Initiative Foundation Awards $750,000 to Address Critical Needs in Central Minnesota

(KNSI) — The Initiative Foundation has awarded 19 grants totaling $750,000 to nonprofits in Central Minnesota.

The grants range from $10,000 to $75,000 and are part of a partnership with the Otto Bremer Trust and its Community Responsive Fund. They aim to address basic needs, community asset-building, health and wellbeing, and restorative and responsive services.

Some of the grant funding includes:

Oasis Central Minnesota of Little Falls: $60,000 to help those experiencing homelessness by providing emergency shelter, a pathway to permanent housing, and housing support for those on the verge of homelessness in Morrison County.

Recovery Community Network of St. Cloud: $60,000 to provide peer support, education, advocacy, and prevention strategies to reduce substance use disorder impact and improve health and wellbeing in Benton, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties, and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

Feeding Area Children Together of St. Cloud: $50,000 to support a weekend food gap program for students facing food insecurity in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties.

YES Network of St. Cloud: $50,000 to respond to the youth mental health crisis by providing community-based afterschool and summer health and wellness programming in Benton and Sherburne counties.

Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity of St. Cloud: $45,000 to help low-income families achieve homeownership, focusing on those with generational barriers in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties.

Central Minnesota Dementia Community Action Network of St. Cloud: $41,000 to support dementia-informed counseling for patients, families, and caregivers in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wadena counties.

Wright County Community Action of Maple Lake: $40,000 to expand services supporting independent living for low-income older adults in Wright County.

Too Much Talent of St. Cloud: $25,000 to reduce disparities experienced by children and families of color, providing tutoring and community programming in Benton and Stearns counties.

“We are so excited to give these Central Minnesota nonprofits a big boost,” said Nicole Clements, nonprofit development program officer at the Initiative Foundation. “We couldn’t have done this without our partnership with the Otto Bremer Trust. Through this collaboration, organizations are receiving transformative support for their important work.”

The Initiative Foundation serves as the administrative hub for all six Minnesota Initiative Foundations and distributes $3 million in OBT grants across rural Minnesota.

“The Trust’s mission has always been to provide funding to organizations and programs that effectively address challenges and opportunities,” said Frank Miley, OBT co-CEO and trustee. “Working with the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, which are fully integrated into the communities and regions we serve, allows us to have a deeper understanding of these challenges. We look forward to working closely together to increase our impact.”

The Initiative Foundation received nearly 90 applications for this funding opportunity.

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