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Open Road Fund Questions? We Have Answers!

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Want to learn more about the Open Road Fund? Watch the recording of our June 4 information session or come to our next live webinar on June 25! We will talk about the Fund, the 2025 application process, and answer your questions. The 2025 Open Road Fund launches on Juneteenth (June 19)!

RSVP: Info Session 2, June 25, 12-1:30 pm

During these sessions, we:

  • Introduce the Open Road Fund (ORF) and the Open Road team
  • Show participants how to apply, including a live walkthrough of the application
  • Explain how the Open Road Fund selects grantees, and answer any questions you may have
  • Discuss what wealth-building grant awards can be used for

ORF info sessions are free, virtual, and open to the community. Watch our replay below!

Our Open Road Fund team is going on tour! We’re traveling to community events in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota to celebrate Juneteenth and spread the word about the Open Road Fund 2025. Come meet us, ask questions, and learn about the application process!

Twin Cities

Black Business Network Fair – Thursday, June 12, 12-4 pm
Allianz Field
400 Snelling Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104

Rondo Juneteenth – Thursday, June 19, 12-5 pm
Rondo Commemorative Plaza
820 Concordia Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104

Soul of the Southside – Thursday, June 19, 12-8 pm
3010 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55406

Juneteenth Minnesota 2025 – Thursday, June 19, 12-6 pm
West Broadway, Minneapolis (from Lyndale to Emerson Avenues)

Greater Minnesota

NAACP Rochester Juneteenth Celebration – Saturday, June 14, 12-5 pm
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park
1738 E Center St, Rochester, MN 55904

NAACP Duluth Juneteenth Jamboree – Thursday, June 19, 3-7 pm
Central Hillside Community Center
12 East 4th St, Duluth, MN 55805

North Dakota

Moorhead Juneteenth – Thursday, June 19, 3-7 pm
Concordia College
901 8th St S, Moorhead, MN 56562

Fargo Juneteenth – Saturday, June 21, 3-9 pm
201 Broadway, Fargo, ND 58102

South Dakota

Sioux Falls Juneteenth – Saturday, June 21, 11 am
212 E 11th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Nexus Community Partners’ Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions (ORFCES) may have concluded for the year, but the community wealth building keeps on keeping on. The sessions are a series of workshops offered by the Open Road Fund (ORF) in collaboration with community partners to provide financial education, information, and resources to ORF gift recipients and the broader Black community to build wealth. During each session, two lucky winners were selected in a random virtual drawing for two $50 electronic Visa gift cards.

One of the most rewarding parts of offering this workshop series was collaborating with incredible community allies in our shared mission to build Black wealth. These community partners shared their expertise with compassion and accessibility rooted in the tradition of liberatory education through community building, information, and healing. Each session was centered around the Open Road Fund’s five wealth-building themes that were developed through rigorous discussion and community focus groups to establish what we consider to be wealth. The ORFCES are a manifestation of our values in practice. Achieving dreams isn’t a matter of ability or inability; it’s a matter of access and opportunity. The Open Road Fund strives to offer both. The 2025 series is available via YouTube and explores single-family homeownership, conquering money shame, pursuing a post-secondary degree, and making practicing joy a habit. Start watching below!

Since 2023, the Open Road Fund has given $10 million in $50,000 gifts to 200 Black folks in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. With at least six more rounds of giving—providing 600 more people the chance to gain wealth-building opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities—Nexus Community Partners is working with Research in Action to measure the fund’s long-term impacts. In our new 2024 Annual Report, we share insights from 2023 recipients one year since they received their award and provide an overview of the 2024 awardee demographics, aspirations and concerns.

The Open Road Fund will reopen Juneteenth (June 19), 2025 for its third grantmaking year.

Download the full report here!

