Immigrant Rapid Response Fund: How You Can Help Minnesota’s Immigrant Communities

About This Community Briefing  

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The past two months have tested Minnesota in ways few could have imagined. Operation Metro Surge brought thousands of federal agents to the Twin Cities. Two residents were killed. More than 4,000 people were arrested. Businesses lost over $200 million. Lawfully admitted refugees were detained under Operation PARRIS. And on February 12, the administration announced the surge would end—leaving communities to reckon with what was lost and what must be rebuilt.

But this crisis also revealed something extraordinary about Minnesota. Tens of thousands marched in subzero temperatures. Nearly 30,000 residents trained as constitutional observers. Nonprofits responded to cases every six minutes. And the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund—born when Latine, East African, Asian, and Native communities chose to widen their circle and hold one another—raised more than $10 million from over 56,000 donors across all 50 states and 53 countries, deploying $5.7 million to 56 frontline organizations in a matter of weeks. Across the state, hope showed up where it always does—in mutual aid networks, in nonprofit organizations woven into the fabric of every community, and in the neighbors and institutions that backed them up.

Minnesotans are choosing love and solidarity in the face of fear—and in doing so, they are showing what caring for each other can look like at every scale. Join us for a conversation with leaders from across philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, and frontline communities who are carrying this love forward and imagining what comes next.

What You’ll Learn  

• The impact of Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS (Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening) on families, including recent legal battles and leadership developments
• Immediate community needs—from legal defense and bail funds to food delivery, rent assistance, and family safety planning
• How IRRF grantmaking works: transparent, community-informed funding that moves resources to trusted organizations quickly
• What the nonprofit sector is contributing to the response—and what it needs to sustain this work over time
• How frontline organizations are adapting as recovery begins
• Concrete ways to donate, volunteer, organize, and show up for your neighbors

Community Briefing Flow

Who’s Invited  

Everyone who wants to help. Individual donors of any amount. Nonprofit staff and leaders navigating this moment. Volunteers looking for ways to contribute. Faith communities. Neighborhood organizations. Educators. Healthcare workers. Anyone who believes that our neighbors deserve safety, dignity, and support.  

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Ambar Cristina Hanson, Executive Director, Mortenson Family Foundation  

Ambar leads the Foundation’s mission to build partnerships that strengthen community-driven approaches advancing equity, opportunity, and sustainable systems. Ambar earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado, Denver, and serves on the boards of the Minnesota Council on Foundations, Latino Economic Development Center, Minnesota Public Radio and Bigelow Foundation.  

Gloria Perez, President & CEO, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota   

Gloria leads the nation’s first statewide women’s foundation, building pathways to prosperity for women, girls, and gender-expansive people through research, grantmaking, and policy advocacy. Previously, she became a national expert in two-generation strategies to reduce poverty as founding Executive Director and later President & CEO of Jeremiah Program, growing the organization from a local initiative to a national nonprofit. Gloria is an Ascend Fellow at the Aspen Institute and serves on several boards, including the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, the Ciresi Walburn Foundation, Esperanza United and Macalester College. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Macalester College and is a recipient of an honorary doctorate from the same institution.

Nonoko Sato, President & CEO, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits  

Nonoko leads the largest state association for nonprofits in the United States, overseeing strategic response to organizational and sector challenges through public policy, advocacy, and educational programming. Recently profiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as “The Capacity Builder,” Nonoko has positioned MCN’s more than 2,100 member organizations to navigate crisis by strengthening revenue, governance, and long-term planning. Before becoming president and CEO, she served as MCN’s associate director, where she launched BenefitsMN, an association health plan that expanded access to affordable healthcare for nonprofit employees across the state. Prior to joining MCN, Nonoko spent 13 years—nine as executive director—at SMART, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that champions educational equity by supporting students in overcoming systemic barriers on their journey to a college degree. Under her leadership, the organization tripled its student enrollment and expanded services through high school. An immigrant from Japan who grew up in Chicago, Nonoko was the first in her family to graduate from college, earning her degree in political science and international relations from Carleton College. She serves on Governor Walz’s Council on Economic Expansion and the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, among other boards.  

Jama Mohamed, Social Equity & End of Life Program Officer, Morgan Family Foundation  

Jama engages with the St. Cloud community to understand opportunities for advancing social equity and manages the Foundation’s related grantmaking, working closely with nonprofit applicants and grantee partners to direct resources where they matter most. With more than six years of experience in the nonprofit and public education sectors, he has held positions with St. Cloud area public schools and United Way of Central Minnesota focused on access and equity. Jama also served overseas with Church World Service as a resettlement expert supporting the U.S. refugee admissions program in Sub-Saharan African countries—experience that grounds his current work in a deep understanding of the immigrant and refugee journey. He has served on the St. Cloud Area Human Rights Commission and the St. Cloud Community Education Advisory Committee, and is passionate about supporting projects that empower communities to reach self-sufficiency. Jama earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration from St. Cloud State University. 

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Awale (Wally) Osman, Director of Organizational Learning and Leadership Development for Equity and Belonging, Minnesota Council on Foundations 

Wally leads the Minnesota Council on Foundations’ strategies for advancing internal equity, belonging, diversity, and inclusion (EBDI), as well as efforts to support the philanthropic sector in putting these values into practice through the Equity, Belonging, Diversity and Inclusion Institute (EBDI Institute). The EBDI Institute offerings include the Experiential Leadership Lab, Center for Organizational Learning and Practice, Rural Urban Bridging for Impact, People of Color and LGBTQ+ Community of Practice, learning and evaluation.

Questions or Accessibility Needs? Connect with Wally! 

Email Wally at [email protected]. 

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