AmeriCorps Seniors demonstration grant will fund innovative programming in AGE to age sites
The Northland Foundation has been awarded an American Rescue Act/ARP AmeriCorps Seniors demonstration grant of $500,000 over two years to support inter-generational programming in Northeast Minnesota, leveraging the Foundation’s well-established AGE to age: bringing generations together network of sites across the region.
Engaging older adults with children and youth is a winning combination. Over the next two years, 12 AGE to age communities will leverage the skills and experience of 500 older adult volunteers to support children and youth in tutoring, out-of-school time, and summer enrichment activities.
“AGE to age sites are in a perfect position to use this new federal funding to build on their existing programs and continue to reduce social isolation across generations.”
AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers stay healthy and active through service, improving their own lives as they improve the lives of others. A growing body of research affirms the numerous mental and physical health benefits of volunteering, including lower mortality rates, decreased rates of depression, and increased strength and energy.
Essentia Health renews critical funding for infant and early childhood mental health
Essentia Health has awarded $25,000 to help support the Thrive Initiative, focused on improving infant and early childhood mental health for young children and their families.
Thrive provides a critical forum for learning and connections across more than 90 organizations, including county/tribal public health and social services, family-serving nonprofits, mental health and health care, early care and education programs, and others. With ongoing support from Essentia, Thrive has delivered extensive training and piloted programs that have since been embedded into community organizations.
“Essentia Health has long been and is today an outstanding partner,” said Tony Sertich, President, Northland Foundation. “Their support has enabled increased reach and impact across our shared rural region.”
The Northland Foundation and Essentia Health (then the Duluth Clinic) began collaborating back in 1991 to build healthy communities and improve the quality of life for people of all ages, including support for community grants, youth leadership programming, and early care and education training.
Butler Family Foundation commits additional grantmaking support over the next two years
The Patrick & Aimee Butler Family Foundation is providing funding of $100,000 over the next two years, matched dollar-for-dollar by the Northland Foundation, for grant support to nonprofit organizations working in prevention and intervention services related to domestic and sexual violence and sex trafficking in Northeast Minnesota.
Since 2014, the Butler Family Foundation has generously awarded $575,000 in pass-through funds to the Northland Foundation. With $454,500 in match and additional dollars contributed by Northland, more than $1 million in resources has been made available to support prevention and intervention programming in the region. The timing for this latest support from Butler could not be better.
“There has been an uptick in both the number and severity of incidents of domestic violence reported during the pandemic,” stated Erik Torch, Director of Grantmaking at the Northland Foundation, “so this new infusion of funding to strengthen grantmaking in our rural region is greatly needed and appreciated.”
Essentia Health provides key support for Thrive, bolstering infant and early childhood mental health
Essentia Health has renewed major funding support for the Northland Foundation’s Thrive Initiative with a $20,000 one-year grant.
“Thanks to longtime partners like Essentia Health, the Thrive Initiative continues its pivotal work,” stated Northland Foundation President, Tony Sertich. “As communities continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic, high-quality training and programming is critical to help ensure providers and practitioners have the tools and resources to support children and family well-being.”
Thrive supports a group of 500+ professionals from diverse organizations and agencies including health, early childhood, education, and social services. They convene regularly throughout the year, virtually and in-person, building knowledge and strengthening resources that support social-emotional health for children birth-to-age-eight and their families.
Medica Foundation grant supports early care and education training
The Northland Foundation has been awarded a $5,000 Rural Health Grant from the Medica Foundation.
Resources from the Medica Foundation will directly support professional development opportunities in northeast Minnesota focused on early care and education topics, such as fostering social-emotional well-being of young children and their parents/caregivers; supporting inclusive and culturally response environments and services for young children and families; and offering strategies for providing trauma-informed care
“The Medica Foundation has been a wonderful partner over the years to help advance our early care and education efforts in northeastern Minnesota,” said Zane Bail, Chief Operating Officer, Northland Foundation. “We are pleased to continue our work together to help young children and families thrive.”
