We envision a Minnesota where every individual lives with dignity, free from hunger and homelessness, in a community that thrives on compassion and equity.

Nimble and Responsive: Crises move fast, and so do we. We pride ourselves on being agile, connected and prepared. We maintain the ability to evolve to the moment and respond quickly when shifting community needs arise.

Resourceful and Efficient: We do a lot with a little. We are highly efficient in our operations and lean heavily on collaboration. By working closely with other funders and sharing community data, we maximize the power of every dollar.

Committed to Equity: We actively work to dismantle the systemic barriers that cause hunger and homelessness. We champion equity by honoring and including the voices of people with lived experience.

From our inception, Open Your Heart has been dedicated to creating equitable grant-making processes tailored to the specific needs of the organizations and individuals we support. Unlike many foundations requiring recipients to conform to rigid processes, we prioritize flexibility and responsiveness.

We recognize that many organizations may lack professional fundraising personnel, so we have made our grant application process straightforward and user-friendly. We do not discriminate against applicants who may lack formal grant-writing expertise or for whom English is not the primary language. We ensure that such organizations, often overlooked by other foundations, receive the support they deserve. In response, we actively identify unaddressed needs and develop strategies to address them.

In recent years, we have focused on diversifying our board of directors and deepening our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all aspects of our operations. Our current efforts include proactively addressing systemic racism as a root cause of greater community needs and creating a comprehensive DEI strategy for both our internal operations and external services.