Open Streets Minneapolis is a City of Minneapolis initiative organized by Our Streets Minneapolis. Since its inception in 2011, Our Streets Minneapolis has organized Open Streets Minneapolis as unpaid contractor.

Our Streets Minneapolis is a small, six-person non-profit, and the work of organizing all Open Streets Minneapolis events is managed by a single Our Streets Minneapolis Events and Program Coordinator. The City of Minneapolis provides in-kind services for Open Streets Minneapolis events, such as cost-free permitting, traffic control, and waste collection.

This current arrangement creates a financial barrier for local vendors, participants, it limits Our Streets Minneapolis' ability to increase access to the event and, because route selection has to prioritize financial sustainability, does not allow the organization to pursue a more equitable route selection process.

In the Minneapolis Transportation Action Plan, the City commits to "Ensure that Open Streets Minneapolis continues to be a sustainable program and evolves. Explore different route types, lengths, frequency and repetition... give people the opportunity to envision Minneapolis streets in a different way."

In response to these concerns, Our Streets Minneapolis is launching a campaign asking the City of Minneapolis to provide $100,000 in funding per year for the Open Streets Minneapolis events. This funding will reduce cost burdens for participating businesses and vendors, allow for greater equity in route selection, increase access for diverse groups, increased accessibility for people with disabilities, and ensure the long-term success of the Open Streets Minneapolis initiative.