State funding for Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care to support outreach to informal child care providers
The Minnesota Department of Human Services has awarded a $180,000 grant to the Northland Foundation for outreach, engagement, training and support for “informal” child care providers in the region. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and friends, often referred to as FFN providers, are a frequent choice of care for many families with infants and toddlers, in diverse cultural and ethnic communities, and for parents working non-standard-hour jobs. The growing child care shortage has also led to more families with young children relying on FFN child care.
The influx of state funding will help the Foundation and its local project partners across the region conduct outreach to FFN providers, offer “Play & Learn” training sessions, and connect providers to services and resources
“FFN caregivers play a critical role in supporting the healthy development and school readiness of young children,” states Zane Bail, Chief Operating Officer at the Northland Foundation. “We are thrilled to have this support for what we have called the Northland FFN Child Care Project, to offer more resources and supports for FFN providers.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota two-year grant will strengthen early care and education
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation has awarded the Northland Foundation $200,000 over two years to advance racial and health equity in early care and education programs and services.
This funding will help increase the availability of and access to quality early care and education, especially for young children and families from underserved and under-resourced communities. The Northland Foundation will engage child care providers and others working with young children in culturally responsive and trauma-informed care trainings; provide mentoring opportunities for child care providers; expand workforce development strategies for child care; and offer programming for informal caregivers of young children.
Tony Sertich, President of the Northland Foundation states, “We greatly appreciate that the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation has been such a steady partner in helping young children and families have access to quality early care and education opportunities in northeast Minnesota.”
Bush Foundation grant award supports Maada’ookiing expansion
A one-year, $100,000 grant from the Bush Foundation will help accelerate the work of Maada’ookiing (“distribution” in Ojibwe), an Indigenous-designed and -led effort to increase investment in Indigenous communities across northeast Minnesota. Maada’ookiing, which officially launched in May 2021, includes three areas of focus: grassroots grantmaking to strengthen and sustain Indigenous community, diversification of Tribal economies and support for Indigenous entrepreneurs, and support for Indigenous Education programs across the region.
“This new Bush Foundation funding will go a long way toward helping expand and deepen the work of Maada;ookiing, including grassroots projects as well as Indigenous entrepreneurship and Indigenous Education programs across the region,” said Erik Torch, Director of Grantmaking at the Northland Foundation.
To date, 44 Maada’ookiing grants totaling over $108,000 have been awarded to Indigenous individuals for a wide array of grassroots projects.
McKnight Foundation grant to support expanded “Belonging” work in northeast Minnesota
The Northland Foundation was recently awarded a one-year, $200,000 grant from the McKnight Foundation to expand our “Belonging” work. The grant will advance work to to 1) support Indigenous communities and individuals to assert their self-determination, achieve their full potential, and thrive, and 2) help rural communities address structural inequities by engaging community members in understanding and taking action on systemic bias and its impacts. Resources from the McKnight Foundation will help build on existing programs, including our Indigenous-designed and led Maada’ookiing Program, Business Services, and other programming to:
Foster leadership development
Support peer learning and networking
Increase access to financial resources
“McKnight is a longstanding partner to us, supporting our work in rural northeast Minnesota. This new funding provided through their Vibrant & Equitable Communities program will help bring additional, valuable resources to Indigenous communities and increase efforts to ensure all people in our region feel welcomed and connected,” said Northland Foundation President, Tony Sertich.
City of Duluth 1200 Fund awards $300,000 for Child Care Workforce Strategies Pilot Project
The City of Duluth’s Duluth 1200 Fund is contributing $300,000 to the Northland Foundation’s Child Care Workforce Strategies Pilot Project.
Through the Pilot project, licensed child care center and family programs may apply for funding of $1,500-$12,000 for staff recruitment and retention efforts. The goal of the project is to help stabilize and/or grow child care capacity and increase quality to serve more families with young children in northeast Minnesota communities and Tribal nations. Applications for these grants are being accepted on the Foundation’s website through December 13, 2022.
Tony Sertich, President of the Northland Foundation stated, “Right now, there are 3,700 children in our region who do not have access to child care. The shortage of child care openings is, like many other industries, affected by workforce shortages. The $300,000 from the 1200 Fund means virtually every licensed child care in Duluth could receive a grant to help boost their staffing, which will in turn help stretch additional funding from other partners throughout the seven counties and five Tribal nations in our region.”
