For Black Collective Foundation, the new philanthropy is community-driven

The Black Collective Foundation MN marked Juneteenth with its signature event, Rooted & Radiant, a vibrant brunch and social gathering that drew over 200 Black leaders, creatives, and philanthropic partners to the Glass House in Minneapolis on Thursday, June 19.

The annual event, now in its fifth year, served as a joyful yet grounded celebration of Black brilliance, resilience, and community power. Hosted on Freedom Day, it also offered a space for collective reflection amid a heavy national mood.

“Some of our spirits may be high and some of our spirits may be low, but our spirits are together, and that’s what matters,” said Lulete Mola, co-founder and president of the Black Collective Foundation MN. “We decided to do this on Juneteenth to commemorate that this is Independence Day. This is Freedom Day.”

The brunch was part celebration and part call to action, centered on the Foundation’s mission to permanently support Black-led change. Founded in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the Black Collective Foundation is Minnesota’s first Black community foundation and one of only a few of its kind in the country.

Since its inception, the Collective has distributed over $3.3 million in grants to Black-led organizations, entrepreneurs and initiatives in fields ranging from housing to education to transportation.

“We boldly invest in the organizations, leaders, systems and ideas driving justice across the state,” Mola said.

In addition to a community giving campaign launched during the event, the Foundation announced recent initiatives, including the Minnesota Legal Education and Defense Fund, a project providing nonprofit leaders with legal tools to continue race-conscious work in the current political climate.

Co-founder and Nexus Community Partners CEO Repa Mekha opened the gathering with a spiritual invocation and a challenge to attendees to define “the movement of the moment.”

“Our way forward is not something out there we have to discover,” Mekha said. “It lives in us, in our DNA. We must carry a bifocal lens — look at what’s real around us, but also go to the balcony and look long term.”

That philosophy echoed throughout the afternoon. Mola acknowledged the exhaustion many feel amid political setbacks and violence but said the act of gathering is a cultural response to hardship.

“In my community, when there’s hardship, we come together,” she said. “We cry together. We laugh together. That’s what we do when we’re struggling.”

The Collective’s participatory approach to philanthropy was another key theme. Board Chair Aretha Green-Rupert, who has spent 15 years in the field, said what makes the organization different is its community-led model.

“We’re not doing philanthropy in the old way,” she said. “Decisions about where money goes, and how communities are impacted, are made by folks on the ground with lived experience. We let community lead.”

Green-Rupert added that the Collective is rooted in a long legacy of Black generosity.

“Black folks have always given. We give more of our income than any other racial group,” she said. “Whether that’s opening our homes, feeding our neighbors, or tithing at church — we’re building a philanthropic model that reflects our culture and our history.”

That culture of recognition was palpable among this year’s New Suns Fellowship recipients, several of whom attended Rooted & Radiant. The program provides support, visibility and community to Black changemakers across Minnesota.

Dr. Kasim Abdur Razzaq, a 2023 fellow, described the experience as “transformational.” “The affirmation that not only what we’re doing, but how we’re doing it, is something the community recognizes — that meant everything,” he said.

Razzaq is currently launching Heal Black Minnesota, a nonprofit aimed at creating pathways for culturally grounded Black mental health professionals and a consortium of Black-led service organizations.

Leesa Kelly, a 2025 New Suns Fellow and founder of Memorialize the Movement, said the fellowship has helped her build vital relationships.

“Through this fellowship, I’ve connected with so many incredible Black leaders,” said Kelly, who moved to Minneapolis from Chicago in 2017. “It’s already paid off immensely.”

Kelly recently hosted the final Justice for George event at Phelps Field Park and is now planning a new Black Liberation Archiving and Conservation Center to preserve and educate through mural work.

Looking ahead, the Black Collective Foundation MN is planning its next major convening: the Collective Summit, scheduled for Nov. 18-20.

“We look forward to growing, to increasing our assets, and to starting our endowment,” Mola said. “We’re committed to being here 100 years from now, for the good of our community.”

Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.