Recently Awarded Grants

From April through June, the Northland Foundation awarded $1,011,000 in quarterly grants and another $27,500 in Maada’ookiing grants to benefit the people and communities within its geographic service area.

Two large Systems Change Grants totaling $300,000 were awarded to initiatives that target the root causes of social issues. Beyond providing direct services, grantees are seeking to shift policies, mindsets, and power dynamics that have allowed issues to exist and persist, or to modify how services are delivered leading to better outcomes for populations being served. Systems Change grantees are working to promote fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems.

Two-year grants of $150,000 each were awarded to: Koochiching County Food Access to help move food systems and access in the county toward a more sustainable and equitable model, and to Carlton County to improve community response for domestic violence survivors and their children and help break the cycle of violence across generations.

“Undoing existing systems and services and rebuilding them to be better is no small task. That’s why we’re committing significant resources over multiple years to organizations with the capacity to take on these big

challenges and opportunities.

Michelle Ufford, Director of Grantmaking

In addition to quarterly and systems change grants, 11 Maada’ookiing grants totaling $27,500 were recommended for approval by the Maada’ookiing Advisory Board in late June. Maada’ookiing is an Indigenous-led program offering up to $2,500 to individuals for creative projects that strengthen Indigenous community, culture, and regional capacity.

Click the link to view all recently awarded grants: APRIL – JUNE GRANTS.


Current special grant opportunities

As a reminder, we are currently accepting applications for several special grant opportunities:

  • grants to help child care businesses start and expand in the region, including special funding for Greater St. Louis County child care,
  • grants to licensed family- and center-based child care to help pay for critical needs that allow them to sustain services, and
  • grants up to $10,000 that support individual or small group grassroots efforts to raise awareness, promote healing, or otherwise address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives.

Visit our Special Grants page for details and to apply.