Title
Accepting a $100,000 donation from the Unity Church-Unitarian to support the work of the Saint Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission.
Body
WHEREAS the City of Saint Paul has established the Saint Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission to act in an advisory capacity to the mayor and city council on all policy and budget matters pertaining to reparations within the city through making short, medium and long-term policy, program and budget recommendations to specifically address the creation and sustainment of generational wealth for the American Descendants of Chattel Slavery and to boost economic mobility and opportunity in the American Descendants of Chattel Slavery community; and
WHEREAS it is recognized that this body will guide policy recommendations and inform future reparative initiatives by the City; and
WHEREAS Unity Church-Unitarian, through its Board of Trustees, has offered to donate $100,000 from its Currier Fund to support the Commission’s work which includes the Harm report, community listening sessions, public outreach and education and the 2026 Reparations Commission Work plan; and
WHEREAS Saint Paul Administrative Code Section (“SPAC”) §41.03 allows the City to accept any form of donation subject to the following provisions: (a) all donations of any type in any amount of value shall be received and processed in accordance with proper and accepted accounting practices, (b) all donations shall be received and accepted by city council actions according to SPAC §41.03 and according to reporting procedures established by administration and approved by the city council, and (c) all donations shall be made public and subject to periodic audit; and
WHEREAS on June 23, 2025, the Reparations Commission recommended that the City Council accepts this donation; and
WHEREAS the Saint Paul City Council finds that the donation of this gift serves a public purpose by directly supporting work that is committed to ensuring that Saint Paul is a welcoming and equitable place for all of it’s residence through community engagement and education; and therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the Saint Paul City Council accepts the donation from Unity Church-Unitarian and the commission's recommendation to support the Saint Paul City Harm Report, Community listening sessions, public education, outreach and the 2026 Reparations Commission Work plan; and
BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED that as the Reparations commission serves as an advisory body, all use and designation of funds will be approved through authorization of the City Council and or Director of City Council Operations; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED the City accepts with gratitude the donation of $100,000 from Unity Church-Unitarian and extends its appreciation to Unity Church-Unitarian for this generous and historic contribution.