Minnesota Helps – Tornado Recovery Fund grant awarded

The Minneapolis Foundation and Greater Twin Cities United Way announced yesterday that Tree Trust was awarded one of 13 grants given to organizations that are assisting North Minneapolis residents affected by the May 22 tornado.

The $24,152 grant will allow Tree Trust to provide full-time employment for the rest of the summer for six recent graduates of its YouthBuild program. Without this grant their participation in the program would have ended on June 30.

“Organizations serving youth were among our funding priorities,” said Frank Forsberg, senior vice president of Community Impact, Greater Twin Cities United Way.

The six YouthBuild participants are residents of North Minneapolis, and will spend the summer repairing and rehabbing up to 33 homes and rental units in North Minneapolis neighborhoods. While they earn wages and sharpen their skills, they’ll provide ownership and rental opportunities for families who have been displaced from their homes or apartments from the tornado.

The 13 grants announced June 23 are the first to be awarded through an ongoing process by which nonprofits and public agencies providing services to North Minneapolis residents affected by the tornado are invited to request support from the Fund. Grant funds were raised through the Minnesota Helps – North Minneapolis Recovery Fund, established by The Minneapolis Foundation, Greater Twin Cities United Way, and GiveMN.org. More than $1.3 million has been raised so far from community donations and matching grants.

For more information about Tree Trust’s involvement in the North Minneapolis recovery efforts, please contact Tracie at 952.767.3881 or tracieh@treetrust.org.