Hit enter to search or ESC to close
Constellation FundConstellation Fund
  • Who We Are
    • Mission and Values
    • Our Team
    • Grantees
  • What We Do
  • Impact
    • Impact Overview
    • Metrics
    • Impact Reports
    • Apply for Funding
  • Beyond Dollars
  • Donate

    WHO WE ARE

    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.

    Achieve!Minneapolis

    Alliance Housing

    Annex Teen Clinic

    Banyan Community

    Centro Tyrone Guzman

    Division of Indian Work

    Dougherty Family College

    EMERGE Community Development

    The Family Partnership

    Family Tree Clinic

    Jewish Family and Children’s Service

    The Link

    Lutheran Social Services

    Mental Health Resources

    The Minnesota Prison Doula Project

    Neighborhood Development Center

    Neighborhood HealthSource

    Neighborhood House

    Oasis for Youth

    PRISM

    Project for Pride in Living

    Southside Family Nurturing Center

    Summit Academy OIC

    Tech Dump

    Ujamaa Place

    Way to Grow

    Wallin Education Partners

    The YMCA’s Youth and Family Services

    30,000 Feet

    Learn More About Our Grantees

     

    VALUES

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

    Impact

    We make every decision with one question in mind: what will have the greatest impact for those living in poverty in the Twin Cities?
    We make informed, reasoned choices in the face of ambiguity or pressure.
    We seek to identify root causes and to move beyond treating symptoms.
    We challenge prevailing assumptions and pursue better approaches.

    Courage

    We follow the best available evidence, even when it’s uncomfortable.
    We are willing to respectfully rethink the status quo.
    We make tough decisions, take smart risks, and are open to possible failures.
    We question actions inconsistent with our values.

    Interdependence

    We go to great lengths to carefully select our partners, and we trust them.
    We treat everyone with kindness, respect, and compassion.
    We build strong partnerships and celebrate each unique contribution.
    We seek and embrace diverse perspectives to make better decisions.

    Transparency

    We seek candid feedback and work to deeply understand before reacting.
    We admit mistakes freely and openly.
    We share information and assets proactively.
    We provide polite, honest, and timely feedback to colleagues and partners.

    Rigor

    We engender confidence by demonstrating consistent results.
    We invite and accomplish remarkable amounts of meaningful work.
    We strive relentlessly to improve our organization and our community.
    We recognize that we all have biases and work to grow past them.

    CONTACT US

    The Constellation Fund
    323 N. Washington Ave.
    Suite 200
    Minneapolis, MN 55401 info@constellationfund.org

     

    • Careers
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy

    Stay Connected

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

    APPLY FOR FUNDING

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

    • Apply
    • Who We Are
      • Mission and Values
      • Our Team
      • Grantees
    • What We Do
    • Impact
      • Impact Overview
      • Metrics
      • Impact Reports
      • Apply for Funding
    • Beyond Dollars
    • Donate