Executive Summary

BWMN works with the underserved communities of the metropolitan communities of Minneapolis/St. Paul and surrounding areas. BWMN has been located in the heart of North Minneapolis at the intersection of Plymouth and Penn for 15 years. The area has a high concentration of people of color and has been disinvested in for decades with blight, plight, high crime, food deserts, high unemployment and less than 19% of the targeted population are homeowners and the majority of them have incomes that are below the local and national poverty levels. The organization and its leadership have always reflected the community as its staff and board reflect the people we serve. Many of the staff members have all experienced a great deal of the challenges, poverty, predatory practices and generational poverty as the community it serves. Many of the challenges and barriers that they face include access to safe affordable housing, predatory lending practices, access to capital, disparities in income, housing, not utilizing traditional banking products and financial services, barriers to accessing and acquiring wealth. Build Wealth provides comprehensive financial and social literacy training and coaching to help them understand how these systems work intricately. Then help them acquire skills and behavioral changes and habits to know how to avoid using systems that were created to keep them in poverty . BWMN also works with 30 other organizations in policy work that we hope to bring about changes in legislation and changes in systems that will bring about this change.

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