Headwaters Foundation for Justice
ActiveCommunity ImprovementMakes PRIs
About Headwaters Foundation for Justice
Amplify the power of community to advance equity and justice.
Focus Areas
Giving Project (community giving circles)Black Radiance Network (Black movement work)Fund of the Sacred CircleRapid Response FundWellspring FundBush Prize: MinnesotaJustice & Liberation funding
Funding Style
general operating supportproject supportunrestricted/core fundingorganizational sustainability
Topics
administrative/overhead cost coverage
About Headwaters Foundation for Justice
Headwaters Foundation for Justice centers Minnesota community organizations working on justice, equity, and liberation, with a grantmaking pattern that heavily favors general operating support. The largest recent awards in the data went to Centro De Trabajadores Unidos En La Lucha at $473,000 and Dream of Wild Health at $416,000, both in Minneapolis, signaling substantial support for organizations rooted in local movement work. Their recent portfolio also includes Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justicia at $370,000 and Greater Minnesota Worker Center at $360,000, showing attention to immigrant justice and worker organizing alongside broader community power-building. The foundation’s active programs reinforce that approach: the Giving Project supports community-led philanthropy, while Black Radiance Network, Wellspring Fund, Fund of the Sacred Circle, Rapid Response Fund, and Bush Prize: Minnesota point to support for Black-led organizing, Indigenous-led work, emergency needs, and civic leadership. Across the recent grants list, awards are commonly structured to strengthen organizational continuity rather than fund narrow projects, and several recipients appear as established Minnesota-based groups working across labor, housing, Native, immigrant, and racial justice issues.
What Headwaters Foundation for Justice Funds
Community-led philanthropy is a visible part of Headwaters Foundation for Justice’s model. Through the Giving Project, the foundation supports grassroots philanthropic projects and peer-led grantmaking in Minnesota, with unsolicited applications accepted. Civic leadership is another defined area through Bush Prize: Minnesota, which is tied to a regional prize and partnership program in the state. The foundation also funds capacity building through the Bridging Ecosystems Fellowship, described as connecting ecosystems and strengthening leaders and organizations. In movement-building work, the Black Radiance Network supports Black movement work and Black-led organizing, while the Rapid Response Fund provides emergency and time-sensitive support for organizations and campaigns facing urgent needs and crises.
How Headwaters Foundation for Justice Gives
Typical grants fall at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $16,000 at the median, and $40,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list shows a wide spread above that range, including several six-figure awards and repeated support to the same organizations across 2024 and 2025, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. Grantmaking is centered on operating support, with project support appearing in some awards. Headwaters Foundation for Justice is a regular funder, and the active program list shows that unsolicited applications are accepted in multiple programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7.4M
Total Assets
$16.9M
Total Revenue
$5.3M
Total Expenses
$7.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $40K, with a median of $16K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$16K
75th Percentile
$40K
Geographic Reach
Local13 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
BILAL ALKATOUT
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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