30 Years of Building a Strong Foundation for the Future of Our Region |
Summer 2016 |
New grants received will support AGE to age, Parent Aware Pathways
Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant
A $200,000 two-year grant from the Bush Foundation will help the Northland Foundation to expand its AGE to age initiative and bring this intergenerational framework to more sites in the region. Northland received one of 32 Community Innovation Grants supporting organizations, working in collaboration with others, to use problem-solving processes that lead to more effective, equitable, and sustainable solutions.
Starting this fall, Northland will begin working with the communities of Ely, Hibbing, and Silver Bay to connect older adults, youth, and the generations in between, through our AGE to age: bringing generations together initiative. Since 2008, the Northland Foundation has established 13 AGE to age communities, including three Indian Reservations. The Bush Foundation was one of the first funders to help launch AGE to age, now nationally recognized for excellence in intergenerational programming.
“We were thrilled to be named as a Community Innovation grantee,” stated Tony Sertich, President of the Northland Foundation. “Northeastern Minnesotans are eager for the opportunity to connect young people with older adults in grassroots community-building, which is a key ingredient to maintaining rural vitality.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation
The Northland Foundation was one of a group of select organizations in the state to receive a grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, aimed at elevating community health across Minnesota. The $100,000 grant, which is renewable for a second year, will help support the Northland Foundation’s Parent Aware Pathways Initiative.
Parent Aware Pathways is helping young children in our rural region to be better prepared for school and life by increasing access to and availability of quality early care and education settings in the region. Building on the groundwork achieved since the launch of the Parent Aware Pathways Initiative, the Northland Foundation will help more licensed child care programs achieve and/or maintain a Parent Aware rating.
“The Northland Foundation and its leaders were selected for their potential to tackle and overcome barriers to achieving optimal health among the communities they serve,” said Carolyn Link, the Executive Director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. “We are pleased to be able to support Northland Foundation’s mission and team up to advance health equity.”
Sheltering Arms Foundation
The Sheltering Arms Foundation has awarded $15,000 to help continue the momentum of the Parent Aware Pathways Initiative in northeastern Minnesota. With the support of The Sheltering Arms Foundation, the Northland Foundation will provide an array of training opportunities to help licensed family and center-based child care providers earn, maintain, or increase their Parent Aware rating levels.
“The Northland Foundation deeply appreciates our longtime partnership with The Sheltering Arms Foundation and their continuing commitment to help children reach their full potential,” said Lynn Haglin, Vice President/KIDS PLUS Director at the Northland Foundation.
Parent Aware Pathways was established by the Northland Foundation in 2013 to increase access to high-quality child care in the region.