[#mnrising Dispatch] December 2019

Given our ongoing reflection during this past year in celebration of our 10 year anniversary, we've had ample opportunity to ruminate on the past decade and all of the relationship-, trust-, network-building and vision-setting we have been privileged to undertake alongside thousands of rising Minnesotans through conversations, events, and other partnerships. Thanks again to each of you who has been a part of these ten years of learning, laughter, innovation, creativity, fun, and connectedness in pursuit of a Minnesota that reflects, welcomes, and lifts up all who call this place home. Wishing you and yours every good thing in 2020 and the decade ahead!

Lunar Startups x The Coven

Lunar Startups is a new model for startup incubation specializing in growth, connection, and innovation for women, people of color, and other high potential entrepreneurs. Lunar is now accepting applications for the third cohort of startups and will be at The Coven St. Paul on Wednesday, January 8 at 12:00pm to answer questions, share information about the program, and connect to you, the entrepreneurs changing the status bro. Agenda: *12:00 - 1:00 pm: Lunch with Lunar - Managing Director, Danielle Steer, will share more info about the program, the application, and how Lunar is making more Minnesota millionaires.
*1:00 - 3:00 pm: Danielle will stick around for office hours, answering any questions you might have about your business and the program. [RSVP online.]

Apply: Humanities Innovation Lab

The Humanities Innovation Lab supports individuals or organizations who use humanities practices and subject matters to make small steps toward a big idea. These projects will create opportunities for all Minnesotans to think critically using the humanities in their communities, and engage Minnesotans of all ages in appreciation, expression, and connection to their history, heritage, and community. The Lab supports experimenting, playing, learning, and growing as the essential spark for humanities ideas with public impact. The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) values collaboration, good ideas, and community-driven solutions, so also looks to fund opportunities that could lead to deeper engagement and partnership. Application deadline: January 16 at 11:59pm. [Learn more.]

“Crossroads: An Anthology of Resilience and Hope by Young Somali Writers”

For the past two years, the Minnesota Humanities Center has been hard at work with Somali-community partners developing “Crossroads: An Anthology of Resilience and Hope by Young Somali Writers,” an anthology of writing by youth and young adult Somali Minnesotans. Edited by author and educator Marian Hassan, this first-of-its-kind collection serves as a necessary pillar of self-representation in this politically challenging time in history. The poets and writers within these pages are at continuous stages of transition and intersection: between childhood and adulthood, Somali and American culture, their own expectations versus the world’s. As these writers explore their own histories, their dreams, determination, and journeys of self-discovery are sure to inspire pride and understanding in all who read them. [Read more.]

Apply: WFMN Innovators

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFMN) believes in the leadership and ideas of young women in our state. Young women of color, American Indian young women, young women from Greater Minnesota, LGBTQ+ youth, and young women with disabilities, between the ages 16-24, are invited to apply to become WFMN Innovators. Through the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota’s WFMN Innovators program, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota provides microgrants of $2,500 directly to young women (ages 16-24) to support their leadership and to drive their ideas and solutions that advance key recommendations in the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN) Blueprint for Action. Applications are due January 7, 2020. [Read more.]