Our Mission

Marbrook Foundation supports community-led work that facilitates cultural learning and strives to accelerate social, economic and environmental healing.

Our Guiding Principles

We ground ourselves in our history as a family foundation rooted in the Twin Cities, and in the values set out by its founders several generations ago. As humble stewards of that legacy, we know there is much to learn. We honor the interwoven histories and realities of all who make up the broader community we serve — recognizing the imperative to continually learn, to tell more complex stories, and to deepen our commitment to those values along the way.

Our enduring commitment to the communities we serve is informed by our history, the knowledge gained from our grantee partners, and our Guiding Principles, articulated here:

…    We believe everyone has the right to thrive. We aim to maximize our impact by investing in effective solutions and initiatives that prioritize historically marginalized communities.

 …    We strive to create a culture – inside our organization and out to the community – of curiosity, open-heartedness and a willingness to learn.

…    We honor the interconnectedness of the planet with all aspects of human life. We support a multi-angled approach to environmental crises that also aims to improve and sustain human health and happiness.

…    We believe there are no such things as single issues but rather overlapping urgencies. We seek to support a holistic culture that brings healing to both planet and people.

…    We seek to align the movement of our resources with work that is both effective and sustainable. We honor the expertise of front-line change makers by making our grants unrestricted whenever possible.

…    We celebrate the roots and legacy of past generations, of others and of ourselves. We honor and respect where we all came from and seek to understand and appreciate what we can learn from those who came before us.