Focus Area: Youth Development

Grant Amount: $10,000

Based in St. Paul, serves 52 cities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Established in 1971, CommondBond is the Midwest’s largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing with services. More than 10,000 people live in CommonBond housing, more than 2,800 of whom are children.

Grant supports the Study Buddies program, a free, out-of-school-time mentorship program serving youth in grades K-5 in Commonbond’s affordable housing communities in the Twin Cities metro area (2 locations in Minneapolis, 2 in St. Paul, and 1 in Edina). Youth are paired with volunteer mentors who meet weekly during the school year to develop reading, literacy, and social emotional skills. The goals are that youth improve their reading skills, are positively engaged in their learning, and build trusting relationships with caring adults.