Supporting Northside youth with Northside Achievement Zone

The Carlson Family Foundation is committed to deeply engaging with our community partners to listen, learn, and drive impact designed by and for the community. We value long-term relationships and recognize that impact takes time and continuous learning.

One of those longtime partners is Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), a collaborative of schools and nonprofits in North Minneapolis offering comprehensive support to children of color and their families to ensure scholars graduate from high school ready for college. It was inspired by Harlem Children’s Zone, which received significant recognition for its success working with families in the Harlem neighborhood in New York City.

“We were looking for ways that we could make a difference that would really mean something in North Minneapolis,” recalls Barbara Carlson Gage, past president and chair of the Carlson Family Foundation. “We started learning about NAZ, and we were excited about their leadership and focus on education and mentorship.”

The Foundation first partnered with NAZ in 2008. In 2011, NAZ was one of five out of 250-plus proposals chosen for a federal Promise Neighborhood grant, which aims to significantly improve the academic and developmental outcomes of children living in the most distressed communities in the U.S. A matching grant from the Carlson Family Foundation, along with several other local funders, helped make that federal grant a reality.

Today, our partnership with NAZ continues to align with our belief that all young people need positive relationships with adults — a constellation of caring adults — to thrive and reach their full potential. We’re also investing in many of their partner organizations to ensure families have the wraparound services they need to succeed.

Learn more about the Carlson Family Foundation’s partnership with NAZ.