Fact: The Twin Cities is one of the most generous philanthropic communities in the country.
Fact: The proportion of our population living in poverty has risen by 60% over the past two decades.
At the Constellation Fund,
we don’t like that math!
Bright Giving
We use the best available evidence to invest in the fight against poverty. We conduct deep benefit-cost analyses to understand the projected per-dollar impact of poverty alleviation programs. Our rigorous quantitative analysis is matched with thoughtful on-the-ground community insights in order to find and empower the most impactful poverty-fighting organizations in the Twin Cities.
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Powerful Partnerships
We work alongside world-class economists and issue area experts to measure the poverty-fighting impact of our investments. Leading companies surround our grantees with best-in-class pro bono support. And our generous Leadership Supporters pay for our overhead costs so that every dollar you donate goes directly to effectively alleviating poverty in our community.
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Measurable Impact
Everyone experiencing poverty deserves the opportunity to break the cycle once and for all. By leveraging the best available evidence — quantitative and qualitative — we ensure that the precious philanthropic resources of our donors are invested in the organizations creating the biggest measurable lifetime benefits for those living in poverty in the Twin Cities.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
100% Impact
Our Board of Directors and Leadership Funders cover all operating costs, so that every dollar donated to Constellation goes to the most impactful poverty-fighting organizations in the Twin Cities.
One Goal
Constellation has a single-minded dedication to fighting poverty in the Twin Cities. We judge our success solely by the demonstrable impacts of the grantees that we support.
Evidence-Driven
Central to Constellation’s decision making is a rigorous, evidence-driven process to identify the most promising nonprofits. We do this data- and research-heavy work so our donors don’t have to.
Unrestricted Support
Once the most promising, results-driven organizations in our community have been identified, Constellation supports them with grants, usually of unrestricted funding, allowing them to grow their impact purposefully.
Beyond Dollars
Constellation’s grantees are provided not only with funding, but also with connections to best-in-class pro bono partners to provide services and expertise otherwise inaccessible to most poverty-fighting organizations.
Our team grieves at the death of yet another Black man at the hands of law enforcement in our community. Jamar Clark. Philando Castile. George Floyd. Dolal Idd. Daunte Wright. We say their names, and the names of so many others, and hold their friends and families in our hearts.
As members of an organization dedicated to the fight against poverty in the Twin Cities, we are faced daily with the myriad ways in which racism and poverty reinforce each other. Over the past year, our team has deeply examined the role that we personally and the Constellation Fund collectively must have in dismantling inequitable systems; Daunte Wright’s death and its aftermath remind us how urgently we must answer that call. The Constellation Fund remains committed to uplifting the work of anti-poverty and anti-racist organizations in our region and joins our grantees, donors, and partners in working towards a more equitable, prosperous, and just future for all Twin Cities residents.
In solidarity,
The Constellation Fund Team
Amal, Andrew, Cooper, Jose, Kate, Lisa, Rose, Ryan, Susie, and Tiffany
