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

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.

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.

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.

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.

We are privileged to support the following nonprofits in their poverty-fighting work.

The Constellation Fund is driven by a core set of values, which inspire and inform every aspect of our work.