There are two essential aspects to the constellations that we see in the night sky: the astrology and the astronomy or, to put it plainly, the stories and the science. Both of these elements carry fundamental truths that are key to truly understanding the significance of the stars. The same is true for philanthropy.
Pressing social issues like poverty are filled with complexity. On the one hand, there is the invaluable wisdom that can only come from on-the-ground lived experiences. On the other hand, there is a growing body of knowledge that exists in data from and research into countless poverty-fighting interventions conducted in communities across the country. Together, the qualitative and the quantitative, the stories and science, underscore what we know – and expose what we don’t – about improving the lives of those living in poverty. And, if thoughtfully used together, this information can point us toward better outcomes. The Constellation Fund is designed to do just that.
To read more about our founding story, please read a letter from our CEO
MISSION
The mission of the Constellation Fund is to fight poverty in the Twin Cities by raising the living standards of individuals and families living below the poverty line in our seven-county metropolitan area.
We take an outcome-based approach to this critical effort, prioritizing evidence over anecdotes in order to find, fund, and empower poverty-fighting services creating transformational impact in our community.
PEOPLE
STAFF
The Constellation Fund has a growing staff of individuals committed to identifying and investing in the most impactful poverty-fighting assets in the Twin Cities.
Susie Brown
Executive Assistant
Rose Carr
Managing Impact Officer
Andrew Dayton
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Jose Diaz, Ph.D.
Chief Impact Officer
Kate Genereux
Director of Partnerships
Cooper Hanning
Impact Officer
Saanii Hernandez
Chief Operating Officer
Amal Karim
Impact Officer
Ryan Petersen
Chief Advancement Officer
Sam Storck-Post
Evaluation Officer
Tiffany Xiong
Engagement Manager
LEADERSHIP SUPPORTERS
Our Board of Directors and Leadership Funders have generously underwritten our administrative and operational costs so that every dollar donated to the Constellation Fund will directly support the most impactful poverty-fighting organizations in the Twin Cities.
Susan Bass Roberts
Pohlad Family Foundation
Armando Camacho
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
Katie Clark Sieben
Cargill Foundation
Andrew Dayton
The Constellation Fund
Eric Dayton
Askov Finlayson
Susan C. Kelly
The Justin and Susan Kelly Foundation
Dr. Fayneese Miller
Hamline University
Wendy Nelson
The Carlson Family Foundation
John O'Neil
Kirkland & Ellis
Marcia Page
Värde Partners
Robert Pohlad*
Pohlad Companies
Lynne Redleaf
Lynne & Andrew Redleaf Foundation
Tim Welsh
U.S. Bancorp
Pahoua Yang Hoffman
Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
* Denotes Leadership Funder
CONSTELLATION IMPACT COUNCIL
The Constellation Impact Council supports the continuous development and improvement of Constellation’s evidence-driven evaluation framework, helping to ensure that best-in-class metrics are used to bolster our grantmaking.
Richard Chase, Ph.D.
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
Aaron Sojourner, Ph.D.
Carlson School of Management
Judy Temple, Ph.D.
Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Department of Applied Economics
Abigail Wozniak, Ph.D.
Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute
Mark Wright, Ph.D.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
GRANTEES
OUR GRANTEES
We are privileged to support the following nonprofits in their poverty-fighting work.
VALUES
The Constellation Fund is driven by a core set of values, which inspire and inform every aspect of our work.