Past Grants

• Hands Across the World—Business Training for Minorities Business People: $5,000 to train minority business owners at Waite Park’s International Market on financial and business planning.
• CommunityGiving—Racial Equity in Our Community, Phase II: $10,000 to address inequities and disparities in the St. Cloud region using a variety of strategies, including hosting community conversations, collecting data and producing accessible reports, and coordinating action groups to drive change in workforce, education, health and healthcare and community engagement.
• Minnesota Council on Foundations—2023 Membership: $12,500 to provide annual support for this statewide group that represents community foundations.
• East African Dream, Inc.—Employment and Soft Skills Training for Refugee Youth and Young Adults in St. Cloud: $5,000 to offer soft skills training in predominately low-income communities. The goal is to offer skills training to unemployed youth and young adults to help them land jobs.
• United Way of Central Minnesota—EPIC Coordinator Support Grant: $10,000 to help hire an coordinator for the Exploring Potential Interests and Careers (EPIC) program in St. Cloud.
• Tusen Tack—2023 Strategic Planning: $5,000 to support strategic planning for Tusen Tack to build organizational capacity.
• Funders Network for Smart Growth & Livable Communities—2023 Membership: $3,000 to provide annual support to this affinty group that helps grantmakers across North America advance strategies to create fair, prosperous and sustainable regions and communities. The Funders Network hosts the Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership (PPREP) group, which has helped build the capacity of rural low-income communities in Central Minnesota to be prepared for natural disasters.
• Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Education Association—Bridges Career Depot: $10,000 to support an online platform to help connect area employers with high school youth for first-time jobs that can encourage career exploration, development and workplace skills and behaviors. This platform will highlight employment opportunities in Crow Wing and Cass counties.
• St. Cloud State University Foundation, Inc.—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Sponsorship: $1,000 to sponsor the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. community celebration in St. Cloud.
• Faith in Action—Cass County Community Health Connections: $5,000 to support Cass County Faith in Action to build knowledge of community resources in the rural, low-income area it serves.
• Too Much Talent—Capacity Building: $10,000 to support capacity-building and general operations for Too Much Talent, which supports underserved populations in St. Cloud.
• Anna Marie’s Alliance—General Operations: $5,000 to support the mission of Anna Marie’s Alliance.

• Greater Twin Cities United Way—Start Early Funders Coalition 2022 Membership Dues: $1,000 to provide annual support for this affinity group of philanthropic organizations that support early childhood education and access to quality, affordable child care.
• Pine County—Pine County Child Care Strategic Supply Action Plan: $10,000 to implement a plan to improve access to quality, affordable, economically-sustainable child care in Pine County.
• Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota—Disaster Response in Morrison and Todd Counties: $5,000 to support disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts in Todd and Morrison counties. This grant was supported by The Funders Network.
• Boys & Girls Club of the Leech Lake Area—Building Fundraising Capacity: $2,500 to support a challenge match for Give to the Max Day for the Boys & Girls Club of the Leech Lake Area. This match will help staff build fundraising skills and experience.
• North Star Family Advocacy Center—Increased Fundraising Capacity: $5,000 to support North Star Family Advocacy Center as they begin fundraising with individual donors. This grant will help them to support and sustain the important work they do while also building organizational capacity for future fundraising endeavors.
• Tusen Tack—Facilities Update Initiative: $2,500 to support capacity-building and fundraising work at Tusen Tack.
• A Place For You—Warming Shelter: $10,000 to expand the capacity of A Place For You to serve those suffering from housing insecurity in Pine City and Pine County.
• Hands of Hope Resource Center—Outreach to Spanish-speaking Communities: $5,000 to support equitable access to crime victims services throughout Long Prairie and the surrounding area.
• Wright County Community Action, Inc.—Foreclosure Prevention Capacity: $10,000 to support staff capacity-building in affordable housing and foreclosure prevention.
• Todd County Development Corporation—Planning and Capacity-Building: $5,000 to support capacity-building efforts for staff.
• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud—Organizational Culture Change: $5,000 to support internal culture consultation to build fundraising capacity.
• Higher Works Collaborative—Final Vibrant & Equitable Communities Cohort Grant: $5,000 to support enhanced capacity for Higher Works Collaborative.
• Jugaad Leadership—Final Vibrant & Equitable Communities Cohort Grant: $5,000 to support the enhanced capacity of Jugaad Leadership Program.
• Too Much Talent—Final Vibrant & Equitable Communities Cohort Grant: $5,000 to support the enhanced capacity of Too Much Talent.
• Promise Neighborhood of Central Minnesota—Final Vibrant & Equitable Communities Cohort Grant: $5,000 to support the enhanced capacity of Promise Neighborhood of Central Minnesota.

• Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization—Final Vibrant & Equitable Communities Cohort Grant: $5,000 to support the enhanced capacity of Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization.
• City of Becker—Comprehensive Water System Study: $35,000 to support infrastructure planning for water and wastewater treatment and improvements needed to help generate new economic development in advance of the closure of the Sherburne County Coal Generation Station. This grant is funded with resources provided by the McKnight Foundation’s climate program.
• Sherburne County—Transportation Planning & Environmental Linkage Study: $35,000 to support a transportation study that integrates environmental and community values in and around the cities of Becker and Monticello. This grant is funded by the McKnight Foundation’s climate program to help diversify the local economy in advance of the Sherburne County Coal Generation Station closure.
• Environmental Initiative—Lottery Reauthorization Coalition Transformation Subgroup: $12,000 to reform the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund processes to support greater engagement and funding for rural, low-income and minority communities across Minnesota. This grant was supported by the McKnight Foundation.
• University of Minnesota Foundation—Clean Energy for Food Shelves: Efficiency, Electrification and Renewables: $20,000 to help up to three food shelves in Central Minnesota explore energy efficiency and renewable energy options to help control costs and improve service to food-insecure residents of the region. This grant was supported by the McKnight Foundation.
• Benton Economic Partnership, Inc.—Identifying Housing Opportunities for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals: $10,000 to support a partnership with the Central Minnesota Re-Entry Project to help individuals with past incarceration gain housing, job skills and employment while shoring up the region’s acute need for workers.
• Friends of Career Solutions—Worker Insight Survey: $5,000 to help conduct a survey of workers to assess barriers to returning to the workforce.
• Chisago County Economic Development Authority—Countywide Economic Growth: $10,000 to implement the 2020 strategic plan developed by the Chisago County Economic Development Authority.
• The City of Cambridge—Regional Wellness Center Feasibility Study: $10,000 to commission a feasibility study into a regional wellness center.
• Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Inc.—Federal Reserve Survey: $5,000 to help conduct a survey of workers to assess barriers to returning to the workforce.
• City of Sandstone—Workforce Housing Development: $10,000 to support preliminary design and feasibility analysis for converting the former Sandstone School into affordable workforce housing.

Otto Bremer Trust – Nonprofit Funds

• Brainerd Family YMCA—Capital Development Project: $40,000

• My Neighbor to Love Coalition—Supportive Housing Community: $5,000 to support organizational goals to raise funds for Brainerd Lakes area affordable housing.
• Wadena Development Authority—Lead for Wadena: Fellowship for Artisan Economic Development: $4,000 to support a Lead for Minnesota student for a second year to organize community development opportunities around a creative economy theme.
• Reach Out and Read Minnesota—Mirrors and Windows Diverse Books Project: $5,000 to support the purchase of age-appropriate books for distribution through health care providers to young parents in the Leech Lake and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe communities.
• Pregnancy and Life Resource Center—Hispanic Interpreting: $2,000 to provide Spanish-language interpreting for those seeking health care and guidance related to pregnancy.
• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud—Financial Literacy Education: $5,000 to support financial planning and literacy with low- to moderate-income seniors in Central Minnesota.
• City of Crosslake—Community Connection Channels for Parks and Public Spaces: $5,000 to support public engagement and planning efforts related to potential public open space in the Downtown Crossing area of Crosslake.
• Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation—Rural Voice Series: $10,000 to support the Rural Voice series, specifically the Central Minnesota event on Sept. 20, 2022, at Krewe Restaurant in St. Joseph.
  Minnesota Council of Nonprofits—2023 Membership Renewal: $1,200 to provide annual support for this nonprofit affinity organization.

