Preserving Black legacies. Building Black futures.
The Legacy Stabilization Collaborative is a cross-organizational initiative to strengthen Black-led legacy institutions across Saint Paul and Minneapolis through shared resources, strategic investment, and coordinated support.
In 2026, Black-led legacy nonprofits across the Twin Cities came together through the Legacy Stabilization Collaborative, marking a historic investment in the long-term stability and growth of Black community institutions.
For generations, Minneapolis and Saint Paul have been home to Black-led organizations that have anchored neighborhoods, preserved culture and history, and served as trusted pillars of community life.
The Legacy Stabilization Collaborative recognizes and celebrates the enduring impact of these organizations while planting the seeds for the next chapter of their work. Through a historic collaboration of philanthropic partners, technical expertise, and direct financial support, the initiative strengthens the organizations that have sustained our communities for decades.
TATIANA FREEMAN
Executive Director
A 46-year-old community development organization advancing housing stability, economic mobility, and community-led revitalization in Saint Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood.
Executive Director
Saint Paul’s oldest Black-led institution providing youth development, family support, and culturally rooted programming.
BENNY ROBERTS
President & CEO
A regional civil rights and economic justice organization focused on workforce development and closing racial equity gaps.
MARGARITA STEPHENS
President & CEO
A historic Minneapolis-based institution supporting youth, families, and cultural programming.
BRYAN TYLER
The power of investing in legacy Black-led institutions.
Across Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Black-led organizations have long served as the heartbeat of their communities. These institutions function as cultural and economic anchors, holding assets that are difficult to replicate:
Decades of community trust and credibility
Physical space in historically significant neighborhoods
Deep relationships with residents, elders, families, and local businesses
Program models directly shaped by lived community needs
Leaders with institutional memory and cross-sector influence
Why this work matters
Most Black-led nonprofits operate with far thinner margins than comparable institutions, a pattern that’s reflected both locally and nationally.
Black-led nonprofits hold significantly less unrestricted net assets than comparable white-led organizations.
Organizations led by people of color are less likely to receive unrestricted funding, even when outcomes are strong.
Community foundation giving has historically allocated only a small share of total grant dollars specifically for Black communities.
Make an
Impact Today