“Through our partnership [with Nexus], we’ve learned new models of community engagement and have deepened our knowledge and skills about how to work with community-based organizations.”

Our Work

Learn how our programs and initiatives support our organizational strategy.

AUTHORSHIP

Nexus Community Engagement Institute (NCEI)

What We Do

Nexus Community Engagement Institute (NCEI) advances and strengthens communities through equity-based community engagement, both locally and nationally.

Who We Work With

Community engagement practitioners and those looking to learn more about community engagement a chance to learn from one another.

Community Leadership Learning Initiative (CLLI)

What We Do

CLLI aims to deepen our collective understanding of community-driven leadership while raising the visibility of community leadership to philanthropy and the broader ecosystem of leadership and community development.

Who We Work With

Anyone interested in understanding collective, community-centered leadership is welcome to participate in our monthly webinars. Together, we learn with grassroots groups who are crafting community stories from across the country.

LEADERSHIP

Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute

What We Do

Boards and commissions are often key decision-making bodies on important equity issues. The BCLI supports people of color and underrepresented communities to be a part of that process from the inside, advocating for their communities and a broader equity agenda at the systems level.

Who We Work With

Community members who are representative of, and accountable to, communities of color and other underrepresented communities in the Twin Cities.

OWNERSHIP

Community Wealth Building

What We Do

Community Wealth Building (CWB) ensures local and broad-based ownership, develops cooperative and other reinforcing economic enterprises, and utilizes culturally-based economic models.

Who We Work With

People across sector—including community members, government officials,  business owners, and more—who are invested in learning about and creating sustainable opportunities to build wealth in communities of color.

North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship

What We Do

The North Star Fellowship is a six-month fellowship focused on Black American Cooperative Economics.

Who We Work With

People who are interested in learning the history of the descendants of enslaved Africans, cooperative economic legacies to help them understand Black economic cooperation today.

Worker Ownership Initiative

What We Do

The Worker Ownership Initiative (WOI) is a bold effort to change the face of business by promoting worker ownership. The Initiative builds community wealth, grows the region’s economy and encourages workplace democracy. It advances worker ownership by seizing opportunities presented by the wave of retiring business owners in the Twin Cities.

Who We Work With

Business owners and employees interested in learning more about employee-owned business models.