Providing resources to strengthen and uplift Saint Paul’s East Side

Rooted Philanthropic focuses its giving and support on the neighborhoods of Saint Paul’s East Side and the surrounding communities. These neighborhoods radiate with potential and are filled with innovative and entrepreneurial efforts to improve people’s lives. Our focus is to support entrepreneurs and small business owners, ensure a quality education for our youth, strengthen women leaders, and engage the community in healthy living.

Deep East Side Roots

Shannon Runyon and Chuck Runyon have deep roots on Saint Paul’s East Side. This is the community where they grew up and went to school. They continue to have family living on the East Side. This connection runs deep. They founded Rooted Philanthropic in 2014 as a way to support causes and issues of importance to them and their family. The foundation provided a limited number of grants in its first few years, the most significant of which was to establish the Future Leader Scholarship program at Hill-Murray High School in 2019. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the founders decided they could and should do more to support the East Side community, making the commitment to expand the work of the foundation and increase their annual grantmaking.

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Areas of Philanthropic Focus

Our goal is to support sustainable, generational wealth, health and well-being by providing resources to the East Side communities. Planting deep roots and measuring our impact long-term will be key to breaking down systemic barriers that have historically inhibited equitable social and financial well-being for individuals, families and cultural communities

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Entrepreneurship

Creating and building ideas and businesses is a long-term path to sustainable economic security and generational asset-building.

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Education

A quality and holistic education is fundamental to opportunity.
Wellness

The active pursuit of physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being is an individual and collective set of activities that make each of us and our neighborhoods safer and more resilient.
Women Leaders

Women in leadership have unique needs that when addressed and supported make our communities and institutions stronger.

Recognizing our Grantees

Grantee: East Side Community Investment Cooperative

Saint Paul, MN

We provide support to four local community organizations to create and launch an investment cooperative so East Side residents can engage in local real estate development building local wealth.

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Grantee: Theresa Living Center

Saint Paul, MN

We provide general operating support to Theresa Living Center to increase their onsite programming and case management support for women and single-parent families to move from homelessness to stability and self-sufficiency.

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Grantee: Future Leader Scholarship

Hill-Murray High School

We provide scholarship funding to Hill-Murray to support 80 East Side students in grades 9-12 to develop and advance their leadership skills.

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News & Happenings

Foundation Launches East Side Saint Paul Women Leaders Initiative

Women in leadership have unique needs that when addressed and supported make our communities stronger.
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Now Accepting Applications for the Small Business Cohort

The foundation is launching its inaugural Small Business Cohort for East Side entrepreneurs and small business hosted by Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corp and Rooted Philanthropic. The application period is now open! Applications accepted until August 2, 2024.
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Future Leader Program Recognized for Changing Students’ Lives

Future Leaders was recently named Program of the Year by Minndependent, the Minnesota trade association for private and independent schools. Established in 2019, the Future Leaders Program is a student program that provides students with scholarships along with the support, mentorship, and sense of community required for them to be successful in not just “doing school” but in reaching their highest potential in scholarship, leadership, and purpose.
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