Our Values
Learning
Culture
Relationship
Reflection
Learning. We lead with questions, not answers. While the staff are highly skilled and knowledgeable, they maintain a curious and open approach to the work. This allows Nexus to see possibilities and lead innovation.
Culture. Culture is a resource for new and creative ideas. Our deep respect for and understanding of culture allows for new practices and cultural ways of knowing to emerge and be recognized.
Relationship. The work is bigger than any one of us and therefore requires many of us working together. Authentic relationships—when people come together to share themselves and their knowledge—creates space for mutual learning and transformative action.
Reflection. The work cannot be sustained if we are always on the move. It is the quieter moments that allow for deeper and more strategic thinking to emerge. Nexus intentionally creates space for reflection as a way of doing business.
Our Strategy
Our mission is to build more engaged and powerful communities of color. As we work toward our mission, we are guided by three interconnected principles.
Authorship: Engaging Community
All community members are engaged in and have authorship of their lives and their future.
Leadership: Cultivating Power
All community members are seen as leaders, and are given opportunities to grow and to represent their communities in decision-making spaces.
Ownership: Building Community Wealth
All community members are afforded multiple access points to generate wealth and to own the wealth they generate.
The key to building more engaged and powerful communities of color lies in the connections between authorship, leadership and ownership.
How We Work
Strengthen Organizations
Through funding and capacity-building support, Nexus builds the capacity of community-based organizations to promote equitable and sustainable community change.
Develop Innovative Initiatives
Nexus leads creative initiatives, such as the Twin Cities Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute and the Community Engagement Institute, that advance equity, build community leadership and create the infrastructure for community wealth-building.
Align and Amplify Resources
Nexus intentionally connects local wealth-building and community engagement efforts to broader regional and national initiatives. This amplifies investments and creates leadership and economic opportunities in historically disinvested communities.
The Nexus Mosaic Logo represents a dynamic intersection of diverse values, ideas, and possibilities interacting with each other to produce new opportunity and change. In the physical version of the Mosaic, some of the tiles are mirrors, expressing Nexus’ commitment to continuously reflect on our work with others, and an awareness of the broader context that we work in.
The Logo is a breathing signature of our work.