Urban Ventures

Cradle-to-Career: transformation that lasts generations

Last year, your donations helped us serve over 6,000 individuals. The needs of our community are great, but you are helping us make a meaningful difference. This year, we will serve over 8,000 families students and families with your help. 

Urban Ventures provides cradle-to-career support for youth and families in one of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in Minneapolis. We have a big audacious goal to prepare and send every child in our neighborhood to college or another form of postsecondary education. Such a goal requires many programs working together to serve the whole family the whole way from cradle to career. Some of those programs include:

• A newly opened early learning center, so local kids are kindergarten-ready
• A literacy intervention program, so students can catch up to grade-level reading
• An Innovation Center, so youth can explore and learn STEM skills
• A music and recording studio, so kids can explore their artistic expression
• Mentorship programs, so students never feel like they have to do it alone
• An urban farm, so families have access to natural and nutritious food
• Parenting classes, supporting families as they create healthy habits at home
• College scholarships, removing financial barriers to postsecondary education
• And many more programs to support every stage of life 

Your gift allows us to expand our capacity and serve more families. On average, our cradle-to-career model costs $1,200/year to support one of our neighbors. You can help us get kids and their families off of the waiting list and into our cradle-to-career programs We can't do it without you!

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Want to learn the story of Urban Ventures? Watch this short film about the history of our neighborhood and organization here.