Building Bridges to Strengthen Communities

Community Bridgemakers was born from a bold yet straightforward vision: to create vibrant, thriving communities across central Minnesota by breaking down barriers, aligning efforts, and finding systemic solutions to shared challenges. With a strong history of collaboration between the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, Sourcewell,
the Initiative Foundation, and Region Five Development came together to dream bigger — and take collective action. Community Bridgemakers formed to unite expertise and resources, working with greater intentionality and efficiency to maximize impact across the region. Over the past year, this collaborative effort has shown that when people come together with purpose, intention, and a belief in the power of collaboration, extraordinary things happen.
 

Turning Vision Into Action

Community Bridgemakers has translated ambition into action through three transformative initiatives that are already creating meaningful change:

• Mental Health
  Mental health challenges across Region Five continue to grow, while access to care remains below state and national averages. In response, Community Bridgemakers launched a goal of creating a Regional Mental Health Strategic Plan, adopting a "no wrong door" approach to ensure that anyone seeking
  support can access the care they need. Stakeholders have been engaged, valuable data has been collected, and systemic solutions are underway. By June 2025, we will have a comprehensive Regional Strategic Plan to improve mental well-being for all residents in Region Five and beyond.
   
• Social Cohesion
  In an era where division and polarization are common, The Sowing Room stands as a testament to the power of social cohesion. This new nonprofit, utilizing Community Bridgemaker funding for start-up, is creating safe spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging and value, reinforcing that differences are not weaknesses — they are strengths.
   
• Workforce Development
  Workforce development is a pressing challenge in Region Five and our Career Pathway Mapping initiative is paving the way to creating a solution. By connecting education, industry, and opportunity, we’re addressing workforce challenges head-on. In January 2025, our first mapping sessions focused on healthcare and agriculture. These sessions brought together leaders from secondary education, higher education and industry to “map” beginning to end in achieving a high quality job in Region Five. By starting small, we aim to lay the
  groundwork for replicating this process in other career clusters in the future.

Through these efforts, we’re not just solving labor shortages. We’re investing in our youth, our communities, and our shared future.

How the Communities of Excellence Framework Has Strengthened Our Work

Community Bridgemakers is more than an initiative — it’s a movement dedicated to bridging gaps, amplifying voices, and fostering lasting connections. The Communities of Excellence framework has played a vital role in guiding and strengthening this movement by helping the team:

• Engage deeply with communities, listening and learning from local experiences.
• Envision bold, systemic solutions to address challenges at their roots.
• Enact decisive, meaningful actions that drive measurable change.

The framework’s focus on continuous learning and adaptation has shaped strategic decisions and strengthened outcomes. Monthly cohort calls have provided valuable opportunities to gather qualitative insights and community stories, reinforcing the data-driven aspects of the work.
 

A Model for Community-Led Change

Community Bridgemakers is proof that real, measurable progress comes from collaboration, intentionality, and a relentless commitment to shared goals. By integrating the Communities of Excellence framework with local expertise, relational trust, and innovative thinking, Region Five is creating a model for sustainable, community-driven change.