Recently Awarded Grants

• JULY – SEPTEMBER QUARTERLY GRANTS
  In the third quarter of 2023, the Northland Foundation staff and Board of Trustees awarded 35 grants totaling $603,500 to nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations, as well as government entities such as school districts and Tribal nations. Click for quarterly grants details.
• OCTOBER YOUTH IN PHILANTHROPY GRANTS
  In October, the young people and adult mentors serving on the Youth In Philanthropy Advisory Board met and approved seven grants totaling $7,419. Grants range up to $1000 each for school and community projects that are planned and developed by children and youth, with support from adult advisors. Click for Youth In Philanthropy grants details.
• FALL MAADA’OOKIING GRANTS
  The Native American representatives serving on the Maada’ookiing Advisory Board met this Fall and approved seven grants totaling $16,529 for Native American individual or group projects. Grants range up to $2,500 each. Click for Maada’ookiing grants details.

Special grant opportunities for border county businesses and child care businesses

Visit our Special Grants page for details and to apply for any current time-limited opportunities.

• Border County Economic Relief Program Grants for businesses located in counties that border Canada, or on Tribal lands within the same geographic boundaries, whose revenues declined 10% or more between 2019 and 2021 due to closures of the border and/or the BWCA; apply by January 12.
• Greater St. Louis County Child Care Sustainability Grants to licensed family- and center-based child care to help pay for critical needs that allow them to sustain services.
• Greater St. Louis County Child Care Start-up and Expansion Grants to help child care businesses start and expand in the region, including special funding for Greater St. Louis County child care.

More than one-third of quarterly grants invested in sustaining or expanding child care

From July through September 2023, the Northland Foundation awarded 35 quarterly grants totaling $603,500. More than one-third of all grant funds last quarter – more than $200,000 – were directed toward helping sustain and expand licensed child care in the region.

The Northland Foundation has prioritized early care and education for more than 20 years with training and education, partnership development, funding, advocacy, and rallying around the topic. During the past year alone, Northland has, in collaboration with government partners, invested nearly $800,000 to assist with stabilization and expansion of existing child care and start-up of new child care businesses. Northland has also administered millions of dollars in Minnesota Early Learning Scholarships to help families in the region pay for high-quality care and led programming to support “informal providers” who regularly care for the children of family members, friends, and neighbors.

Need, however, continues to outpace efforts to increase child care access. According to the 2023 Child Care Needs Summary report newly released by First Children’s Finance, the current child care shortfall in northeast Minnesota is 4,223 slots – a loss of 500 slots since June 2022 when the shortfall was reported at just over 3,700.

Tony Sertich, Northland Foundation President, has been closely involved with the child care issue at the local, regional, and state levels.

“The State of Minnesota took strong positive steps this year to help stabilize child care, and we can’t take our foot off the gas now. Northland will keep doing what we can alongside public and private partners,” said Sertich.

“That said, from all our work on child care, it is clear that a quick-and-easy fix does not exist especially in relation to infants and toddlers,” continued Sertich. “There is no silver bullet. It will take broad community engagement, the courage to try new and different approaches, and significant public investment to reach long-term solutions that work for families, early care and education providers, and employers.”

Find details of all July-September quarterly grants here.