We have a story to share. About liberation, restoration, freedom, and creativity. About reclaiming our mind, body, and soul to heal from ancestral disruption and present-day displacement. We’ve been working to gain our right to self-determination through ownership of what we produce, build, and invent for our families and community.

When the Bush Foundation put out a call for partners to help redistribute $100 million to Black and Indigenous communities, we jumped at the opportunity. This money could help address the systemic harms Black people have faced since being brought to this country—harms that did not end with the abolition of slavery, but that took different shapes in the 160 years since.

In 2021, Nexus was selected to steward an unprecedented $50 million to Black folks in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota—what is now our Open Road Fund (ORF).

Since 2023, we have been distributing $50,000 wealth-building gifts to Black descendants of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in our region. 200 folks and counting are using these funds to help pay for education, make a down payment, open a gallery, own their own restaurant, and so much more.

Our new website shares the Open Road journey. Check it out!

Stay connected with the Open Road Fund (ORF) through this year’s Community Education Sessions! Each webinar is free, virtual, live, and open to all while centering Black people and Black experiences. This is a Black-centered space where we will prioritize uplifting Black voices and safety. Topics are based on ORF’s five wealth-building themes: financial well-being, economic ownership and power, housing and shelter, education, and health and healing.

As an added bonus, workshop attendees will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card! We’ll select two winners live during each session. (Must pre-register and be present to win.)

Financial Journey to Healing & Wholeness

with Katherine Lankford, Finance & Affirmations

• Wednesday, Jan. 29, 6-7:30 pm CT
• This workshop explores money shame and helps us understand our personal money story and how it impacts our financial decisions.
• Register here

Minding My Black Business

with Jacob Bell and Family Freedom Center

• Wednesday, Feb. 26, 6-7:30 pm CT
• This workshop focuses on business ownership and entrepreneurship. We will discuss tips, resources and advice for starting and maintaining a business, and a brief history and importance of Black businesses to Black community stability.
• Register here

Raise the Roof

with Jeff Wills, Model Cities Inc.

• Wednesday, March 26, 6-7:30 pm CT
• This workshop focuses on single-family homeownership. Jeff Wills, Economic Services Manager and Housing Counselor of Model Cities Inc., will offer resources and information to help first-time homebuyers on their journey to buying and maintaining a home.
• Register here

Liberation; Education

with Jered Pigeon, Minnesota State University Moorhead

• Wednesday, April 23, 6-7:30 pm CT
• This workshop explores pursuing and financing higher education through a university or college. Jered Pigeon, Campus Diversity Officer and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Minnesota State University Moorhead, will also explore some of the challenges and pressures of achieving an accredited education (being the first in one’s family to earn a degree, etc.).
• Register here

Rest is the Revolution

with Dr. Aja King, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, EdD, LPCC

• Wednesday, May 14, 6-7:30 pm
• Where do we get to be playful? Where do we get to relax? This workshop will explore how to resist being consumed by a chaotic world and find space for joy and play.
• Register here

By the end of 2024, the Open Road Fund will have invested $9,950,000 in Black-wealth gifts, impacting 199 individuals and families across Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Saying YES to 199 folks is an honor! We are deeply encouraged by the tremendous impact this resource is having on these communities and the positive transformations we’re witnessing.

Collective Care Calls

This year, Collective Care Calls were a meaningful addition to the Open Road Fund. We had the honor of working alongside three incredible Black mental health practitioners:

• Dr. Aja King
• Dr. Bravada Akinyansa
• Cedric Weatherspoon, MA, LMFT

These calls provided a powerful space for participants to process their emotions. Reflecting on ancestry, lineage, and legacy can be deeply emotional, and the calls helped many navigate these feelings. Additionally, the space was invaluable for those processing the emotions tied to receiving a letter of declination. These sessions were truly life-giving!

Overcoming Challenges

We encountered a few technical bumps along the way this year, but we’re actively working toward a smoother journey in 2025.
Note: If you’re still missing an email regarding your application, please let us know! You can reach us at ORFSupport@nexuscp.org.

Evaluation & Storytelling

• First Evaluation Report: We released our first evaluation report this year, which can be accessed here.
• Next Report: We are already preparing new data and insights for our next report, scheduled for release in Spring 2025.
• Storytelling Project: This year, we began development of the Open Road Fund storytelling project, and we can’t wait to share more updates with you soon.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we’re building a future rich with possibility. The Open Road Fund 2025 application opens Juneteenth 2025! We remain honored to be stewards of this fund.

Dear community,

We’ve officially entered the next phase of the Open Road Fund 2024! We received over 4,300 applications from Black people in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, and have informed all applicants of their selection outcome. We felt excitement and hope as we reached out to the 101 finalists who were randomly selected to receive $50,000 to invest in their Black wealth-building plans. We were also filled with sadness having to turn so many people down. All Black folks’ dreams for their abundant futures are worthy and deserving of resources.

