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Press Release

ASI Announces Winter 2022 Community Fund Recipients

February 18, 2022 By Lizzy Rode

MINNEAPOLIS – The American Swedish Institute announced its Winter 2022 round of awards made through the ASI Community Fund, offering short-term aid to service-oriented organizations primarily in the Phillips and adjacent Minneapolis neighborhoods. Award amounts ranged from $1,000 to $2,500, for a total of $7,000 awarded to the following: the Phillips West Neighborhood Organization, Banyan Community, Ebenezer Senior Care’s Minneapolis Campus and the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization. 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 $27,000 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 general mission and vision.  

ASI Community Fund recipients for Winter 2022:

  • The Phillips West Neighborhood Organization’s mission is “to engage the diverse voices of all those who live, learn, work and play in Phillips West in order to advocate for greater individual well-being and community empowerment.” An award from the ASI Community Fund will support capital and infrastructure needs for the Phillips West Food Forest Initiative in PWNO’s community garden at 28th Street and Oakland Avenue, which will be planted and managed using Afro-Indigenous, Indigenous and sustainable gardening principles. 
  • Banyan Community is rooted in the Phillips Neighborhood to transform lives by developing youth, strengthening families, and creating community. An award from the ASI Community Fund will support program materials, training, space and staffing for Banyan’s Lighthouse Network, a community-led initiative consisting of block clubs working to create a block-by-block, communitywide network of trained leaders who lessen crime by building community in the Phillips neighborhood. 
  • Ebenezer Senior Care serves seniors throughout Minnesota from different backgrounds, faiths, cultures and beliefs. Ebenezer’s Minneapolis Campus serves nearly 600 seniors across a continuum of care in the heart of the Phillips neighborhood. An award from the ASI Community Fund will support the Life Long Learning program, one of the cornerstones of Ebenezer’s care model, which brings seniors in the community engagement and programming opportunities that focus on arts and educational experiences. 
  • The Corcoran Neighborhood Organization unites neighbors to strengthen the community, envisioning Corcoran as a place that fosters leadership, engagement, and a sense of belonging. The organization leads and operates the Midtown Farmers Market and hosts weekly community conversations around race and politics. An award from the ASI Community Fund will support the purchase of items, including food, laundry soap and reusable bags, for CNO’s food and life resource center, known as the C-Spot.

The next ASI Community Fund submission deadline is July 31, 2022, with twice-yearly deadlines. For more information, including granting criteria and a link to the online application, please visit asimn.org/support/asi-community-fund 

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 hosts scheduled U.S. naturalization ceremonies and National Night Out, always recognizing that there is more we can do to build bridges for cross-cultural understanding.  Future gifts will allow the Fund to grow and continue to serve the community.  To contribute to the Fund, please visit asimn.org/giving. 

 

Media Contact: Eric Wilson, Engagement Strategy Manager