Goals > Goal 9

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

A functioning and resilient infrastructure is the foundation of every successful community.

To meet future challenges, our industries and infrastructure must be at optimum efficiency.

Our Work

Through Safe Routes to School and other partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, we lift up infrastructure that prioritizes equitable travel. When we can walk and roll safely to the places we need to go, our community becomes accessible for all.

We’re collaborating with other Initiative Foundations on the Initiators Fellowship. The two-year Initiators Fellowship assists social entrepreneurs in fast-tracking their ideas, growing their social and professional networks, and further developing their business and community leadership skills. Fellows are provided an annual $30,000 stipend during the two-year program, which also includes comprehensive programming, executive-level mentoring, and leadership training, ongoing education, and support from dedicated staff members to advance their mission-driven business or nonprofit endeavors.

We support community funds in their pursuit of their local and global goals.

From 1985 to 2020, West Central Initiative offered Community Planning Grants. This program provided funding to counties and municipalities for necessary planning work, such as comprehensive plans, master trails plans, business retention and expansion plans, and more. This program was retired at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Ensure your company invests in clean and resilient infrastructure.
  • Ask your city officials if there is a plan for keeping its infrastructure in safe and working order.
  • Organize or participate in a Think Tank contest. You can foster the entrepreneurial spirit by organizing a local idea contest and invite local business owners to mentor the winners.

Explore the map below: More indicators are available to view by expanding that menu at the left. Click on each county to see the data for each indicator.

This information was made available through a partnership with U-Spatial, a department of the University of Minnesota.

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Related Metrics and Progress for: All West Central Minnesota Counties

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
13.6% of all employment is in the manufacturing industry
On Track