 

The Open Road Fund will be hosting our first Community Care Call for the 2025 giftmaking season! These calls are set up to address the uncertainty and potential discomfort around filling out the Open Road Fund application and answering questions about your ancestry. Sessions are facilitated by three Black mental health practitioners: Dr. Aja King, Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya, and Dr. Cedric Weatherspoon. Our first call will be held Thursday, May 29, 6-8 pm CT on Zoom. We hope to see you there!

Register here

Space for these sessions is limited to 100 people on a first–come, first–served basis. If you already feel knowledgeable about your ancestry, please make space for folks seeking to learn. 

 

Center your health and healing in the final workshop of our 2025 Community Education Session lineup! Fill out the form below to register.

Our guest speaker is Dr. Aja King, LPCC, Ed.D, a counseling psychologist and founder of Brave Defiance. Dr. King creates retreats and healing spaces for those seeking to be nurtured to their maximum health and potential. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. King has dedicated her life to guiding others through the mental health and wellness journey. She utilizes a holistic approach which includes Reiki, Healing Touch, Sound Therapy, Breathwork, and meditation.

Health and Healing                                                   Workshop #5 Registration

Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions


Rest is the Revolution:

Where do we get to be playful? Where do we get to relax?

Join the Open Road Fund for this workshop, which will explore how to resist being consumed by a chaotic world and find space for joy and play.


Guest presenter: Dr. Aja King Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, EdD, LPCC (she, her)


There will be a random prize drawing for two $50 Visa gift cards. You must be registered, attend the session in its entirety, and be present to win. 


Wednesday, May 14, 2025

6:00 - 7:30 pm CDT

Zoom


The Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions are 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.

The first 500 participants to enter the Zoom webinar will be admitted. If there is full capacity, any guests that registered but are not able to enter the Zoom webinar will receive a recording of the session.













Contact Information

Our April 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 discuss some of the challenges and pressures of achieving an accredited education. Fill out the form below to register!

Jered Pigeon is a seasoned business analyst and company strategist with over 12 years of experience advising and consulting institutions in both the education and manufacturing sectors. Specializing in hiring and recruiting strategies, fostering organizational growth through cultural initiatives, and providing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coaching, Jered is dedicated to facilitating positive change within organizations.

Education                                                                     Workshop #4 Registration

Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions


Liberation; Education:

Join the Open Road Fund for this workshop that explores pursuing and financing higher education through an accredited university or college. We 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). Jered Pigeon, Minnesota State University, will present during this workshop.


There will be a random prize drawing for two $50 Visa gift cards. You must be registered, attend the session in its entirety, and be present to win. 


Wednesday, April 23, 2025

6:00 - 7:30 pm CST

Zoom


The Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions are 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.

The first 500 participants to enter the Zoom webinar will be admitted. If there is full capacity, any guests that registered but are not able to enter the Zoom webinar will receive a recording of the session.













Contact Information

Building Black wealth allows us to forge paths toward liberation on our terms. It’s the key to rebuilding our communities and reclaiming our right to self-determination. When we have access to an abundance of resources, we can foster collective healing, safety, care, and mutual aid.

Since 2023, the Open Road Fund has been helping create intergenerational Black wealth in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota—distributing $50,000 gifts to 200 people and counting. Recipients use these funds for projects centered around housing, education, financial well-being, healing, and economic justice.

Below, four awardees share their paths to building legacies for their families and communities.

Opening a Bookstore

“With the generous gift from the Open Road Fund, I intend to kickstart my bookstore business in Minnesota, dedicated to providing diverse literature, parenting resources, and fostering community engagement. I aim to achieve a successful and sustainable business within the first year, creating job opportunities for the local community, and promoting a culture of literacy and empowerment. I envision expanding the business’ offerings, accumulating wealth for my family, and leaving a legacy of education, representation, and financial security for the community, while continually investing in the local economy.”

Becoming Financially Stable

“My first priority is to pay off my credit cards and debts, which will allow me to increase my retirement fund contribution and make needed home improvements. I want to ensure that my home is stable and will last for decades to pass on to my son and grandchildren. I also plan to work with a trusted financial advisor to learn more about gaining financial stability, managing my income, and saving for retirement.”

