Skip to main content
Hit enter to search or ESC to close
Close Search
Constellation FundConstellation Fund
Menu
  • Who We Are
    • Mission and Values
    • Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Our Approach
    • Beyond Dollars
    • CoLab
    • Grantmaking
  • Impact
    • Impact Overview
    • Impact Reports
    • Metrics
    • Annual Report 2025
    • Apply for Funding
  • News & Insights
  • Donate

    2025 ANNUAL REPORT

    DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT

    A Letter From Our CEO

    Constellation’s evidence-driven approach is delivering unprecedented returns. Our portfolio of nonprofits generates over $6 in lifetime benefits for every dollar invested, a return on investment that demonstrates the extraordinary potential when philanthropic resources are deployed with precision. We’ve also refined our evaluation methods, expanded our research capabilities through CoLab, and strengthened our capacity-building support.

    But hundreds of thousands of our neighbors still lack access to programs we know can change their lives. As proposed federal cuts threaten families already struggling and state budget constraints eliminate critical services, the opportunity and need for strategic philanthropy has never been greater.

    READ MORE
    Andrew Dayton,
    Founder and CEO

    Your Investment in a Brighter Future for the Twin Cities

    The Constellation Fund is proud to report consistent improvements in our benefit-cost ratio (BCR) through the years. Our diversified funding strategy ensures resources are consistently directed where they generate the most significant return for our community. The metrics below illustrate Constellation’s ongoing commitment to generating greater, more meaningful impact per dollar invested, reinforcing our position as a leader in value-based philanthropic investment.

    Fiscal Year 2025 Performance

    $3.5M in Grant Investments

    26 High-Impact Grantees

    $133k Average Grant Size

    $27.3M in Poverty-Fighting Impact

    $5.77 Average Historical BCR

    $8.02 Current Portfolio BCR

    Impact By Issue Area

    Housing: 5.77%

    10.92%

    Employment: 14.48%

    27.40%

    Education: 26.91%

    50.92%

    Health: 52.85%

    100%

    Top Outcomes

    $0.8M

    Personal Care Products Distributed

    $0.7M

    Obtained GED

    $0.6M

    Increased Oral Health

    $0.6M

    Reduced Opioid Use

    $0.5M

    Increased Housing

    What's Next: Growth Fund

    In 2026 we’re launching a new initiative called the Growth Fund to help some of our most effective poverty-fighting nonprofits sustainably scale their impact in our community.

    READ MORE

    Grantee Features

    Minnesota is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis on record—and food shelf visits continue to rise. In 2024, there were a record-breaking 8.9 million visits to Minnesota food shelves.

    Learn how Open Cupboard is providing nourishing food for our neighbors and engaging the broader community in the fight for food access.

    READ MORE

    HEALTH: OPEN CUPBOARD

    Housing affordability and stability are experiencing growing pressure across the state. Without legal representation, families face a higher risk of losing housing—impacting health, education, and earnings across multiple generations.

    Learn how the housing services at Volunteer Lawyers Network provide a crucial safety net for tenants, offering legal tools and advocacy needed to stay safely housed in volatile times.

    READ MORE

    HOUSING: VOLUNTEER LAWYERS NETWORK

    In Minnesota, where nearly 1 in 10 households live below the poverty line, access to career training can be transformative.

    Evidence shows that stable employment in growing industries not only increases lifetime earnings but also reduces exposure to the economic volatility that keeps many families in poverty. Learn how the Takoda Institute at American Indian OIC is helping create career opportunities.

    READ MORE

     

    EMPLOYMENT: AMERICAN INDIAN OIC

    While Minnesota’s overall poverty rate is one of the lowest in the nation at 9.3%, the rate for Latine Minnesotans remains far higher—around 14%. This disparity reflects persistent gaps in access to education, health care, and economic opportunity.

    Learn how early education programs at Centro Tyrone Guzman are bridging the gap, offering programs with measurable outcomes and cultural connection.

    READ MORE

    EDUCATION: CENTRO TYRONE GUZMAN

    Building the Evidence Base for
    Fighting Poverty

    CoLab aims to reduce intergenerational poverty and support thriving communities by funding and supporting actionable, longitudinal research on programs, practices, and their effects.

    Better data will grow evidence-informed funding and community efforts to strengthen and scale solutions. CoLab’s investments in research are funded by the Foundation for Educational Research and Development (FERD). This generous commitment significantly amplifies Constellation’s broader impact

    CoLab Projects

    Pass the Mic: Listening to Community Wisdom
    CoLab awarded its first research grant to Research in Action, a Minneapolis-based research and evaluation group, to conduct Pass the Mic—a systematic study that asks Minnesotans living in poverty what they need for long-term thriving. This collaboration represents a brief and important departure from CoLab’s focus on examining long-term program impacts, instead prioritizing community voice to ensure future investments align with the priorities and needs of those most affected by poverty.

    “We weren’t just brought in to react to the work—we were brought in to lead.”

    Quincy Marsnic-Powe, Action Council member

    LEARN MORE ABOUT COLAB'S PROJECTS

    CoLab Goals:


    1. Fund and Support Actionable Research
    2. Identify Promising Solutions
    3. Contribute to Population-Level Impact

    $7.4M in research grants committed through CoLab

    Beyond Dollars is an innovative program that connects skilled professionals at leading Twin Cities companies with Constellation’s grantees to provide pro bono services that help nonprofits grow capacity and fight poverty at scale. Every pro bono activity, from executive coaching and leadership groups, to impact days and fully customized strategic projects, is rooted explicitly in grantee needs to maximize impact.

    Learn how Beyond Dollars partner Deloitte helped Mental Health Resources, a Constellation grantee, answer an important question: As their services reach increasingly diverse populations, how can they ensure their impact is transformative for everyone?

    READ MORE

    20+ pro bono projects catalyzed

    Approximately $1M in professional services time contributed

    Voices of Support

    Sophie & Dave Miller
    Constellation Donors

    “Over the years, we’ve found the Constellation Fund to be among the most effective ways to give back to our community. We are truly inspired by their leadership and methodology—the way they meticulously evaluate organizations using data and research is a model for thoughtful giving.”

    Colleen Hartmon Bollom
    Lumitas Wealth Strategies
    Constellation Board Member

    “Constellation Fund is creating a quantitative and qualitative framework to measure the impact and efficacy of nonprofits serving the most vulnerable people in the Twin Cities. I’m excited to have joined the Board of Directors to support its mission at a more strategic and sustaining level.”

    Dr. Aaron Sojourner
    W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
    Constellation Impact Council Chair

    “I witness firsthand the high-quality data and rigorous processes that are put into evaluations to ensure that every decision benefits from the best-available information—not only in quantitative terms, but also qualitatively.”

    CONTACT US

    The Constellation Fund
    323 N. Washington Ave.
    Suite 200
    Minneapolis, MN 55401 [email protected]

     

    • Careers
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy

    STAY CONNECTED

    Sign up to receive the latest news, updates, and invites from Constellation.

    Subscribe

    APPLY FOR FUNDING

    Constellation supports poverty-fighting nonprofit service providers in the Twin Cities. Click below for information on our unique application process.

    Apply
    Close Menu
    • Who We Are
      • Mission and Values
      • Our Team
    • What We Do
      • Our Approach
      • Beyond Dollars
      • CoLab
      • Grantmaking
    • Impact
      • Impact Overview
      • Impact Reports
      • Metrics
      • Annual Report 2025
      • Apply for Funding
    • News & Insights
    • Donate