EquaSpace supports nonprofits in tough times through power of proximity

It’s the end of the workday at EquaSpace, a nonprofit co-working space in the Court International Building, and about 50 people have gathered in the third-floor conference room for a good cry. The “success hub for communities” is hosting its inaugural Hot Ones Challenge. Cold beverage, karaoke, and Rolaids to follow.
There’s been no shortage of heartburn for Twin Cities nonprofits, including those concentrated near EquaSpace’s flagship at University Avenue and Highway 280: Covid; a racial reckoning and backlash; soaring demand for services; falling charitable contributions; federal funding cuts. Amid these stresses, creating spaces for nonprofit staff to support each other and delight in the company of peers is mission-critical.
“The leadership at Equaspace places a strong emphasis on mental health and combating burnout, which is especially crucial in today’s high-stress nonprofit environment,” says Kevin Vollmers, an engagement consultant at EquaSpace. “A good example of this commitment is the wellness professionals [leadership] has brought in.”
For a sector felt by many to be under siege, EquaSpace sponsors a full calendar of capacity-building events that are open to the nonprofit community at-large. But more than programming, its proximity and a sense of common cause that EquaSpace offers tenants. “It’s a natural environment for connection and collaboration,” says Vollmers. “Whether it’s in shared offices or casual conversations in common areas like the lunchroom, nonprofits are able to engage with and support one another with ease here.”
At this home to 20+ nonprofits, form follows function. EquaSpace features plentiful exterior windows, sightlines to common spaces and Court International’s ample atrium, and spaces configured for a mix of large convenings, small team huddles, and focused individual work.
EquaSpace Executive Director, Sarah Clyne, says she took a relational approach to configuring the different spaces the co-office provides, engaging tenants in at least two conversations to understand how each nonprofit team functions. “Understanding day-to-day people traffic was key, coupled with the [need for] reservable conference rooms,” says Clyne. “Our approach is to ensure that we are right-sizing organizations, versus a traditional landlord approach, which is transactional and hands-off.”
Niila Hebert, executive director of Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement, says EquaSpace’s planning process has translated to how tenants feel in the space. “[EquaSpace leadership] spent time asking questions. They spent time discovering. That’s the root of design thinking. You center people. And we have felt centered. We have felt cared for,” she says, calling the result: “A container where we can do hard things together.”
Hard things like paying rent – an expense that’s only become more difficult for nonprofits to shoulder since Covid. “We reduced our in-person presence from five to two days a week, so the business case was there,” says Hebert, noting that MAVA has saved close to $1,000 a month in overhead since moving to EquaSpace.
For EquaSpace’s executive director, Clyne, the center’s success is helping dismantle “The Overhead Myth”– the idea that infrastructure is separate from the programs that support an organization’s mission. “In fact, infrastructure is integral to mission work,” says Clyne. “We’re deepening impact because these organizations can spend more of their time on the mission work versus the infrastructure. Because we’re doing that for them.”
Mihailo Temali came to EquaSpace already a believer in the benefits of shared spaces. As the founder and longtime executive director of Neighborhood Development Center, Temali helped realize projects like the Midtown Global Market and Mercado Central, which thrived on the synergy among tenants. “You get to know five or 10 or 20 other people who are in the same boat as you. And they’re literally your neighbors,” says Temali, who now heads the Build from Within Alliance, an NDC spinoff. “It creates a fantastic support group. It’s a network, a referral group, a friend group. All of that.”
Temali explains that – even with 40 years of experience structuring loans for under resourced entrepreneurs – conversations with fellow tenants like Exodus Lending have made him think in new ways about his own work. “It’s really broadened my mind.” Even casual conversations can surface practical information, according to Temali. “Say someone’s going to the legislature. Well, someone else may know someone on a particular committee. It’s a very rich interchange.”
Aaron Weed, chief operating officer at Jorgenson Construction, attended EquaSpace’s open house, and has considered himself a superfan ever since. “We were really impressed with the energy, the positivity, and the collaborative atmosphere of the space, as well as the architectural design,” says Weed. While Jorgenson’s portfolio includes mostly fire stations, churches, schools, and traditional office environments, he sees a strong alignment between EquaSpace and Jorgenson’s organizational culture and values. Its success has inspired the construction firm to think about ways to leverage their respective strengths. “It’s these kinds of collaborations that really drive growth,” says Weed.
EquaSpace’s founder and board chair, Susan Corrodoni, thinks there’s an untapped demand for the EquaSpace concept. “From an economic perspective, it’s an extremely leverageable model. In our first space, we can serve 20 organizations. We can serve 250 people in this space alone. And it’s not that big.”
By all appearances, it’s not big enough to meet current demand. There’s a long and growing waiting list of nonprofits seeking an EquaSpace office. The success hub’s leadership team is exploring possibilities that include a St. Cloud location, a vacant Minneapolis Public School building, and an expansion into another space at the Court International Building locale.
With seasoned partners like Jorgenson and Court International’s leaseholder, Suntide – combined with a cratered commercial real estate market – EquaSpace is poised to get major social returns from fairly modest outlays. “It doesn’t take a lot of capital or a huge operating expense,” says Corrodoni, who left a career on Wall Street to focus on social mission work. “I think once the community sees that, like they have in other communities, it will create a new ecosystem.”