Reclaiming Our Connection to the Land

“My goals are to teach Black youth how to live off the land, showing them the skills that our ancestors grew up knowing—hunting, farming, reaping the benefits of the land that they worked so hard on. I want the Black youth in my community to learn and understand about the Buffalo Soldiers and the history they still hold. I want to be able to leave my family with land and skills that they can pass on for decades. I want my kids and grandkids to have somewhere they can always call home as well as a place they can continue my legacy. I want to own a feed store as well, so locals can spend their money with me locally while creating jobs. My life, my family’s life, and the lives of the Black youth will change forever financially, mentally and physically. My life will be different because I will be the first person in my family to own land that my ancestors longed to have, and I will be able to inspire more Black people to own land and reap the benefits of the land.”

Buying a Home

“I plan to use the gift from the Open Road Fund to purchase a multifamily home. My primary goal is to provide a comfortable and affordable living space for my family as well as my sister’s family and children while she saves for her own home. This investment will not only support our families’ financial journey but also serve as an asset in my wealth-building strategy. Over the next year, I aim to identify a suitable multifamily property, secure financing, and facilitate our move. This project is not just about securing my financial future but also about providing essential support to my family.”

There will be six more rounds of the Open Road Fund, with a total of 800 gifts awarded by 2031. Applications reopen Juneteenth 2025!

Our March Open Road Fund Community Education Session will focus 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. Fill out the form below to register!

Jeff Wills, a native of Queens, NY, came to Model Cities with over a decade of experience as a homeownership advisor, banking manager, and consumer lender. A constant in Jeff’s career is his relentless advocacy for economic equity, with a particular focus on financial empowerment for disenfranchised and disadvantaged communities of color. Jeff graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as a student athlete and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing Education.

Housing and Shelter                                                  Workshop #3 Registration

Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions


Raise the Roof:

Join the Open Road Fund for this workshop that focuses on single-family homeownership. Jeff Wills, Economic Services Manager and Housing Counselor of Model Cities Inc., a redevelopment community non-profit in St. Paul, will offer resources and information to help first-time home buyers on their journey to buying and maintaining a home. We will briefly watch a short video clip about the challenges and gaps in Black homeownership, then have a moderated discussion and open up for Q&A.


There will be a random prize drawing for two $50 Visa gift cards. You must be registered, attend the session in its entirety and be present to win. 


Wednesday, March 26, 2025

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm CST

Zoom


The Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions are 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.

The first 500 participants to enter the Zoom webinar will be admitted. If there is full capacity, any guests that registered but are not able to enter the Zoom webinar will receive a recording of the session.












Contact Information

Our February Open Road Fund Community Education Session will focus on business ownership and entrepreneurship. Jacob Bell from Family Freedom Center will discuss tips and advice for starting and maintaining a business, possible resources, and a brief history and importance of Black businesses to Black community stability.

Minding My Black Business

Jacob Aaron Bell is a leader in economic development and Black business ownership in Duluth, serving as Executive Director of Family Freedom Center. Raised on the West Coast but deeply connected to Duluth through his family’s legacy of community organizing, Jacob stepped into leadership following the passing of his father, Xavier Bell, who helped build Family Freedom Center into the city’s first autonomous Black nonprofit. Since taking the helm in 2021, he has expanded the organization’s mission beyond advocacy, turning it into a powerhouse for economic mobility, ownership, and wealth-building within the Black community.

ORF Community Education Sessions are 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.

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

 

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!

Nexus Community Partners Open Road Fund Team (from left to right): Lavasha Smith, Sherine Onukwuwe, Olivia Funkhouser Reynolds, Danielle Mkali, Duaba Unenra.

Join us for our first Open Road Fund Community Education Session of 2025! Katherine Lankford of Finance and Affirmations will explore money shame, helping us understand our personal money story and how it impacts our financial decisions.

Financial Journey to Healing & Wholeness

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

Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions are 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.