A Video on the Greater MN Partnership

Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative‘s Greater MN Partnerships Committee builds FREC’s capacity to strengthen relationships throughout the state and to learn more about the issues and challenges of racial justice around Greater MN and to advance racial justice and understanding state wide. The Greater Minnesota Partnership focus has two primary ways of engagement:

Mini-grants
The Committee works throughout the calendar year to provide project support for groups in Greater Minnesota (outside the 7 county Metro area) with projects that advance racial justice understanding through collaborative planning, implementation and the intentional inclusion of underrepresented people. The FREC mini-grants of up to $2,000.00 are available on a rolling calendar-there are no deadlines to apply. If you are interested in applying for a 2021 mini-grant to help launch your project, please use this link: https://overcomingracism.org/programs/greater-minnesota-partnerships/ 

Overcoming Racism Conference Regional Events in Greater Minnesota
Beginning, in 2019, built upon the relationships developed through the mini-grants FREC supported the planning and production of Greater MN Satellite FREC Conferences in Bemidji and also in Rochester. These Satellite Conferences included a morning keynote presentations, live streamed from the FREC Overcoming Racism Conference in the Twin Cities to sites in these communities. Locally planned and organized workshops held at each of these locations were held in the afternoon. Each community created its own local collaborative planning team to host the Satellite Conference. FREC provided both planning and financial support for the Satellite Conferences. We believe this approach provides greater opportunity and access for folks committed to racial justice across the state.

In 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic created the necessity for FREC’s annual Overcoming Racism Conference to go completely virtual. This has provided FREC the opportunity to further expand engagement with partners in Greater MN. Rather than Satellite Conferences, diverse areas of the state were invited to use Conference workshop time slots to hold regional conversations that address specific racial justice needs in their respective community. FREC has also provided additional financial resources to host follow up conversations in these regions.

In 2021, FREC hopes to resume the in person Conference with expanded opportunities for regional satellite conferences. FREC will also be looking at learnings from the 2020 virtual conference, particularly as they create opportunities for enhancing the support for potential new partnerships in Greater Minnesota. If you are interested in hosting a 2021 Satellite Conference please contact info@overcomingracism.org.

Blandin Foundation support to Greater MN Communities of 30,000 and Under
In addition, the Blandin Foundation has provided a generous grant to FREC which enables FREC to offer expanded mini-grant and satellite conferences in Greater Minnesota Communities of 30,000 and under in 2021 and 2022. FREC is grateful to the Blandin Foundation for the opportunity to expand partnerships with Greater Minnesota communities.