George Floyd’s Family Unveils $500K Fund to ‘Give Breath’ to the Minneapolis Community

On the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, his family announced a $500k fund in his honor.

The family unveiled The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund, a Minnesota-based nonprofit with a mission of “raising up and giving breath to the businesses, individuals, and organizations in Minnesota that have been detrimentally impacted by systematic racism.”

The fund aims to provide grants to business owners, community organizations, and 501(c)(3) organizations that serve the Black community at 38th & Chicago in Minneapolis, Yahoo News reports. The organization’s current board members include four Floyd family members: Terrence Floyd, Bridgett Floyd, Philonise Floyd and Roxie Washington, as well as attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, L. Chris Stewart, Jeff Storms, and Scott Masterson.

“George’s legacy is his spirit of optimism that things can get better, and our family wants to bring that hope to the community where he died, so that together we can make things better for the Black community in Minneapolis and beyond,” said Terrence Floyd, Floyd’s brother and officer of The Fund’s board.

There are board member spot openings for community leaders from the 38th & Chicago area as well as corporate partners, TheGrio reports. The Fund has released a grant challenge for Minneapolis’ largest companies in efforts to secure financial backing for their philanthropy.

“As we mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s horrific death, the family feels deeply that something positive should come from the pain and injustice he suffered,” Crump said. “The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund will be an instrumental, long-term partner to the Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood where he died, where we all have seen the continued negative impact of systemic racism.”

Grants from The Fund will be given out in increments of $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000, with a focus on helping projects that directly serve predominately Black communities. It won’t start accepting applications until fall.