Throughout our history, Nexus has grown and developed according to call of community and those to whom we are accountable.
Our Beginnings: Payne-Lake Community Partners
Nexus began as Payne-Lake Community Partners in 2004, a community development initiative created to connect communities of color and immigrant communities to the economic and political systems of power along two strategic corridors: Payne Avenue in St. Paul and Lake Street in Minneapolis.
Although we experienced many successes, we felt something was missing. In 2007, Nexus underwent an intensive strategic planning process to answer the question, “Are we doing the work we should be doing?” and “How best can we help community based organizations achieve their missions?” That process was instrumental in redefining our organization as a community building intermediary, focused on strengthening the social, cultural and human capital within our communities.
Becoming Nexus Community Partners
In 2010 as our work continued to grow (at the request of community partners, we expanded our work to North Minneapolis), we embarked on a renaming process. In consultation with our community elders, we became Nexus Community Partners. Our name and logo capture our evolution and our unique role in the community bridging across sectors and bringing together multiple stakeholders to create positive change in our communities.