Du Nord Foundation

Founded in the wake of the 2020 civil unrest, the Du Nord Foundation's mission is to support historically excluded BIPOC communities by providing a path to business ownership, stability, and economic prosperity. We focus on providing stability through disastrous situations, supporting business ownership and investing in rebuilding the community through intentional and innovative locally owned business development.

Our first initiative was the Recovery Fund. It began as an emergency fund aimed to help BIPOC small business owners whose businesses were physically damaged by the civil unrest of 2020 in the Twin Cities area. We helped 77 small businesses from diverse backgrounds with grants ranging from $500 to a max of $15,000 per business. The total amount disbursed was $498,751. 

Our second and ongoing initiative is the Du Nord Foundation Community Market. Following the 2020 civil unrest, there was a food desert in the neighborhoods surrounding Lake Street. Du Nord Craft Spirits volunteered their physical location for a pop-up food shelf that served the community for 2 weeks, meant to be temporary support. In November 2020, the Du Nord Foundation began planning the opening of a formal food shelf, the Community Market. This initiative has nourished the local community with a mindset of solidarity, not charity. It is a barrier-free food shelf available for all who are in need, no questions asked. Through this program, we have been able to distribute approximately 18,500 pounds of food per month and help 2,200 neighbors each month.

Our third initiative is in development: the BIPOC Wealth Development & Incubator program. The goal of this future initiative is to help historically excluded emerging business owners to build economic wealth and prosperity through business ownership.