Dear Community,
We’ve officially entered the next phase of the Open Road Fund 2025! We received over 4,000 applications from Black people in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, and have informed all applicants of their selection outcome. We were hopeful and excited as we reached out to the 101 finalists who were randomly selected to receive $50,000 to invest in their wealth-building plans.
Our mission is to help repair the harms of slavery, redlining, economic exploitation, and anti-Black violence experienced by Black folks in our region. From the beginning, we have been clear that this is not reparations. While these gifts are an important step toward cultivating Black wealth, they are not close to enough to repair all the harm done to the Black community over the last 400 years. When we do get reparations, it should be for all descendants of enslaved African people, not just 800 folks from Minnesota and the Dakotas.
How were finalists selected?
After a rigorous review process, which helped us screen out ineligible and duplicate applications to ensure fairness, we randomly selected our finalists for the year. About 60% of applicants are from the Twin Cities Metro and 40% are from Greater Minesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. This reflects the distribution of our population throughout the region.
We use a random-selection process to choose finalists because of our inherent belief that all eligible applicants’ dreams and plans for creating and sustaining Black wealth deserve an opportunity to be chosen. One family’s plan to buy a home does not have more or less merit than another person’s plan to invest in a business or to pursue higher education.
Will finalists be publicly announced?
For those who were not chosen this year, we understand the grief and skepticism you may be feeling right now. With only 101 people selected across three states, some of us may not yet know anyone who was selected. Out of respect and concern for finalists’ privacy, Nexus will not make finalists names public, although finalists are free to share if they wish.
What’s next?
Phase 2 of the Open Road Fund includes finalists submitting their wealth-building plans and letters of support, and once approved, disbursement of funds. Awardees will also have access to free financial coaching to support their planning process, and will be grouped together in cohorts where they can provide peer support to one another based on their wealth-building project interests. With permission from awardees, we will share more about their stories and what we learn from their experiences in partnership with Research in Action, a Black-led research and evaluation firm.
The Open Road Fund will be distributing gifts for the next five years. We hope you will continue to follow the Open Road Fund and Nexus Community Partners—across our organization, we work to nurture the prosperity of our communities, including our health, joy, peace, love, safety, and the needs of future generations. We will continue to share Black wealth-building opportunities hosted by Nexus and our partners.
In Solidarity,
The Open Road Fund Team
If you have not heard back about your Open Road Fund application, please email us at ORFsupport@nexuscp.org. If you have questions, please reference our FAQ page.