• Wadena County Developmental Achievement Center, Inc.—Building Maintenance for Sebeka Main Campus and Verndale: $5,000 to support the Wadena County Developmental Achievement Center in building fundraising capacity.
• Brainerd Family YMCA—Capital Development Project: $50,000 to support the Transformative Capital Campaign of the Brainerd Lakes Area YMCA. This grant was supported by the Otto Bremer Trust.
• Lakes Area Food Shelf, Inc.—2022 Sponsorship Challenge: $10,000 to build fundraising capacity at the community level for Lakes Area Food Shelf.
• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud—Senior Dining and Meals on Wheels: $5,000 to support food access for low-income seniors in Kanabec County.
• Veteran Resource & Enrichment Center, Inc.—Recovery: $5,000 to support Veterans Resource and Enrichment Center in building organizational capacity.
• Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Inc.—Give to the Max Day Challenge Grant: $5,000 to support enhanced fundraising on Give to the Max Day 2022 to support pop-up pantries in rural communities.
• MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, Inc.—Todd Wadena Child Care Expansion: $10,000 to support child care programming in Todd and Wadena counties.
• Higher Works Collaborative—Vibrant and Equitable Community: $5,000 to support organizational capacity building.
  Promise Neighborhood of Central Minnesota—Organization and Community Empowerment: $5,000 to support organizational capacity-building.

• Becker Public Schools—Public Electric Vehicle Charging Service: $45,000 to install a public electric vehicle charging station at the high school. Funding supports design, construction and post-construction maintenance. This $70,000 project is funded with support from the McKnight Foundation’s Climate and Energy Program. Additional support is provided by Xcel Energy.
• Northern Waters Land Trust—Exploring Carbon Sequestration, Phase Two: $26,000 to expand an existing program to explore how foresters, farmers and other properties owners can gain financial benefit from carbon sequestration through the protection or restoration of woody biomass. This effort will import lessons learned in Hubbard County and adapt to the needs and interests of property owners in Crow Wing and Cass counties. This grant was supported by the Morgan Family Foundation.
• Eagle Valley Custom Meat Processing—Eagle Bend Tornado Relief: $800 to provide small business disaster relief in the aftermath of a May 2022 tornado. This grant was supported by The Funders Network.
• Eagle Bend Farm & Lumber Supply, Inc.—Eagle Bend Tornado Relief: $4,600 to provide small business disaster relief in the aftermath of a May 2022 tornado. This grant was supported by The Funders Network.
• Shirley’s Gas & Grocery, Inc.—Eagle Bend Tornado Relief: $4,600 to provide small business disaster relief in the aftermath of a May 2022 tornado. This grant was supported by The Funders Network.

• Jugaad Leadership Program—Intercultural Development Inventory Training: $3,600 for staff to complete training on the Intercultural Development Inventory.
• HousingLink—Beyond Backgrounds: Creating Housing Security for Vulnerable Renters: $5,000 to help vulnerable renters find and secure stable housing.
• Lakes Area Senior Activity Center—Technology Transformation: $8,000 to support technological advancements for the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center.
• Foster Advocates—Minnesota Promise to Fosters: Central Minnesota Listening Sessions: $5,000 to support listening sessions to surface community-driven solutions to drive change across the child welfare system.
• Eagle Bend Area Development Corporation—Hilltop Senior Campus: $5,000 to support planning and preparation for a Hilltop senior campus.
• Great River Area Faith in Action—Furniture for Families: $2,500 to support a furniture delivery program for those in need.
• CentraCare Health System—Granite Table Community Scorecard: $2,500 to refine a community health scorecard and to guide collaborative strategies and response in Greater St. Cloud.
• Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation—Spirit of Hope Matching Support Funding: $5,000 challenge grant to support nonprofits addressing the urgent needs of Brainerd-area vulnerable populations.
• St. Cloud State University Foundation, Inc.—Diversity Teacher Initiative: Workforce Development: $5,000 to support recruitment, retention, graduation and placement of people of color in teaching positions within Central Minnesota.