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?

We used 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 deserved 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.

We worked with software developers to design a randomization tool built for our grantmaking process. Using this tool, we randomly selected finalists — 50% from the Twin Cities metro area and 50% from Greater Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

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. After finalists receive their awards, we plan to consensually share grantee stories and evaluate grantee 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 six 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.

Open Road Fund Community Partner’s Interest Form

Open Road Fund Community Partner’s Interest Form

After a successful start of the Open Road Fund in 2023, the fund will re-open for applications Juneteenth 2024 (June 19th). We learned a lot in our first year. After engaging with applicants, awardees, our community, and our community advisory committee, we have made the following changes to our application process. 

 

ID Requirement

This year you will need to include a photo of your ID to apply.  We understand that this will present a barrier to some eligible applicants, and we did not make this decision lightly. We want to ensure that all recipients are a part of and connected to our community–and we want to discourage fake applications from hackers and bots.

The Open Road Fund is specifically for Black people descended from African people who survived the Transatlantic Slave Trade, who also currently live in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  Requiring IDs is one way we are making sure we are reaching this community. 

We will accept a variety of ID types. Types of identification we accept include: State issued ID or Driver’s License, School ID, Tribal ID, U.S. Permanent Resident Cards, and more. To access the full list of documents we accept please click this link. If you have any questions about ID submission, please contact our team at ORFsupport@nexuscp.org. 

 

Letters of Support

Starting in 2024 Open Road Fund finalists that are randomly selected to participate in round two of the application will need to submit two letters of support. The Letters of Support must both come from Black community members. Only one letter of support can be written by a Black family relative. 

We want to ensure that all recipients are a part of, connected to, and supporting our communities. The letters should be  less than one page, double-spaced. The letter should explain 1) how they know you; 2) why they believe in your wealth building plan; and 3) talk about the ways that you are connected to our shared community. 

Only the 100 finalists that are selected to move forward to the second round will be asked to provide the letters of support. You will not need to submit them during registration, but you should think of a few people to write these letters in the event  you are selected. 

If you have any questions about letters of support,  please contact our team at ORFsupport@nexuscp.org.

  

Life Experience Question

The Open Road Fund aims to have the most impact possible through our grantmaking process. We want to better understand who in our community we are reaching through our engagement process. This information will be confidential and only seen by staff and our advisory committee members.

This year, we will be asking applicants to share if they have had specific life experiences, such as housing instability, experiences of incarceration, and more. The life experience categories we chose were created by community, our advisory committee, and the Open Road Fund team. When filling out the application, please make sure to select any life experiences that are true for you.

If you have any questions about this addition,  please contact our team at ORFsupport@nexuscp.org.

Bank Account requirements

Starting this year, all finalists will be required to have a bank account and valid mailing address to receive funds. If you do not have one at the time of application, you may still apply. However, if you are selected for an award, you will need to  set up an account before we distribute your gift. 

We understand the complexities and barriers that exist in banking for our community, and we did not come to this conclusion enthusiastically. Unfortunately, we learned in 2023 that other types of accounts—like Chime, Venmo, Paypal, and Cashapp—simply are not built to accept gifts this size.

If you are an adult receiving an award by direct deposit, the bank account will have to be in your name. We cannot deposit the funds into the accounts of family or friends. 

If you are under 18 and selected for an award, we may not be able to directly deposit your award. If that happens We will work with you and your parents or guardians to get your award to you.

The Open Road Fund can only distribute funds to awardees via direct deposit or check. If you have any questions about this or any other part of the application please contact our team via email at ORFsupport@nexuscp.org.

 

Changes to Group App Process

For applicants applying as a group this year, we are simplifying the application process. Now it is possible for group members to apply using a single application. To apply as a group, all members must be eligible for the Open Road Fund, and you must commit to a single wealth building project that all members will work on together. 

The first person on your group application will be automatically designated as  the primary contact for your group. Unlike last year, each of your group members will not need their own individual accounts. You will be able to share the application login with your fellow group members, so that they can fill out their sections on their own. To make things easier, you should also consider planning a day for all group application  members to fill out the application together, in person.

Our hope is that these changes make  it easier for groups to apply to the Open Road Fund. If you have any questions about this or any other part of the application please contact our team via email at ORFsupport@nexuscp.org.

 

Ancestry Requirements 

We will continue to ask questions about ancestry on the application, however this year we did our best to make these questions easier to answer. We understand that you may not know the names of specific enslaved ancestors, or you may not have access to all of your family history—that is okay! This year’s question prompts will ask you to focus on connections to your ancestry that you do know. Prioritize telling us about the family history you have that helps you know you are descended from Black people who endured enslavement in the Americas due to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

If you have any questions about this or any other part of the application please contact our team via email at ORFsupport@nexuscp.org.