ASI Announces 2024 Winter Community Fund Recipients

MINNEAPOLIS – The American Swedish Institute announced its latest winter round of awards through the ASI Community Fund, which offers grant opportunities to service-oriented organizations primarily in the Phillips and adjacent Minneapolis neighborhoods. Award amounts ranged from $2,000 to $3,000, for a total of $5,000 awarded to the Leech Lake Twin Cities Office and 826 MSP. 

ASI Community Fund recipients Winter 2024: 

Leech Lake Twin Cities Office:

The Leech Lake Twin Cities Office Resource Advocate offers supportive services to Ojibwe band members aged 54 and younger by connecting them with community resources, such as housing, education, and employment, as well as referrals for essential needs like food, diapers, and clothing. The community fund will support four seasonal land feasts for Twin Cities families, emphasizing traditional foods, sustainable land stewardship, and Indigenous cultural values. These feasts promote food sovereignty, foster cultural connections, and strengthen community bonds, addressing challenges like food insecurity and preserving traditional ecological knowledge. 

826 MSP: 

With support from the community fund, 826 MSP will host an Elder Night creative writing workshop series. The workshops will focus on immigration stories from the perspective of elders, highlighting the challenges they faced in coming to the U.S. In the first session, students will reflect on these stories, expanding on them by writing personal narratives about how their relatives’ experiences have shaped their own lives. By the third session, students will edit their work, and all the stories will be compiled into a “zine” to be shared with participating families. The class is at full capacity, and 100% of the students identify as East African and are first- or second-generation immigrants. 

About the Community Fund:

The ASI Community Fund was founded in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and seeks to help respond to emerging needs and support ASI neighbors to build, invigorate, and reimagine our shared community. More than $55,000 in awards have been given since the Fund’s establishment in June 2020. Donations are intended to support organizations and initiatives aligned with ASI’s mission and values.      

The Fund was established with independent donations, mostly by individuals, with an ASI staff committee selecting recipients. It is rooted in ASI’s founding by Swedish immigrants and reflects a commitment to sharing stories of migration among many immigrant-based organizations in the Phillips neighborhood, celebrating mutual support and collective well-being. 

ASI has built longstanding community relationships during the past 15 years through collaborative programs, including the Pippi Project at Andersen and Bancroft elementary schools, PICA Head Start graduations, and the Story Swap program with Wellstone International High School.  ASI also works closely with our Phillips West Neighborhood Organization and other community partners to continue to build bridges for understanding and partnership. Future gifts will allow the Fund to grow and continue serving the community.  To contribute to the Fund, please visit  asimn.org/giving.    

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