant dollars. It represents the largest single investment in Black-led organizing in Headwaters’ history. 

“Too often, we hear there isn’t enough Black-led work to fund in Minnesota. This grantmaking process proved otherwise,” says Abena Abraham, Black Radiance Network Program Officer. “The committee prioritized work that centers base-building, sustainability, and long-term impact. Their guiding question was simple: Will this work help make Black people in Minnesota more free? The result is a vibrant slate of grantees putting down deep roots and breaking down the barriers that exist for Black people in Minnesota.” 

Headwaters is proud to

2025 Justice and Liberation Fund grantees

Across the state, these organizations are working to build a Minnesota where Black people can live with justice, dignity, and power to shape their communities. Out of the 40 grantees, 36 are new to J&L, and 27 are receiving Headwaters funding for the first time. Nine organizations are located in greater Minnesota. 

“We’re proud to celebrate this $2 million investment in Black-led organizing across Minnesota,” says Bilal Alkatout, Headwaters’ Co-Executive Director. “The committee sought to fund a wide range of strategies that reflect the many ways Black Minnesotans are building power. The result is a powerful cohort of grantees advancing justice in many forms, from healing to housing to food justice.” 

The committee also chose groups that are reimagining how work for Black liberation can be done. Eemanna Rivers, J&L’s Program Coordinator shares, “These organizations uplift and empower Black folks in how they do their work. They are challenging themselves to go beyond the status quo in terms of how they operate or engage their bases. They’re pioneering and innovating, and they need resources to do that innovation. We’re proud that J&L can be a resource.” 

Atlas of Blackness
Awood Center
The Beautywell Project
Black Community Board
Black Men Teach
Divine Konnections Inc.
Family Freedom Center
Hooyo Hour Organization
Irreducible Grace Foundation 
Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community 
Minnesota Seeds of Justice 
New Hope for Immigrants
Our Justice
Phumulani Minnesota African Women Against Violence 
Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute 
Rondo Community Land Trust 
F.T.P. Initiative
The Fields at Rootsprings
Soul of the Southside
Survivors For Systems Change 
The JK Movement
ACER
T.O.N.E. U.P. 
Twin Cities Broadband Co-op 
Until We Are All Free Movement 
Urban Farm and Garden Alliance 
Voice of Culture 
WE WIN Institute

Built by community, powered by purpose

“Community designed and informed every part of the fund,” says Abraham. 

Beginning with the renaming of the fund, formerly known as the Black Seed Fund, every aspect of J&L was informed, guided, or designed by community. From the new logo to the selection rubric, the fund’s committee designed each aspect with Black organizers, activists, and Minnesotans in mind. 

Abraham says it was important that the fund was designed by community: “We can’t say that we want to fund Black movement work without being led by the people that are part of that movement.” 

With this in mind, the J&L team formed an intergenerational committee with members from all over Minnesota and across sectors—philanthropy, arts, organizing, and more. Members ranged in age from high school students to retired elders. 

“We also had a balance of the whole Black diaspora,” shares Abraham, “Some committee members were Minnesota born and raised. Some immigrated here and some moved to Minnesota from other parts of the country. We had the whole mix of what Blackness looks like. This committee showed that we’re not a monolith and that there are so many parts to us.” 

Join us in celebrating the 2025 Justice and Liberation Fund grantmakers: 

  • Antonette Kamara, Communications Manager   
  • Binta Kanteh, Writer and Public Policy Advisor  
  • Carla Hamilton, Artist  
  • Danyale Green, Beyond Dollars Program Director   
  • Jhaelynn Elam, Founder and CEO    
  • Kowsar Mohamed   
  • Baba Louis Alemayehu   
  • Nonkululeko Shongwe, Community Wealth Building Director  
  • Regina Jackson, Elder    
  • Sagirah Shahid, Poet   
  • Sydney Oundo, Youth Organizer  
  • Tehout Selameab, Senior Learning Officer    
  • Theodore Rose, Manager Director – Policy  
  • Tolu Afolabi, Operations Analyst   

Headwaters celebrates and thanks the 2025 grantees and community grantmakers. Visit the Justice and Liberation Fund and Black Radiance Network webpages to learn more and stay informed about future events 

About the Justice & Liberation Fund

The Justice & Liberation Fund provides financial resources to Black-led groups working on the frontlines of justice.  

The Justice & Liberation Fund operates on a bi-annual basis. The decision-making process for this fund is done by a community-led grant review panel.  

The Justice & Liberation Fund is housed within the Black Radiance Network at Headwaters Foundation for Justice. The Black Radiance Network is a community-powered network, created by and for Black leaders who are reshaping Minnesota