• True Friends—Training Staff for Human Services Jobs: $5,000 to support an employment training program.
• Mille Lacs Area Community Foundation—Keep It Clean Campaign: $5,000 to create a culture around Mille Lacs Lake that encourages anglers and other winter recreational lake users to “leave no trace.” The campaign includes geo-fencing ads, banners, posters, window clings, stickers, table tents, robust media and social media campaigns and presentations to local units of government and others.
• The Yes Network—Building Community Through Art, Music and STEM: $5,000 to support the Yes Network’s summer programs for youth community building and enrichment.
  Wright County Community Action, Inc.—Assessing the Needs of Wright County: $5,000 to support a needs analysis in Wright County.
• Region Five Development Commission—Cultivating Communities Sponsorship: $5,000 sponsorship for a Sept. 19-20 Cultivating Communities event at Arrowwood Conference Center in Baxter. Citizens from throughout Region Five will learn and share ideas and create next steps for a more inclusive, equitable and just region for all who live here and for all who are yet to come.
• Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures—Onamia Childcare Center: $10,000 to support start-up costs associated with a child care center in Onamia, intended to meet the common needs of the community, Mille Lacs Health Systems and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. When fully operational, the center will support 63 children.

• Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization—Vibrant and Equitable Communities: $5,000 to support organizational capacity building.
• Jugaad Leadership Program—Vibrant and Equitable Communities: $5,000 to support organizational capacity building.
• Too Much Talent—Employee Expansion: $5,000 to support organizational capacity building.
• Sherburne County—Public Charging EV Service Pilot With Xcel Energy: $40,000 to install a public EV charging station at the local high school. The project provides funds for the design of charging infrastructure, the actual construction and infrastructure maintenance post construction. Corresponding infrastructure would cost $70,000 and will be funded by Xcel Energy. This project is funded with support from the McKnight Foundation’s Climate and Energy Program.
• City of Swanville—Implementation of Energy and Environmental Plan: $5,000 to support a Region Five Development Commission partnership to enhance energy efficiency, including conversion to LED lighting and investment in a more efficient furnace.
• St. Cloud State University—Central Region Small Business Development Center Inclusivity Project: $10,000 to provide technical assistance and culturally appropriate support for underrepresented and aspiring entrepreneurs in the Greater St. Cloud area.
• City of Bertha—Todd County Broadband Coalition: $10,000 for a community survey and to implement strategies identified through the Blandin Foundation’s Broadband Accelerator program.

• Someplace Safe—General Operating Support for the Wadena Advocacy Office: $2,500 to support general operating expenses for programming and services provided by the Wadena Advocacy Office.
• Amherst H. Wilder Foundation—Minnesota Compass: $5,000 to provide annual support to Minnesota Compass, which provides community- and county-specific data to help track progress or disparities across critical measures of community health and vitality.
• Minnesota Council on Foundations—2022 Membership: $12,500 for 2022 membership dues.
• Anderson Center—Forum Scholarships: $10,000 to provide scholarships for private and nonprofit sector leaders to benefit from the array of professional development training offered by the Anderson Center.
• Boys & Girls Club of Central Minnesota—CareerSTART Program: $2,000 to support the CareerSTART program, which provides exploration, development and application of career paths for youth in grades kindergarten to grade 12.
• Friends of Career Solutions—Career Trek for Teens: $5,000 to support Career Trek, a career exploration program.
• Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest—2021-22 Finance Park Virtual Programming: $2,000 to support the Finance Park virtual program.
• Sakan Community Resource, Inc.—Families Prosper: $5,000 to prepare families and individuals for financial stability and homeownership with culturally informed services that lead to more stable and affordable housing.

• Community Dental Care—Workforce Pipeline Project: $10,000 to support a partnership with St. Cloud Technical and Community College to recruit, retain and place dental hygiene program graduates at the new Community Dental Care Clinic in Wright County.
• Jugaad Leadership Program: $6,000 to support networking and training for emerging leaders in the Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) community of Greater St. Cloud.
• Community Grassroots Solutions—Halal Meat Slaughterhouse Feasibility Study: $5,000 to support a feasibility analysis for a halal-certified meat processing facility to serve the Muslim population in Central Minnesota.
• Bridges of Hope—Resource Connection Services: $5,000 to support the Resource Connection Services program at Bridges of Hope.
• Community Aid of Elk River: $4,000 to support software research, acquisition and staff training for fund development.
• Sprout—Little Falls Local Food Collaborative Feasibility Study: $4,000 to support a feasibility study to identify linkages in the local foods value chain.
• Sourcewell—Students of Character Sponsorship: $1,000 to support the annual Students of Character celebration at Sourcewell.
• Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation—Recharge St. Cloud: $10,000 to support the Recharge St. Cloud electric vehicle expo.
• Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation—2022 Annual Investment: $25,000 to support the work of the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation.

