BetterWorld Partners

06/01/2026

As Pride Month begins, we're reflecting on a simple but powerful reminder:

Be hard on systems and easy on each other.

Creating a more just and inclusive world requires us to examine the policies, practices, and structures that shape people's experiences. It also calls us to lead with compassion, curiosity, and care for one another.

Our "Better Together" Hydration Bottle carries this message into everyday life—a reminder that meaningful change happens when we work toward better systems while honoring the dignity and humanity of every person.

Here's to building communities where everyone can belong, contribute, and thrive.

💧 Stay hydrated. Stay hopeful. Stay connected.

Get yours here:
https://betterworldpartnersmn.com/product/the-better-together-hydration-bottle/

Carry a message that matters with the “Better Together” Hydration Bottle. Adorned with the transformative quote, “Be hard on systems and easy on each other,” this bottle is more than just a vessel for water—it’s a commitment to improving processes while cherishing human relationships, en...

05/29/2026

New funding opportunities are here! 🌱

This week's grants support Minnesota nonprofits working in civic engagement, healthy housing, economic opportunity, and community development.

🔹 Minnesota Civic Resilience Fund
🔹 F.R. Bigelow Foundation – Community Solutions Grants
🔹 Minnesota Department of Health – Healthy Housing Grants
🔹 Rooted Philanthropic Grants
🔹 Joyce Foundation – Democracy Grants
🔹 WBD Opportunity Funds

📅 Deadlines range from June through August, with several rolling opportunities.

📲 Find all the details here: https://linktr.ee/betterworldmn

✍️ Need help applying? BetterWorld Partners is here to help.

05/29/2026

This week's grant highlights:

🗳️ Minnesota Civic Resilience Fund – Voter engagement & civic participation (June 22)
🏘️ F.R. Bigelow Foundation – East Metro community solutions (Rolling)
🏠 MN Department of Health – Healthy housing initiatives (June 30)
🌱 Rooted Philanthropic – Community-led East Side projects (Rolling)
📣 Joyce Foundation – Democracy & voting rights (Aug. 3)
💼 WBD Opportunity Funds – Jobs, businesses & communities (Rolling)

📅 Deadlines: June–August (+ rolling opportunities)

📲 Tap our Linktree for details

✍️ Need help applying? We're here to support.

05/22/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of a conversation is staying in it long enough to understand what’s actually happening.

That’s why we created the Relational Practice Framework:
Feel. Name. Notice. Choose. Reflect.

It’s a simple way to slow down reactive moments and move with more intention, clarity, and care.

It might feel awkward at first. That’s part of it. This is how we build the muscle to stay in conversations that matter.

We shared more about the framework and why we created it in our newest blog:
https://betterworldpartnersmn.com/blog/introducing-our-new-framework/

05/18/2026

Some messages matter more than ever.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re centering a simple reminder: you are not alone. Every conversation, every act of care, and every visible sign of support helps reduce stigma and reminds people that help and hope exist.

Our Hope Hoodie was created to make that message visible in everyday spaces—at the grocery store, at school pickup, on a walk, or in a meeting. Because support doesn’t always start with a big moment. Sometimes it starts with seeing a message at exactly the right time. 💚

Join us in making hope visible:
https://betterworldpartnersmn.com/product/show-your-support-the-hope-hoodie/

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05/15/2026

New funding opportunities are here 🌱

This week’s grants support Minnesota nonprofits working in housing, youth development, community wellbeing, and systems change.

Here’s what’s open:

🔹 Graves Foundation – Education & Youth Development
🔹 Northland Foundation – Quarterly Grants
🔹 La Crescent Community Fund
🔹 Bank of America Foundation – Stable Housing & Communities
🔹 Boreal Waters Community Opportunity Fund

📅 Deadlines range from rolling to July 1
📲 Find all the details here: https://linktr.ee/betterworldmn

✍️ Need help applying? BetterWorld Partners is here to help.

05/11/2026

✨ Merch Monday ✨

Courage doesn’t always arrive with confidence.

Sometimes it looks like:
• setting a boundary
• beginning again
• staying present in hard conversations
• resting when your body says enough
• choosing honesty over comfort

Our Courage long sleeve tee and notebook were created for the quiet kind of bravery—the kind people carry every day while doing meaningful work, caring for others, and becoming more fully themselves.

The long sleeve is soft, simple, and made for the people holding space, leading teams, building bridges, and showing up with intention.

The notebook is a place for your reflections, plans, questions, dreams, and the brave little reminders you need along the way.

Because courage isn’t always visible. But it matters every single time.

🖤 Shop the Courage collection: https://betterworldpartnersmn.com/shop/

05/08/2026

When you want to ask a hard question—but don’t want to cause harm—what do you do?

In our work and in our personal lives, we often find ourselves needing to ask questions that sit outside our own experience or understanding. And even when our intentions are good, those questions don’t always land the way we hope.

So we hesitate.
Or we push through and hope for the best.

In our April newsletter, we shared a simple framework we’ve returned to again and again:
Transparency. Reciprocity. Inquiry. (TRI)

It’s a tool for asking better questions—ones that build trust, invite connection, and create space for understanding.

If you’ve ever found yourself holding back from a conversation you care about, this might be a helpful place to start.

👉Check it https://betterworldpartnersmn.com/blog/tool-time-3-transparency-reciprocity-inquiry-tri/
👉 Read more in April's newsletter: https://conta.cc/4mH6jY5

When you want to ask a hard question, but don’t want to cause harm, what do you do? In our work, our communities, and our close relationships, we often find ourselves needing to ask questions that sit outside our own experience, values, or frame of reference—sometimes in the context of power dif...

05/06/2026

Sometimes it feels like everything is divided right now.

And the advice we hear makes sense:
Talk to people you disagree with. Find common ground. Reach across the aisle.

But that can feel like a big place to start.

Julia reflects on a different approach:

There’s already plenty of difference right here—within our own circles.

Friends who see things differently.
Colleagues with different approaches.
People who share values but not strategies.

What if that’s where the work begins?

In April’s Newsletter, Julia shares more—and offers a way to actually practice it.

👉 Take a look: https://betterworldpartnersmn.com/blog/the-call-might-be-coming-from-inside-the-house/

👉 Read more in April's Newsletter: https://conta.cc/4mH6jY5

05/04/2026

Life is full of hard things.
But here’s the good news—you get to choose which ones are worth it.

This week’s Merch Monday is all about that reminder:

☕ The mug that fuels your fire
📓 The notebook for your big ideas, messy plans, and “aha” moments
✨ The sticker that says it out loud—growth lives here

Whether it’s tackling a tough project, having that conversation, or just getting out of bed on a Monday… you’re doing hard things every day.

So why not choose the ones that move you forward?

👉 Grab your “Choose Your Hard” favorites: https://betterworldpartnersmn.com/shop/