George Floyd’s family announced their plans to launch a fund for underserved communities in Minneapolis.
The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund (The Fund) has a mission of “raising up and giving breath to the businesses, individuals, and organizations in Minnesota that have been detrimentally impacted by systematic racism,” as per the official website.
The Floyd family says they have been “touched by the strength, the spirit, and the need in that community” and are using a portion of their $27 million settlement for George Floyd’s wrongful death to launch this fund.
The $500,000 fund will provide grants to eligible businesses, community organizations, and 501(c)(3) organizations serving the predominantly Black community at 38th & Chicago in Minneapolis.
“George’s legacy is his spirit of optimism that things can get better, and our family wants to bring that hope to the community where he died, so that together we can make things better for the Black community in Minneapolis and beyond,” said Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd and officer of the Fund Board.
George Floyd’s family was awarded the largest pre-trial settlement in U.S. history for a civil rights wrongful death lawsuit.
The organization’s board members includes four Floyd family members: Terrence Floyd, Bridgett Floyd, Philonise Floyd and Roxie Washington, and attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, L. Chris Stewart, Jeff Storms, and Scott Masterson.
There will also be vacant positions for community leaders from 38th & Chicago and for corporate partners.
“As we mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s horrific death, the family feels deeply that something positive should come from the pain and injustice he suffered,” said Crump. “The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund will be an instrumental, long-term partner to the Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood where he died, where we all have seen the continued negative impact of systemic racism.”
