Three Minnesota foundations and St. Paul-based Ecolab announced Monday that they are committing $23 million to increase access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.

Called Our Home State, the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, the F.R. Bigelow Foundation, and the Mardag Foundation are allocating $20 million over five years to housing efforts in the East Metro and rural Minnesota.

Ecolab is making the initial contribution from the private sector, and it will provide $3 million to support emergency housing services in Ramsey County.

“This fund represents our shared commitment to ensuring that everyone, no matter their income or zip code, has access to safe, stable and affordable housing,” Chanda Smith Baker, president and CEO of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, said in a written statement. “When people have a place to call home, they have the stability to pursue opportunity, care for their families, and contribute to the strength of our region.”

“A thriving community starts with stability and dignity for every person,” Christophe Beck, Ecolab chairman and CEO, said in a written statement. “Ecolab’s contribution to the Our Home State initiative is part of our commitment to help close the shelter gap and create new pathways to opportunity.”

Beck serves on the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation board. “Homelessness is a shared challenge, but addressing it is also a shared opportunity,” Beck said in the statement. “When business, government, and community come together, we can make St. Paul a model for ending homelessness and building a stronger future for all.”

The organizations said in a news release that early fund awards will focus on “eviction prevention, shelter capacity, affordable housing development, and narrative change to influence housing policy and public perception.” The leaders intend to support community-led solutions.

The funders pledged to contribute to existing efforts that are addressing the shortage of affordable housing as well as support nonprofits dealing with emergency housing needs.

The Our Home State fund will be accepting donations from individuals and businesses. Additional information about the housing grant program will be available in the summer of 2026.

The three foundations, all located at 370 Wabasha Street North in downtown St. Paul, did not specify how much money each is putting into the grant funding pool. The three foundations share staff members, but they have separate boards of directors.

Minnesota Housing, a state agency, published a 64-page report this year that provides data on the affordable housing shortage.

“Our Home State deepens our partnerships with communities that have long been working hard toward housing stability,” Erik Takeshita, F.R. Bigelow Foundation board chair, said in a written statement. “We’re aligning resources and power behind community leadership to help ensure every Minnesotan has the dignity of a safe, stable home.”

On Monday morning, Ecolab is hosting a two-hour kickoff event about the housing fund. Beck, Smith Baker, and Alfonso Wenker, senior vice president of community impact for the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, are scheduled to speak. So are leaders from Catholic Charities Twin Cities, Project for Pride in Living, Heading Home Minnesota Funders Collaborative, the Mardag Foundation, and the F.R. Bigelow Foundation.

“Solving Minnesota’s housing stability challenges takes all of us,” Kelsey LaValle, Mardag Foundation president, said in a written statement. “We’re building on the determination and creativity we see in neighborhoods across Minnesota to create local, lasting housing solutions.”