Since 1986, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless has been committed to ensuring that every Minnesotan has access to life’s most basic necessities: food, shelter, and safety. Through strategic partnerships with frontline service providers across the state, we raise awareness, grow donor engagement, and provide critical funding to organizations working directly with individuals and families experiencing hunger and homelessness.
At the core of our mission is a vision for a Minnesota where every person lives with dignity—free from hunger and homelessness—in communities grounded in compassion, equity, and opportunity. We believe that access to food and shelter is not only a fundamental human right, but a cornerstone of public health, well-being, and social justice.
A Unique and Equitable Approach to Grantmaking
Unlike traditional funders, Open Your Heart prioritizes flexibility, responsiveness, and accessibility in our grantmaking. From the beginning, we’ve recognized that many community-based organizations—particularly smaller, BIPOC-led, or rural nonprofits—may not have professional fundraising staff or the resources to navigate complex application processes. That’s why we’ve designed a user-friendly, inclusive, and equitable grant system that ensures support reaches those who need it most.
We do not penalize applicants for lacking formal grant-writing experience or for whom English is not the first language. Instead, we value the on-the-ground work being done by passionate, community-rooted organizations and strive to meet them where they are. In addition to funding, we identify and respond to unmet needs by developing tailored strategies that amplify impact.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
As part of our long-standing commitment to justice and equity, Open Your Heart is continuously working to embed DEI principles into every level of our operations. In recent years, we have prioritized diversifying our board of directors, strengthening our partnerships with underrepresented communities, and acknowledging and addressing systemic racism as a root cause of hunger and homelessness.homeless
Our comprehensive DEI strategy is focused on transforming both internal systems and external services—ensuring that every grant, partnership, and initiative advances equity, inclusion, and meaningful change.
Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless continues to stand with Minnesota’s most vulnerable—and with the dedicated organizations that serve them every day. Together, we are building a stronger, more compassionate state where everyone has the chance not just to survive, but to thrive.