Rebuild Recovery Fund

On Monday, May 25, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. The days that followed were filled with public unrest. On the evening of May 27, riots throughout the city of Minneapolis reached Du Nord Social spirits where their warehouse was burned. The following day, distillery owners, Chris and Shanelle Montana set up a Go Fund Me page.

Created as a way to support small and under-represented business owners, whose physical stores or offices were damaged as a direct result of the civil uprising and were under-insured, or lacked critical funding to get them back into business again.

These emergency grants ranged from $3,000 to $15,000, and the business owners put the money to work in a variety of ways, from the rebuilding of store interiors to new computers, and even office supplies. While the use varied, the gratitude was always present. One such business was Creative Kuponya, which provides a new approach to therapy derived from art, body movement, and the celebration of culture. Owners Sara and Jamil passed along their appreciation; “We can not thank you enough ... your dollars will go towards everything from furniture to file folders. Every cent counts right now!”

By the fund’s completion in October 2020, we were able to disburse $496,751 in emergency funds to 76 businesses in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

This initiative is now complete.

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