• Small Business Development Center at Central Lakes College—Technical Assistance for Small Business Success: $10,000 to support business planning and technical assistance.
• Chisago County Economic Development Authority—Highway 8 Strategic Framework: $7,500 to support community engagement and professional planning along the Highway 8 corridor to encourage thoughtful economic development.
• City of Sandstone—Pine County Logistics & Transportation Analysis: $5,000 to complete a study on railroad, highway, and other forms of transportation to provide tools to guide infrastructure investments to expand the area tax base and economic opportunities.
• Northern Waters Land Trust—Exploring Carbon Sequestration-Land Conservation Coordination in North Central Minnesota: $10,000 to explore the feasibility of creating an incentive program to support protection or restoration of forests that generate revenue for the property owner while also capturing carbon and buffering sensitive lands and waters. This grant was funded by the Morgan Family Foundation.
• Leech Lake Housing Authority—Leech Lake Housing Authority Homebuyer Program: $41,250 to support the Leech Lake Housing Authority’s down payment assistance program, improving the resiliency of the community and supporting increased homeownership. This grant was funded by The Funders Network.

Minnesota Department of Education and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund

• Pine Technical and Community College—Positive Child Guidance Mentor Project: $3,200

• Funders Network for Smart Growth & Livable Communities—2022 Annual Membership: $2,000 to provide annual support to this affinty group that helps grantmakers across North America advance strategies to create fair, prosperous and sustainable regions and communities that offer everyone the chance for a good life. The Funders Network is the host for the Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership (PPREP) group, which has helped build the capacity of rural low-income communities in Central Minnesota to be prepared for natural disasters.
• Pine Technical & Community College Foundation—Recognition of Traci Tapani’s Service to the Initiative Foundation Board of Trustees: $1,000 for general operating support at Pine Technical & Community College Foundation.
• United Way of Central Minnesota—Exploring Potential Interests and Careers (EPIC) Career and College Readiness Pathways Expansion: $8,000 to support the EPIC project and ongoing career exploration initiatives in Central Minnesota.
• Goodwill Industries, Inc.—Bridging the Gap Created by COVID-19 for Youth in St. Cloud Through Employment Services: $5,000 to support the Employment and Career Readiness Training and employment and placement services for high-risk high school youth and young adults in the St. Cloud area.
• Project Forward Inc.: $5,000 to support transitional housing and support services to veterans and those experiencing housing insecurity.
• Ellison Center—Strategic Planning Project: $5,000 to support capacity building projects for Ellison Center staff.
• Tri-County Community Action Partnership, Inc.—Strategic Planning Project: $5,000 to support strategic planning for the Tri-County Community Action Partnership.
• Royalton Public Schools—Robotics: $5,000 to provide a challenge grant to help secure local sponsorship for middle and high school robotics clubs in Royalton.
• New Pathways, Inc.—Community Engagement: $5,000 to support capacity building for fund development.

• Sherburne County Area United Way—Strategic Planning and Capacity Building: $5,000 to support strategic planning and capacity building for Sherburne County Area United Way.
• Rivers of Hope—Capacity Building for Victim and Survivor Financial Empowerment: $4,000 to support capacity building and programming for Rivers of Hope.
• Too Much Talent—COVID-19 Advocacy: $5,000 for general operating support to advance Too Much Talent’s missions of economic empowerment and strengthening families.
• City of Baxter—Mississippi River Overlook Open Space Master Plan and Community Use Policy: $5,000 to support planning and public engagement to complete a study that will improve the quality of life in Baxter and the surrounding area.
• Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota—Pop-up Meals for High-risk Senior Citizens in Cass and Crow Wing Counties: $5,000 to pilot an innovative pop-up meal distribution program for income-eligible seniors in Crow Wing and southern Cass counties.
• Lakes Area Food Shelf, Inc.—Visioning for Lakes Area Food Shelf and the Community Resource Network: $5,000 to support a visioning and strategic planning process to strengthen the food shelf, improve its services and broaden its impact.
• Rise, Inc.—Partnership for a Successful Re-entry for People with Mental Illness: $5,000 to support employment services to incarcerated individuals with serious mental illness who are scheduled for supervised release in Central Minnesota.
• Great River Children’s Museum—Planning, Training and Building Initiatives: $5,000 to support increased capacity for the Great River Children’s Museum.
• Anna Marie’s Alliance—Understanding Capital Capacity Through a Feasibility Study: $5,000 to support a feasibility study for the next stage of the organization’s Building Hope capital campaign.

