Hometown Foundation Programs

At Target, we believe that the health of our business depends on the vitality of our hometown community, and that a vibrant and growing economy is only possible when economic opportunities are available to all our neighbors. The Target Foundation is committed to advancing racial equity and shared prosperity in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Featured content

A photo of a person in gloves cleaning a piece of food equipment at nonprofit All Square.

Photo credit: All Square, Target Foundation partner

Grants and initiatives

In addition to supporting the overarching Minneapolis-St. Paul philanthropic ecosystem and addressing persistent and immediate community needs, the Target Foundation hometown program concentrates its investments in organizations working to address the specific systemic and structural barriers facing Black communities, Indigenous communities and communities of color. We do this in four priority areas: entrepreneurship and small business, workforce development, housing and asset building.

Entrepreneurship and Small Business

The Foundation supports entrepreneurship initiatives that address current ecosystem gaps, drive inclusive practices and create access to knowledge, services, networks and capital for entrepreneurs at all stages.

Workforce Development

The Foundation supports employment and technical training opportunities to ensure the workforce development system operates effectively and connects job seekers and workers with the skills they need to succeed.

Housing

The Foundation supports efforts that increase housing availability, stability and access — creating pathways to greater opportunity.

Asset Building

The Foundation supports organizations that improve the asset building opportunities available to traditionally marginalized communities, especially those that are engaged in work to increase financial inclusion, wealth building and overall financial health.

How to apply

The 2022 application period is now closed.

Learn more about our funding guidelines

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“We have immense pride in our hometown, and we know there is a lot of work to be done to advance racial equity in the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota. In an effort to do our part to address the specific systemic and structural barriers facing Black communities, Indigenous communities and other communities of color, we’re both excited and humbled to provide grants to nonprofit organizations who serve and support these communities.”

AMANDA NUSZ SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND PRESIDENT OF THE TARGET FOUNDATION

Hometown grantee spotlights

CAPI

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“The Target Foundation’s investment in CAPI supports more than 11,000 immigrants, refugees, and local communities of color in the Twin Cities. During this time of great scarcity, support from the Target Foundation has enabled us to launch four new and innovative employment training tracks, develop new partnerships with employers, offer homeownership and financial education courses , and, made it possible for CAPI to be a stable presence in the lives of our community members. CAPI would like to thank the Target Foundation for its tremendous support and for joining us in the vision to see the communities we serve thrive and lead successful lives.”

EKTA PRAKASH CEO, CAPI USA

We’re proud to support CAPI, and its mission to guide refugees and immigrants in the journey toward self-determination and social equality.

The immigrant-led organization’s efforts are organized around three service areas: basic needs; civic engagement; and economic empowerment.

Specific to economic empowerment, CAPI works with individuals to help them secure sustainable employment through educational and vocational training programs, job placement and intensive case management.

The Target Foundation’s general operating grant will help to advance CAPI's work to accelerate economic mobility through workforce development and build community wealth through asset-building financial coaching, homebuyer services, financial education and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services.

Neighborhood Development Center

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“The Target Foundation’s consistent support has enabled NDC to provide culturally responsive technical assistance so that neighborhood entrepreneurs could access flexible capital when they needed it most. Since March 2020, NDC has processed over 1,000 grants and forgivable loans totaling over $11 million, primarily to Black, brown, immigrant, and Indigenous entrepreneurs in low-income Twin Cities neighborhoods. To facilitate access to capital, NDC has provided thousands of hours of one-on-one assistance in multiple languages to make sure business owners had the information and paperwork they needed to apply for these grants. This capital has helped business owners keep their doors open, and ensured businesses could retain over 5,000 jobs. Thank you, Target Foundation, for ensuring neighborhood small businesses could survive a major crisis period, so they can thrive in the future!”

RENAY DOSSMAN PRESIDENT, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

We’re proud to support the Neighborhood Development Center, and its mission to empower entrepreneurs and community partners to transform low-income neighborhood economies from within.

NDC’s goal is to support and empower entrepreneurs – from startup to expansion – with business knowledge and access to opportunity to develop successful businesses that allow them to build wealth and transform their own neighborhoods.

Through its place-based approach, NDC offers services to help entrepreneurs: test an idea and build their business plan; secure financing to launch or expand their business; and find space for their business to grow and thrive.

The Target Foundation’s grant will help support NDC’s entrepreneur programs and services in the Twin Cities.

Appetite for Change

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"When we connect through food, we create change in our communities. Appetite For Change is immensely grateful to the Target Foundation for its partnership and support in our mission to create that change. The Target Foundation elevates our organization's work and allows us to reach even greater heights, and we look forward to showing you what else we have cooking!"

LATASHA POWELL CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, APPETITE FOR CHANGE

We’re proud to support Appetite for Change (AFC), and its mission to use food as a tool to build health, wealth and social change – bringing people together to learn, cook, eat, and grow food, creating change that lasts. Through youth development programs, social enterprises, and policy initiatives, the community-led nonprofit builds community capacity to engage with the food system in a fresh and sustainable way. In addition, it operates two social enterprises, Breaking Bread and Station 81, and provides workforce development opportunities.

The Target Foundation’s general operating grant will support AFC’s effort to deepen and strengthen racial equity through quality jobs and job training for local Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, with a focus on growing people as leaders and entrepreneurs in the community.