When the ICE surge swept across the Twin Cities, the impact was immediate and devastating. People were detained showing up to work or school. Families were too afraid to leave their homes.

At the Constellation Fund, we saw the crisis unfolding in real time — not just through news reports, but through direct calls with our grantee partners. Our program officers listened first: What are your participants facing? What would actually help right now?

We heard the need was rising — food, rental assistance, transportation. And organizations closest to the most vulnerable families were being stretched past their limits. Those conversations told us exactly where to move. So we took action.

Launching the Immediate Response Fund

On January 27, we launched the Immediate Response Fund. We knew we could move fast because we had deep, trusted relationships with our portfolio of nonprofits — vetted grantee partners who were already responding to emerging needs.

Donations Flood In from Across the Country

At the start, we didn’t know what to expect. Within days, donations began arriving — from longtime donors, from people new to Constellation, from supporters across the country who wanted to show up for Minnesotans.

Within the first week, we had raised over $500,000. Within three weeks, over $1 million. In the end: $1.3 million raised. The amount of generosity and kindness we saw during this moment was staggering.

Rising to the Challenge to Support Our Neighbors

As a result of the incredible donor support, we made grants in $50,000 increments to more than 15 organizations when they needed it most. And we prioritized speediness — hand-delivering the checks when necessary.

In all, this resulted in food on the table, emergency rent assistance, local businesses staying open, and continued critical services that our neighbors rely on.

Food Deliveries

Open Cupboard, a hunger relief organization serving the east metro, used their grant to expand DoorDash home deliveries, add milk, meat, and hygiene items to their packages, and pay for additional staff time — serving over 7,600 households in a single week.  

“We never would have been able to rise to the challenge the way that we did without this quick support”– Jessica Francis, Executive Director, Open Cupboard.

Virtual Learning Support for Students

When some of Improve Your Tomorrow’s youth participants witnessed ICE show up in the parent pickup line after school, the risk of going to school became too great. With these funds, the organization got virtual learning supplies in students’ hands and hired a part-time mentor. This was someone available at 8 pm, when a student who had spent the day trying to hold things together just needed to talk.

Rides to Medical Appointments, Legal Help, and More

Centro Tyrone Guzman, the oldest Latine-serving nonprofit in Minnesota, pivoted to provide all-around support for families: delivering food and essential supplies, finding volunteers to give rides for medical care and legal appointments, and helping families complete parental documentation in case they were detained.

“The fear is palpable. And despite of this, our team continues to show up every day with courage and with care… The funds you’re giving us are making a huge and real impact.” – Gaya Castilla, Development Director, Centro Tyrone Guzman

Great Hardship Meets Great Compassion

The way people showed up for neighbors at the moment was truly extraordinary. We are proud that Constellation’s Immediate Response Fund was just one star in a constellation of people showing up for their neighbors across Minnesota. And we are grateful beyond measure to everyone who contributed to this fund.

This time of extraordinary hardship was met with extraordinary generosity and compassion.

The Long-Term Impact

Yet, we are clear-eyed about what comes next. When a parent loses their job because they stopped showing up to work, it doesn’t just affect that week’s groceries — it affects next month’s rent, next semester’s tuition, next year’s ability to stay housed. The data is sobering. The University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban & Regional Affairs estimates that the Metro Surge has generated $27 to $51 million in excess rent debt in just two months. The City of Minneapolis estimates $47 million in lost wages per month. 

This crisis will impact families for months to come. And the organizations doing this work — the ones who showed up at 8 pm and packed food boxes and found volunteers to give rides to appointments — will be the ones still doing it when the news cycle has moved on.

Constellation will be here to back those organizations — not just in this moment, but for the long road ahead. We hope you’ll join us.