RPTA: A Community Rising

MIn the heart of Minneapolis lies a neighborhood often overlooked by those outside its 
borders, yet it pulses with resilience, culture, and the kind of human potential that can 
change the world. This is Cedar Riverside. And at the center of it stands a beacon of hope: 
The Riverside Plaza Tenants Association (RPTA).
For nearly four decades, RPTA has been more than a nonprofit. It’s been the steady hand 
guiding thousands of immigrants and refugees, many arriving with little more than 
courage, toward lives filled with purpose, self-reliance, and dignity. Our community is 
home to over 5,000 people, most of them East African, many of them living below the 
poverty line. But poverty is not the defining feature here. It is possibility. It is promise.
When a young mother walks into our center, unsure of how to navigate a healthcare 
system in a language she doesn't speak, we help her find care, and find her voice.
When a teenager, the child of refugees, falls behind in school after years of interrupted 
education, we offer tutoring, mentorship, and a second chance.
When a father who once worked in a war-torn country dreams of building a career in IT or 
healthcare, we put the tools in his hands. And we stand beside him, until he walks 
through the doors of Cisco, or Abbott, or 3M, not as a client, but as a professional.
When a high school dropout picks up a hammer for the first time in our YouthBuild 
program, he is building more than affordable housing, he is building a future that once felt 
impossible.
This is impact. This is RPTA.
And yet, as we speak, programs that change lives hang in the balance. Workforce training 
that pulls families out of poverty. After-school enrichment that keeps kids safe and 
inspired. English and citizenship classes that empower our elders to contribute and 
belong. These are not luxuries. These are lifelines. And they are at risk.
The state of government funding is uncertain. Grants are scarce. The competition is fierce. 
But the need? It has never been greater.
RPTA has quietly built one of the most comprehensive, culturally competent, and 
community-rooted support systems in Minnesota. We are not an outsider charity. We are 
the community. Many of our staff grew up in the same towers. We speak their 
languages. We share their stories. That is why our programs work. That is why our alumni 
don’t just get jobs, they change their family’s entire trajectory.
But now, we must do something bold. We must rise to a new level of sustainability. To 
continue our mission, and grow it, we are seeking partners who believe not just in 
charity, but in equity, opportunity, and transformation. We are asking you to invest, not 
in an idea, but in people. In outcomes you can see. In futures you can shape.
But this is more than numbers. This is about choosing to believe in a community that has 
so often been told “no”, and saying “yes.” Yes to education. Yes to jobs. Yes to safety, 
mentorship, and belonging.
Yes to Riverside Plaza.
Let us show the world what happens when a neighborhood is not left behind, but lifted up.
Stand with us. Walk with us. Invest in us.
Because when Riverside Plaza thrives, Cedar Riverside thrives. And when Cedar 
Riverside thrives, it becomes a shining example of what inclusive, community-driven 
progress truly looks like.
We’ve done so much with so little. Imagine what we could do with your support.

All donations will go directly towards our programs and operations.