• Minnesota Learning Center, Inc.—New Vision: $5,000 to support programs to increase community capacity to solve problems related to workforce, housing and food sovereignty.
• ConnectAbility of MN—2021-2022 Building Team Capacity Through Staff Trainings: $5,000 to support staff capacity-building initiatives for ConnectAbility of MN, which serves those with disabilities.
• Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation—Employee Benefits & Engagement Survey and 2021 Membership: $10,000 to support a partnership with Lakes Area Human Resources Association, Lakes Area Manufacturing Association, Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association and the Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce to develop and distribute a survey to determine how businesses compare in their offerings for health benefits, wellness programs, leave benefits, work schedules, employee development opportunities, engagement, incentives and performance management.
• Family Pathways—Supporting Doorstep Delivery in the Chisago Lakes Area: $3,000 to support food delivery in the Chisago Lakes area. This grant was funded by the Minnesota Council on Foundations and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s Disaster Recovery Fund.
• Latino Economic Development Center—Winter Workwear: $3,000 to support purchase of winter work clothes for Latino employees who work outdoors. This grant was funded by the Minnesota Council on Foundations and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s Disaster Recovery Fund.
• Latino Economic Development Center—Workwear/Daycare Field Trip: $2,000 to support exploration of culturally appropriate child care opportunities, including visiting existing child care facilities and providing translation support for women interested in entering the child care field. This grant was funded by the Northland Foundation and Wells Fargo.

• CommunityGiving—EmpowerCF 2021 Sponsorship: $1,000 to support the annual convening of community foundations. This grant was in partnership with Southwest Initiative Foundation.
• Minnesota Council of Nonprofits—2021 Membership: $1,200 to support the annual operations of this statewide group that works to build the capacity and voice of Minnesota’s nonprofit sector.
• Greater Minnesota Partnership—2021 Membership: $1,000 to provide annual support to this advocacy organization that represents the needs of Central Minnesota communities.
• Crow River Trail Guards, Inc.—Donor Management Software: $5,000 to support capacity-building activities.
• Friends of the Paynesville Public Library—Expansion Grant: $5,000 to support community engagement, planning, design and other feasibility assessments for the expansion or relocation of the public library.
• Open Doors For Youth—Creating a Roadmap for the Future: $5,000 to support strategic planning.
• CommunityGiving—Building Racial Equity in Our Community: $10,000 to create a network across sectors and communities, connect ideas and resources, share best practices and develop an assessment to advance solutions to systemic racism.
• True Friends—Identifying Project Funding Potential: $5,000 to support a feasibility study to explore the potential for a new welcome and recreation center.
• Community Growth Fund, Inc.—Welcoming Advocates Valuing Everyone: $5,000 to help establish a community liaison and supports to welcome newcomers to Long Prairie, particularly those for whom language is a barrier. The liaison would also help newcomers access resources and amenities in the community.

• Main Street Family Services—Sustainability Plan: $3,000 to support development of a sustainable fundraising plan and the tools necessary for implementation. Main Street Family Services provides supervised family visitation, therapeutic counseling, training and other resources.
• Bridges of Hope—Capacity-Building for Emergency Warming Shelter Development in Crow Wing County: $10,000 to support feasibility analysis, planning and staffing for an emergency warming shelter to serve those in the Brainerd Lakes Area experiencing housing insecurity.
• Anishinabe Legal Services, Inc.—Community Needs Assessment Surveying Project: $5,000 to support a community needs assessment at the Leech Lake Sovereign Nation.
• True Directions, Inc.—Outpatient Peer Recovery Support Services Program: $5,000 to support a pilot project to build a new program in peer recovery coaching.
• Kinship Partners, Inc.—One-On-One Career Mentoring for Students: $5,000 to support a feasibility analysis for a one-on-one career mentoring program for students ages 14-18.
• Greater Twin Cities United Way Start Early Funders Coalition—2021 Membership: $1,000 to provide annual support to this coalition providing critical leadership and funding for research, program development, public policy and grantmaking to improve early childhood efforts in Minnesota.

