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Minnesota Freedom Fund at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Minnesota Freedom Fund

The MINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND pays criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot otherwise afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.

$101k
Granted FY2024still arriving
1
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Crime & Legal$6.9MCivil Rights$908kHuman Services$120kFood & Nutrition$75kHealth$50kArts & Culture$40kYouth Development$25kPublic Safety & Disaster$25kOther$0
02FY2024 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$100,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$16M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND ACTION$100,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–22, $4.7M) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%TIDES CENTER: $4.5M → 10%MN8: $100k → 14%THE POWER OF PEOPLE INSTITUTE: $25k → 11%UNTIL WE ARE ALL FREE: $50k → 11%AFGHAN CULTURAL SOCIETY: $35k → 11%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

31%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.1M · 5 repeat orgs$2.5M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +44% since the first grant, against +30% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
22

Total granted

$1.1M
$2.5M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+44%
+30%

Still filing today

100%
68%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesCrime & LegalInternationalCivil RightsYouth DevelopmentArts & CultureOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • WR
    We Resolve
    2× · 2022–2023 · $195k · revenue +44% · 78% of their budget
  • ML
    MID-MINNESOTA LEGAL ASSISTANCE
    2× · 2022–2023 · $150k · revenue +33%
  • IL
    IMMIGRANT LAW CENTER OF MINNESOTA INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $125k · revenue +214%

Funded once

  • CU
    COMMUNITIES UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY
    one grant, 2022 · $1.0M · revenue -1988%
  • Alliance for Global Justice Corp
    one grant, 2022 · $350k · revenue -51%
  • MS
    MN SOLIDARITY FUND
    one grant, 2020 · $293k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Minnesota Women Lawyers

To advance the success of women attorneys and strive for a just society.

—
2
Minnesota Voice

Minnesota Voice is a collaboration of organizations working toward permanent change in social, racial, and economic justice by increasing civic engagement and voter participation across the state.

Public Benefit
3
Minnesota Acts Now

Crime and communities violence interve

Crime & Legal
4
Minnesota Freedom Fund

The minnesota freedom fund pays criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot otherwise afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.

Crime & Legal
5
Our Justice

To ensure that all people and communities have the power and resources to make sexual and reproductive health decisions with self-determination.

Health
6
Keeping Families Connected - Minnesota

Keeping Families Connected Minnesota prevents family separation through interdisciplinary legal services and equity-based child welfare policy reform. Relative caregivers access KFCMN's pro bono legal supports through a hotline, scheduled…

Crime & Legal
7
Mixed Blood Theatre Company

Mixed Blood Theatre Company uses theater to disrupt injustice. We are a social justice organization catalyzing action and change through art. Our work is guided by deep community engagement and rooted in radical hospitality.

—
8
Detention Watch Network

Detention Watch Network seeks to end the cruel system of immigration detention via programs of grassroots organizing, strategic communications, and collective advocacy.

Human Services
9
Advocates for Family Peace

To improve lives by ending domestic violence.

Human Services
10
Seattle Clemency Project

Seattle Clemency Project's mission is to increase access to justice for reformed individuals serving sentences that no longer serve a purpose and to prevent deportations that fracture communities. We do this by matching them with free,…

Crime & Legal
11
Growth & Justice

To develop and advocate for public policy that makes Minnesota's economy more prosperous and fair for all Minnesotans.

—
12
Minnesotans for Lawsuit Reform

Founded in 2010, minnesotans for lawsuit reform (mnflr) is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to improving minnesota by promoting a fair, efficient and predictable state civil justice system,which benefits all minnesotans and…

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance; the most unlike its peers is George Floyd Global Memorial. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

22 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 22 of the 28 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
15/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TIDES CENTER: $4,500,000 · Human ServicesTIDES CENTER+4 more: $210,000 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITIES UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY: $1,023,019 · Crime & LegalCOMMUNITIES UNITED AGAI…MINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND ACTION: $600,000 · Crime & LegalMINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND …+1 more: $50,000 · Crime & LegalMN SOLIDARITY FUND: $293,205 · OtherMN SOLIDARITY F…We Resolve: $195,000 · OtherWe ResolveTHE FRESHET COLLECTIVE: $150,000 · OtherTHE FRESHET COL…MID-MINNESOTA LEGAL ASSISTANCE: $150,000 · OtherMID-MINNESOTA L…IMMIGRANT LAW CENTER OF MINNESOTA INC: $125,000 · OtherIMMIGRANT LAW C…SEEDS WORTH SOWING: $75,000 · OtherSEEDS WORTH SOW…BLCK PRESS: $40,000 · Other+4 more: $74,900 · Other+4 moreAlliance for Global Justice Corp: $350,000 · InternationalThe Advocates For Human Rights: $100,000 · InternationalCONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS: $45,000 · InternationalMINNESOTA JUSTICE RESEARCH CENTER: $70,000 · Civil RightsJEWISH COMMUNITY ACTION: $25,000 · Civil RightsWE ARE ALL CRIMINALS: $25,000 · Civil RightsPositive Image: $25,000 · Youth DevelopmentZAKAH AID AND CHARITY ASSISTING HUMANITY: $15,000 · ReligionGEORGE FLOYD GLOBAL MEMORIAL: $10,000 · Arts & Culture
Human Services$4,710,000Crime & Legal$1,673,019Other$1,103,105International$495,000Civil Rights$120,000Youth Development$25,000Religion$15,000Arts & Culture$10,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTIDES CENTER: $4,500,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetMINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND ACTION: $600,000 over 3y, 100% of budgetAlliance for Global Justice Corp: $350,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetWe Resolve: $195,000 over 2y, 78% of budgetTHE FRESHET COLLECTIVE: $150,000 over 1y, 100% of budgetMID-MINNESOTA LEGAL ASSISTANCE: $150,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetIMMIGRANT LAW CENTER OF MINNESOTA INC: $125,000 over 2y, 3.9% of budgetMN8: $100,000 over 1y, 23% of budgetThe Advocates For Human Rights: $100,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetMINNESOTA JUSTICE RESEARCH CENTER: $70,000 over 1y, 9.7% of budgetUNTIL WE ARE ALL FREE MOVEMENT: $50,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetTHE NETWORK FOR BETTER FUTURES DBA BETTER FUTURES MINNESOTA: $50,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetCONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS: $45,000 over 2y, 23% of budgetAFGHAN CULTURAL SOCIETY OF MN: $35,000 over 1y, 9.8% of budgetJEWISH COMMUNITY ACTION: $25,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetWE ARE ALL CRIMINALS: $25,000 over 1y, 20% of budgetPOWER OF PEOPLE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: $25,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetPositive Image: $25,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetZAKAH AID AND CHARITY ASSISTING HUMANITY: $15,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetGEORGE FLOYD GLOBAL MEMORIAL: $10,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Saint Paul & Minnesot…The Minneapolis Found…The McKnight Foundati…Women's Foundation of…Otto Bremer TrustHeadwaters Foundation…Fr Bigelow FoundationMightycause Charitabl…BCBSM Foundation IncPropel NonprofitsPohlad Family Foundat…Takeaction Mn Educati…
Saint Paul & Minnesota FoundationMN29.1× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · The Minneapolis Foundation · The McKnight Foundation · Women's Foundation of Minnesota · Otto Bremer Trust · Headwaters Foundation for Justice · Fr Bigelow Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · BCBSM Foundation Inc · Propel Nonprofits · Pohlad Family Foundation · Takeaction Mn Education Fund

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Minnesota Freedom Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Minnesota Freedom Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 28 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Minnesota Freedom’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home