EMERGE Community Development

Mission: Our mission is to reveal the potential in people and communities through skill building, employment, and economic opportunity. Vision: We envision a world where all people have the opportunity to emerge and thrive. Overview: EMERGE was established in 2007 to support people with the highest barriers to employment as they connect to economic opportunities. Over the past two decades, we have grown deep roots in the North Minneapolis and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods. In 2015, we opened the EMERGE Career & Technology Center in North Minneapolis and merged with non-profit partner Momentum Enterprises, adding two social enterprise businesses to our portfolio: Second Chance Recycling and Furnish Office and Home. These businesses offer transitional jobs in mattress recycling and furniture resale while people prepare for the workforce. In 2017, we opened the Cedar-Riverside Opportunity Center in partnership with Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, Minneapolis College, and residents of the Cedar-Riverside community. Today, EMERGE operates a broad spectrum of workforce programs in locations across Minneapolis; while our model has developed over time, our vision, commitment, and focus have remained the same. Recognition: EMERGE has been recognized for its innovation and impact. In 2022, we received the City of Minneapolis Employment and Training Award for Promising Practice for EMERGE's Manufacturing Career Pathways and a number of previous awards, including Bush Prize for Community Innovation, the Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award, the Accenture US Corporate Citizenship Community Change Award, Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit of the Year Award and City of Minneapolis Youth Services Provider of the Year.