• The Trust for Public Land—Minnesota Coalition 2021–22: $5,000 to support this coalition working to secure additional state funding to protect natural resources, improve the environment, right environmental injustices of the past and engage more diverse citizen leaders going forward to achieve bigger, bolder and longer-term success.
• City of Braham—Economic Development Overview & Preliminary Hotel Development Report: $5,000 to retain Hospitality Marketers, LLC, to prepare an economic development overview and preliminary hotel development report.
• City of Isle—Post-Pandemic Seminars and Training: $1,000 to support training and technical assistance to area businesses to help them recover and rebound from pandemic-associated impacts.
• City of Lindstrom—Economic Development Authority’s Downtown Design Study: $5,000 to support downtown design and revitalization plans.
• Benton Economic Partnership, Inc.—County-Wide Broadband Feasibility Analysis: $10,000 to identify unserved and underserved areas within the county that are experiencing a lack of affordable, efficient and reliable broadband access by conducting a countywide broadband feasibility analysis.
• Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program, Inc.—Little Falls Job Fair Support: $5,000 to support a job fair on Oct. 14, 2021.

• Cuyuna Range Youth Center—Internship Program: $5,000 to support development of a program that connects youth with local employers to develop job skills and create pathways to employment.
• Community Connection Allies—2021 Senior Dining & Meals on Wheels: $5,000 to partner with Catholic Charities to provide meals to people who are homebound or in need of rehabilitation time from surgery, injury or illness.
• Success Academy—After-school Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) Club for East African Students in St. Cloud: $5,000 to establish an afterschool STEM club to provide hands-on activities and tutoring to increase understanding and retention of school subjects.
• Morrison County Food Shelf—General Operating Funds: $1,000 to support food security services in Morrison County.
• Bridges of Hope—Strategic Planning to Grow Organizational Capacity: $5,000 to support a strategic planning process designed to foster greater organizational stability and effectiveness.
• Anna Marie’s Alliance—Building Capacity Through Board Strategic Planning: $5,000 to support a board strategic planning process to continue the organization’s efforts to be forward-thinking and courageous.
• Oasis Central Minnesota—Strategic Planning Support: $5,000 to support strategic planning for Oasis Central Minnesota.
• Terebinth Refuge—Shelter Program General Operations: $5,000 to support the mission of Terebinth Refuge.

• Region Five Development Commission—Justice System Community Outreach: $7,500 to bring together local law enforcement and diverse consortium of community members to listen, share, learn and build trusting relationships.
• The Outreach Program of Brainerd Lakes—Strategic Planning Session for Board of Directors and Staff: $5,000 to support strategic planning for The Outreach Program of the Brainerd Lakes Area.
• Avivo—Career Exploration and Medical Office Training for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) High School Seniors: $5,000 for career exploration and medical office training for BIPOC high school seniors to address the racial wage gap in the St. Cloud area.
• Rural Renewable Energy Alliance—Organizational Capacity Building: $3,000 to support strategic planning for the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance.
• Hands Across the World—AmeriCorps Volunteers in Serivce to America (VISTA) Project Launch: $5,000 to build the capacity of Hands Across The World by supporting an Americorps VISTA to build new hybrid learning systems.
• Brainerd Family YMCA—Data and Site Assessment for Child Care Satellite: $10,000 to support site assessment and design for the expansion of quality, affordable childcare facilities in the Brainerd community.

• United Way of Central Minnesota—Central Minnesota Child Care Credentialing Program: $10,000 to support a partnership with St. Cloud Technical and Community College, helping cover costs for students participating in an Accelerated Childhood Development Associate Certificate program. This provided entry-level credentials to 30 new child care providers serving in the Greater St. Cloud area and serves as a stepping stone for additional credentials.
• Kanabec County Economic Development Authority—2021 Strategic Plan Update: $2,500 To update the strategic plan for the Kanabec County Economic Development Authority. This will identify the strategic direction for the next three years and will include a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Education Association—Residential Recruitment, Research and Development: $10,000 to research recruitment needs and practices of Brainerd Lakes Area employers to develop a united residential recruitment effort. This would include businesses, nonprofit organizations and government entities.
• Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures—Mille Lacs Tribal Economy Satellite Broadband Study: $6,670 to support a 12-month case study of four home sites and one staff site within the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe districts to gather information about the services and experiences. Data will measure speed, reliability, device usage and more to understand the reliability, affordability and convenience of services.

