CURA provides small grants to community-based organizations, neighborhoods, and artists so they have the resources to generate solutions and create opportunities, while honoring their unique knowledge and experience.
Neighborhood Partnership Initiative
Increases the engagement, power and influence of community members affected by racial, social and economic disparities
Charles R. Krusell Fellowship in Community Development
Provides fellowship and internship opportunities for historically underrepresented students at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs who have a career interest in housing and community development issues
Grantmaking-related events, news, projects and research archive
Lee Guekguezian
Lee Guekguezian (she/her) is a community-based researcher committed to decision-making justice and elevating lived experiences through research. As a program director at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), they lead initiatives that connect university resources with community-driven projects across Minnesota. Their work focuses on facilitating trust-based collaborations, translating complex findings into accessible narratives, and using data visualization to explore patterns of displacement, ownership, and investment.
Lee holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and a degree in Geography from Macalester College. Their experience spans affordable housing policy and funding, spatial analysis, and program evaluation, working to democratize research and data to amplify community narratives. Outside of work, Lee enjoys biking around the Twin Cities, making rugs, and being a regular at iPho in St. Paul.
Related programs
