Ashley Fairbanks grew up in Minneapolis, and when her hometown came under siege by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in late 2025, she started a Google Doc to connect people with resources to people in need. Her sizable social media following helped the list of links grow, eventually morphing into a major online hub for mutual aid that has mobilized more than $20 million. 

In a matter of months, Stand With Minnesota has become a beacon for generosity, collective action, and caregiving as an act of resistance. The crowd-funded, volunteer-run site has channeled donations across a range of community needs—flights, groceries, laundry, and rent assistance for people who were unable to work during the crackdown. A local foundation joined forces with a commitment of up to $16 million in matching funds for rent relief, as evictions have become a critical concern in the area. Fairbanks, an Anishinaabe artist and digital storyteller, sees an important role for projects like Stand With Minnesota amid more traditional philanthropy. “We have to have money that’s more nimble.”

Fairbanks, who now lives in San Antonio, has a background in political organizing and strategic communications and builds websites for a living. She has shared a template and toolkits with other U.S. cities that want to replicate the Stand With Minnesota model. “The most important thing people can do is actually meet the people who are around them in community, and invest in them,” she says. “Mutual aid, at its core, recognizes that our stakes are all tied together. It's a radical, human thing to want to help your neighbors.”