• North Star Family Advocacy Center—Virtual Tour/Video Tour: $5,000 to support expanded public outreach and build overall capacity. Because this organization’s work is highly confidential, they need to be innovative in the way they invite the public to share in their mission.
• Waite Park Somali Community Association—Capacity Building: $5,000 to support the tools and space needed for the Waite Park Somali Community Association to improve efficiency, create a better public-facing office environment and improve communication systems.
• Jugaad Leadership Program—QuickBooks Start-up Support: $5,000 to help program staff build financial capacity as a newly formed 501(c)(3).
• Promise Neighborhood of Central Minnesota—Training and Empowerment: $5,000 to support capacity building training and technical assistance for Promise Neighborhood of Central Minnesota.
• The American Association of University Women—St. Cloud Area Branch Savvy Teens Seminars for Career Success: $2,000 to develop online resources to highlight career opportunities for young women of color.
• Wright County Economic Development Partnership—Workforce Pathways Reboot: $10,000 to support career exploration and illuminate workforce pathways available to young adults in Wright County.
• Brainerd Restoration—Community Workforce Inclusion Council: $3,600 to support training for Brainerd Lakes area businesses interested in attracting and retaining a more diverse workforce.
• Wadena Development Authority—Lead for Wadena: Artisanship for Economic Development: $7,500 to share costs for Lead for America fellow to support economic development through art.
• Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development—Music on Main and Highway 210 Revitalization Project: $5,000 to support programming to offset adverse economic impacts associated with downtown highway reconstruction.

• Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation—Annual Investment 2021: $25,000 to provide annual support for business and workforce development initiatives in the Greater St. Cloud region.
• City of Little Falls—Residential Broadband Implementation Study: $7,500 to support feasibility analysis for expansion of high-speed broadband services.
• Anderson Center—Forum Scholarships: $10,000 to provide scholarships for entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders to attend management and leadership training offered by the Anderson Center.
• ConnectAbility of Minnesota—Growing Staff Capacity: $3,000 to build capacity of staff and the organization through training and technical assistance.
• Wilder Foundation—Minnesota Compass: $4,000 to provide annual database research and support for key measures of community and economic vitality in Central Minnesota.
• Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration—Urgent Needs, Volunteers and Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: $4,000 to support an increase in diversity of volunteers in organizations across Central Minnesota.
• Region 5 Children’s Museum—Strategic Fund Development Plan: $5,000 to support a feasibility analysis and funder development plan.
• Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest, St. Cloud Area—Support Strategic Planning Shifts and New Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Focus: $5,000 to support recruitment and retention of more diverse volunteers.
• Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation—Capacity Building Initiative: $3,000 to build organizational capacity.

• Community Aid of Elk River—Food Shelf Strategic Plan Project: $5,000 to assist the organization in planning for a successful future.
• Jugaad Leadership Program—Mentoring Project: $8,000 to support this leadership and mentoring program for young professionals of color.
• Minnesota Council on Foundations—2021 Membership: $5,850 to provide annual support to this professional affinity organization. The Minnesota Council on Foundations is a vibrant philanthropic community collectively advancing prosperity and equity.
• Minnesota Council on Foundations—2021 Annual Conference Sponsorship: $2,500 to provide support for this year’s virtual annual conference.
• Sourcewell—Students of Character Celebration Sponsorship: $1,000 to support the 30th annual Students of Character celebration hosted by Sourcewell.
• Higher Works Collaborative—Project Look Up: $5,000 to expand the capacity of the organization through training and resources to strengthen fundraising and financial management.
• Pine Technical and Community College—Accelerated Early Childhood Certificate: $10,000 to provide workforce support by facilitating training for potential child care workers.
• Too Much Talent—Advocacy Training on the COVID-19 Vaccine for Communities of Color: $5,000 to build capacity to advocate for increased COVID-19 vaccinations in the Black community.
• Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization—Capacity-Building Grant: $5,000 to build an online presence and keep staff and clients safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.