The family of George Floyd has launched a new project designed to give back directly to the Minneapolis community, called The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund (The Fund). The announcement comes on the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s murder.
As described on its official website, The Fund is a Minnesota-based nonprofit with the stated mission of “raising up and giving breath to the businesses, individuals, and organizations in Minnesota that have been detrimentally impacted by systematic racism.”
The $500K fund will provide grants to eligible businesses, community organizations, and 501(c)(3) organizations serving the predominantly Black community at 38th & Chicago in Minneapolis, according to a press release from the Floyd family and legal counsel.
The Floyd family says they have been “touched by the strength, the spirit, and the need in that community” and are using a portion of their $27M settlement with the city of Minneapolis to support the fund. Theirs was the largest pre-trial settlement in a civil rights wrongful death case in U.S. history.
“George’s legacy is his spirit of optimism that things can get better, and our family wants to bring that hope to the community where he died, so that together we can make things better for the Black community in Minneapolis and beyond,” said Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd and officer of the Fund Board.
The organization’s board members includes four Floyd family members: Terrence Floyd, Bridgett Floyd, Philonise Floyd and Roxie Washington, and attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, L. Chris Stewart, Jeff Storms, and Scott Masterson. The organization’s board will also include spots for community leaders from 38th & Chicago and for corporate partners.
“As we mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s horrific death, the family feels deeply that something positive should come from the pain and injustice he suffered,” said Crump. “The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund will be an instrumental, long-term partner to the Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood where he died, where we all have seen the continued negative impact of systemic racism.”
The organization has issued a corporate grant challenge to Minneapolis’ largest corporations and professional sports teams to bolster the Floyd family’s efforts by contributing to the fund and/or joining the Board, according to the press release.
Grants will be provided in increments of $5K, $10K, and $25K, with a strong preference for projects that will have a local impact. The Fund will start accepting applications in Fall 2021. More information about application timelines and criteria can be found on the official website.
Story & Photo Credit: /thegrio