George Floyd's family announces fund to serve community at 38th and Chicago

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The family of George Floyd announced a fund that will award grants to businesses and organizations serving the community at 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis.

The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund will award grants to eligible businesses, community organizations and nonprofits serving the community in the area of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, as well as those "encouraging the success and growth of Black citizens and community harmony," according to a release from the family's attorney, Ben Crump,

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The family announced the fund on the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death at the intersection of 38th and Chicago. Now-fired officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of his murder earlier this spring. The three other former officers charged in Floyd’s death will stand trial together next year. All four ex-officers are also facing federal charges for allegedly violating Floyd’s civil rights during the deadly arrest.

An initial $500,000 contribution to the George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund was made from the Floyd family civil legal settlement.

According to a release, the fund is looking to support "established and eligible entities that have a local impact, and applicants must demonstrate that their proposed program would prove significant to the local community," such as those that involve the renovation or expansion of businesses, apprentice work or training programs, or community arts and civil rights awareness programs. Proposals for awards of grants submitted to The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund will be evaluated based on the following criteria: the alignment of the program to the Fund’s mission, the impact of the program, and the management efficiency of the requesting organization and its ability to conduct the program and measure results.

Grants will be funded at three levels: $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000. To receive a grant, an organization must complete and submit the application online. The fund will not accept any applications until the fall.

"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," George's brother Terrence Floyd said in the release.