Quarterly and Youth In Philanthropy Grants Awarded

Grants Summary

OCTOBER-DECEMBER QUARTERLY GRANTS
In the third quarter of 2023, the Northland Foundation staff and Board of Trustees awarded 56 grants totaling $1,962,509 to nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations, governmental entities such as Tribal nations and school districts, as well as special grants to child care businesses to support the availability of licensed care in the region. Click for Oct-Dec quarterly grants details.

WINTER YOUTH IN PHILANTHROPY GRANTS
In January, the young people and adult mentors serving on the Youth In Philanthropy Advisory Board met and approved eight grants totaling $7,330. 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 Winter Youth In Philanthropy grants details.

56 quarterly grants totaling $1,962,509 awarded October-December: rural aging and child care expansion highlighted

The Northland Foundation awarded nearly $2 million in grant funds in the last quarter of 2023 to benefit people and communities in its geographic service area.

The lion’s share of grant dollars – $1,175,000 total – were awarded through the Northland Foundation’s Integrated Rural Community Aging Program which is being implemented in three targeted rural sites and three Tribal nations to integrate care coordination, social engagement, and quality of care for older adults, Tribal elders, and their caregivers. This is the second three-year phase of this special program, focused on deeper capacity-building work to bolster services and supports which give rural older adults opportunities for social connections and access to care.

“Northland Foundation has been engaged in aging and intergenerational programming in our rural region for 30 years,” stated Zane Bail, Northland Foundation’s COO. “We are pleased to be able to offer grants to partners that are doing the hard work of providing services that help older adults in our region to live well in their homes and local communities.”

Northland also awarded more than two dozen grants to help increase the availability of licensed child care in northeast Minnesota. The foundation collaborates with local, regional, and statewide partners working to address the region’s critical shortage of child care. Funding partners include the City of Duluth 1200 Fund, St. Louis County, and the State of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development providing resources to support child care startup and expansion, staffing attraction and retention efforts, and funds to help programs cover expenses or improvements they need to remain licensed.

Find details of all October-December 2023 quarterly grants here.

Promise Act Grants for businesses now available

Eligible small businesses and nonprofits may receive up to $50,000

The Northland Foundation has rolled out the Promise Act Grant Program offering $1.1 million for grants to eligible northeast Minnesota small businesses and some nonprofits. Funding and eligibility guidelines were established in law during the 2023 Minnesota legislative session. These are competitive grants; not all who apply may receive an award.

Grants from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will be awarded to applicants in communities adversely affected by lack of access to capital, loss of population or an aging population, structural racial discrimination, civil unrest, and/or lack of regional economic diversification. .

The program is aimed at currently operating businesses with annual gross revenues of $10,000 to $750,000 as documented in their 2021 and 2022 tax returns. Depending on gross revenues, successful applicants may receive $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000.

Applications are being taken through 5 p.m. on May 21, 2024, from businesses whose primary location is in Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, or St. Louis counties or the Tribal nations of Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake (District I), and Mille Lacs (District II). Businesses headquartered elsewhere should contact the Minnesota Initiative Foundation in their region.

TO EXPLORE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND APPLY

Find important details and the application link at https://northlandfdn.org/grants/special-grants.php.

The Northland Small Business Development Center is providing no-cost technical assistance to those seeking help to apply. Find virtual and in-person SBDC office hours, a helpful video, and FAQs here: https://northlandsbdc.org/promise-act/.

If you have questions, please contact Michelle Ufford, Northland Foundation’s Director of Grantmaking.

July – October 2022 Grant Awards

During the 3^rd quarter of 2022, the Northland Foundation awarded 30 quarterly grants totaling $796,000 to support people and communities for a thriving region. Seven grants were made in partnership with State of Minnesota funding to expand child care in the region, with $95,000 in total going to child care entities in Cloquet, Duluth, Ely, Finland, and Grand Marais.

A number of grants went toward school and community based out-of-school time programs, including $50,000 toward the creation of a tech hub to provide learning and enrichment opportunities for students in the Deer River area and $100,000 for children and youth programming in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood. A large percentage of children and youth in both these communities live in low-income households.

Basic needs supports comprised a significant share of grants funded last quarter, as well, with $300,000 awarded to increase affordable and emergency housing, medical care, food, winter clothing and other essentials.

“Supporting high quality, safe and nurturing programming for youth after school is a critical need and one that the Northland Foundation places a high priority on. We are honored to support this important work that helps youth develop to their fullest potential,” stated Director of Grantmaking, Erik Torch.

In addition, the students serving on the 2022-2023 Youth In Philanthropy Board awarded three grants in October totaling $2,500 to support regional school and community projects planned and developed by children and youth.

Find detaila including grantee name, location, and dollar amount at the links below.

July-September quarterly grants and Fall Youth In Philanthropy grants

July – September quarterly, fall Maada’ookiing, and Youth In Philanthropy grants

Between July 1 and September 30, 2021, the Northland Foundation awarded $238,450 in 16 quarterly grants to benefit the people and communities within its service area. In addition, 18 Maada’ookiing grants totaling $45,000 were approved in October by the Maada’ookiing Board to Indigenous individuals for creative projects within the shared service area. Another six grants totaling $5,000 were made by the students and adult mentors serving on the Northland Foundation’s Youth In Philanthropy Board. Awards up to $1,000 each are made to support children-and-youth driven projects.

The largest quarterly grant of $50,000 supports the Arrowhead Intelligent Region initiative to advance broadband infrastructure and access in our rural region. The initiative officially launched in February and the first round of project grants were awarded in June. The initiative is led by Blandin Foundation and Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation who, along with economic and community developers in our region including the Northland Foundation, have joined together to establish a grant pool for funding projects to:

• improve broadband infrastructure,
• build a knowledge workforce,
• incent innovation,
• ensure digital equality,
• enable community engagement, and
• ensure environmental and social sustainability.

“The past 18 months have shown, in stark relief, how a lack of broadband access stifles opportunity—for businesses, schools and students, health care, social connection, needed products and services, and more,” stated Erik Torch, Director of Grantmaking. “We are pleased to support this collaborative effort aiming to expand access so that, in the not-too-distant future, everyone in our region will have the tools to reach their full potential.”

View a listing of all recent grants including grantee name, project information, and dollar amount.

Grants Awarded October-January

More than $450,000 invested in region with quarterly, Maada’ookiing, and Youth In Philanthropy grants

From October 2022 through January 2023, the Northland Foundation made 18 quarterly grants totaling $431,000; the Maada’ookiing Board approved five grants totaling $12,500; and the Youth In Philanthropy Board awarded nine grants totaling $8,267.

Quarterly grants included $81,000 for prevention/intervention work in relation to domestic and family violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Three organizations serving survivors in northeast Minnesota received $64,000. Additional grant dollars were awarded through the Foundation’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relations (MMIWR) Grant Opportunity which was open to individuals or grassroots groups of Native nation citizens, descendants, or having kinship ties or affiliations. The Native Lives Matter Coalition in Duluth served as fiscal host for several grants totaling $17,000 for projects in the region. The special grant program was created to bolster efforts to raise awareness, urge change, and promote healing around MMIWR.

“Indigenous women and girls make up 1% of Minnesota’s population but 15% of missing person cases and 9% of female homicides,” stated Northland Foundation Program Officer, Cayla Bellanger-DeGroat. “We are honored to support community-driven efforts that highlight this issue and that work to protect and seek justice for Indigenous women, girls, and relatives.”

Find details on recent grants by clicking the links below.

October through December quarterly grants
Fall Maada’ookiing grants
Winter Youth In Philanthropy grant s