Nonprofits are infrastructure, not extras.

Nonprofits Unite is a regional coalition in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin working across sectors to protect the invisible infrastructure that keeps our communities whole—housing, food access, health, recreation, and connection.

Who We Are

We are a growing coalition of nonprofit leaders, funders, researchers, and community advocates.

Together, we are:

  • Naming what’s happening as federal policy shifts destabilize our region

  • Lifting up real impacts through stories and data

  • Creating space for support, strategy, and shared action

We don’t aim to lead everything. We lead where we can, support where we’re needed, and act together when it matters most.

  • These organizations are part of the growing Nonprofits Unite coalition. They contribute insights, share experiences, and shape our collective response:

    • AICHO

    • CHUM

    • City Center Housing

    • Duluth Housing Authority

    • Duluth Library Foundation

    • Ecolibrium3

    • Goodwill – True North

    • Head of the Lakes United Way

    • Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

    • Northland Foundation

    • Northspan

    • Northwest Community Services Agency

    • One Roof Housing

    • UDAC

    • UW–Superior

    • Zeitgeist

    • YMCA of Duluth

  • These partners help make Nonprofits Unite possible by providing backbone coordination, research support, funding, and infrastructure:

    • Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation (Coalition convener and data lead)

    • Brico Works (Messaging, convening, and strategy support)

    • University of Wisconsin–Superior (Research and data initiative lead)

    • McKnight Foundation (Funding partner)

    • The Ordean Foundation (Funding partner)

    • Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation (Funding partner)

    • LISC Duluth (Strategic and funding partner)

What We Are Doing

Nonprofits across our region are feeling the strain of shifting federal policy and funding—facing rising demand with fewer resources. Programs are being paused, staff laid off, and core services scaled back just when communities need them most.

Our coalition is actively responding by:

  • Hosting monthly convenings to connect and support regional leaders

  • Partnering with UW–Superior to track and visualize community-level impacts

  • Equipping organizations with messaging tools to advocate effectively

  • Developing ripple-to-rupture stories that show how a single cut can destabilize multiple systems

  • Engaging civic and federal leaders with real data, lived experience, and unified messages

What can you do?

This isn’t about panic—it’s about power in community.

Keep in Touch

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!