Cultivate Collaborative Communities
Building healthy, connected, and equitable Minnesota communities for 115 years.
Since our inception, we have taken on many forms to cultivate collaborative communities. Today we strive to craft intentional solutions to build equity and foster wellbeing in partnership with the communities we serve. We are a multicultural interfaith organization working with and across the landscape of belief communities in Minnesota.
One hundred and fifteen years of challenges, breakthroughs, and victories – and we still have work to do.
We’re building stronger communities
Our aim is to address the root causes of inequities to create sustainable, rather than temporary, solutions. Strong communication with (and between) Minnesota communities is the best way to quickly fill critical gaps, care for ongoing needs, fight for equity, and foster economic participation.
We’re focusing on community-first initiatives in three main areas across rural and urban landscapes.
Well-being
Clinical care accounts for only 20% of health outcomes; 80% are affected by the social determinants of health: employment and economic stability; education; social and community connections; neighborhood and physical environment; and access to healthy food and physical activity. We believe that efforts grounded in lived experiences that emphasize social determinants will have the greatest impact on health and well-being.
Youth
Young people are our most valuable asset, our future elders, our hopes and dreams. Our youth deserve safe, nurturing spaces to grow, cultivate skills for self-actualization, and develop into 21st-century global citizens, which is why GMCC invests in the education and development of our young leaders.
Food
Food is vital for life, the center of our gathering table, and a wellspring of entrepreneurial and educational opportunity. Farmers and growers around the world are an integral part of the sacred ritual that brings food to the table. We partner with many in our state to make sure healthy food is reaching those in need, while also co-creating sustainable models for small businesses and centering food as a learning opportunity. Life and business skills in the food system include farming, cooking, agricultural technology, business and marketing, transportation, edible landscaping, composting and more. We are especially proud of our legacy of cultivating and connecting food shelves, individuals, and partners through our Minnesota FoodShare initiative.
Invest in your community
Join our growing movement of people who are investing their time, resources, and energy to collaborate for Minnesota’s future.
Engage with our community
Masterful Collaborations Podcast: Minnesota Venture Farms
In this the third episode we hear about one of GMCC’s most masterful and most impactful collaborations, in the area of food, specifically food equity. Initiative Co-Leaders, Reynolds-Anthony Harris and Douglas Belton had a vision to unleash, scale, and harness the power of urban farming which has since become the initiative known as Minnesota Venture Farms.
Masterful Collaborations Podcast: Genius Labs
In this the second episode we will hear about Genius Labs from the four members of our founding design team. Genius Labs brings together technological access, studio learning, and youth-centered design to create opportunities to middle school youth that foster creativity, independence, critical thinking, and self-awareness.
Minnesota Venture Farms Collaborator Feature: “40 Acre Co-op looks to empower minority farmers”
Angela Dawson and her team believe it’s important to grow your own food, especially in the times we’re living in.