Focus Area: Early Childhood

Grant Amount: $7,500

Located in north Minneapolis. NAZ is a collaboration of organizations and schools partnering with families in north Minneapolis to prepare children to graduate from high school ready for college and to end multigenerational poverty. Each enrolled family moves through a cradle to career system that provides comprehensive support at each stage.

Grant supports NAZ’s Home Visiting Program, which pairs enrolled NAZ families that have children pre-birth through age 5 (and in some cases, children up to age eight) with certified Home Visitors. These home visitors build trusting relationships with parents and children while guiding parents to prioritize personal well-being goals, increase their knowledge of parenting and child development, and support their child’s healthy social-emotional development and literacy skills. NAZ has been a highly successful effort for families in north Minneapolis because of the combination of incorporating local residents as staff to build trust with families.