The Fund
Open Road Fund is a community fund granting $50 million to Black folks in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota in order to create tangible pathways to liberation, prosperity, and healing on our own terms. Our goal is to enable Black individuals, families, and communities across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota to build long lasting, intergenerational wealth.
Funding Categories
Financial Wellbeing
Applicants to this category may use the funds to increase their ability to afford basic needs, pay off debts, and contribute to their family and other community member’s well-being. They may also use these funds to grow their wealth for the future through savings, investments, and more.
Economic Power
This category is for applicants who want to use their awards to support ownership, entrepreneurship, or a project that stimulates economic power in Black communities. For some people, owning a vehicle could help them build wealth. Other people might purchase equipment, software, or patents to technology. People interested in business may start their own, or work with the community to launch a cooperatively-owned enterprise.
Education
This category is for applicants who want to build wealth for themselves through increasing their knowledge. By acquiring degrees, certifications, licenses, and new skills, they are able to earn more money and pursue new opportunities.
Housing
This category is for people who want to use their award to gain access to housing for themselves and their family. They also could use these funds to create more affordable and sustainable housing options for themselves, their families, and/or their community. People who already own a home may invest this award in projects to increase the comfort, size, or value of their home. These are just some of the possibilities.
Health and Healing
This category is for people who want to use their award to access care. Funds could be used to get medical care and address health issues. Funds could also be used to gain healing from trauma (including historical and generational trauma). Some people may use this fund to make time for rest by taking a sabbatical. Other people may choose to explore opportunities to express their creativity by producing arts or crafts. Some may even travel around the Black world and learn about their heritage
What is the Open Road Fund?
What is the Open Road Fund?
The Open Road fund is a unique grant designed for individuals. It is not available to nonprofit organizations.
Eligibility for the fund is restricted based on ancestry, geography, and age. To be eligible for the Open Road Fund, you must be:
- Black
- A Descendent of enslaved African people of the Atlantic slave trade
- Over the age of 14
- A resident of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or within any of the 23 Native nations whose territories are occupied by those states
The Open Road Fund uses an equitable random selection process. We designed and built a custom computer program to randomly select from the pool of eligible and complete Phase 1 applications.
Because of the purpose of the Open Road Fund to invest in Black people’s wealth, we decided that using a randomized selection would be the most equitable way to make our selection of awardees. Unlike grant programs that make selections based upon years of leadership, or expertise in a field this program seeks to recognize and repair some of the harm that has occurred to Black people living in our region and are descendants of African people that were enslaved in the Atlantic slave trade.
The selection process is witnessed by Open Road Fund Advisory Members and Nexus Black Staff assembly members.
