Grants Impact

Resilient Communities

In 2023, we awarded more than $283,000 in Resilient Communities Grants to 26 organizations working to create a more sustainable and equitable region.

• Promoting Sustainability

  We awarded more than $145,000 in grants to the organizations below that are working to create a more sustainable region.  

  • First Congregational UCC Moorhead | for the Youth Stewards Food Ecology Initiative 
  • Doubting Thomas Farms | for Meet Me at the Farm 
  • Friends of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center | for Climate-Wise Prairie Learning 
  • City of Moorhead Parks & Recreation | for Get Fresh & Go Local 
  • City of Morris | for a five-year update to the Morris Strategic Plan 
  • Otter Tail County Solid Waste | to expand access to the Organics Recycling Program 
  • Springboard for the Arts | for the mobile version of Sustainability Studios 
  • Ecumen Bethel Manor and Winona Shores Apartments | for restoration and nature trail creation 
  • Clay County Public Health – PartnerSHIP 4 Health | for the Regional Food Council 
  • Henning Public School | for the Climate Action Library 
  • Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Elementary | for the School Pollinator Garden 
  • Tyler Shipman Memorial Car Show | for the Community Service Shed donation 
  • Glacial Hills Elementary | for the Outdoor Learning Center 
  • PRAIRIE as fiscal sponsor of the New Roots Farm Incubator Cooperative | for the New Roots Farm Incubator Cooperative 
• Promoting Racial Equity

  We awarded over $140,000 in grants to the organizations below that serve and/or are led by people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC).  

  • Inclusive Moorhead | for Inclusive Moorhead Implementation 
  • YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties | for Comfort & Confidence Swim Class 
  • Regional Native Public Defense Corporation | for expanding Holistic Defense in White Earth Nation 
  • Conexiones | for operating support 
  • Cultural Diversity Resources | for organizational capacity-building for New Americans and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) nonprofits and leaders. 
  • The Bridge Community Pantry | for culturally specific food bags 
  • Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota | for the Northwest Immigration Project 
  • Bagosendaan | for youth activities 
  • Someplace Safe | for agency-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts 
  • Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee | for the Pelican Rapids International Friendship Festival 
  • Browns Valley School District 801 | for Tier 2 Mental Health Programming 
  • Bam’idizowigamig Creator’s Place | for the Workforce Program 

Resiliency Fund

From early 2020 through June 2022, we granted approximately $970,000 to 98 organizations to respond to the immediate pandemic needs of our region and the long-term recovery of west central Minnesota.

• Resiliency Fund
  • Access of the Red River Valley, Inc. | $3,500
  • Afro American Development Association | $15,000
  • Akiing Eighth Fire | $35,000
  • Alexandria Technical and Community College Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Team | $4,631
  • Apple Tree Dental | $10,000
  • Bam’idizowigamig Creator’s Place | $10,000
  • Barnesville Area HELPERS | $2,117
  • Becker County | $6,000
  • Becker County Historical Society | $10,000
  • Boys & Girls Club of Detroit Lakes, Inc. | $10,000
  • Boys & Girls Club of the Perham Area | $10,000
  • Browns Valley Public School District 801 | $3,375
  • Campbell Tintah Public School | $5,000
  • Cass-Clay United Way | $10,000
  • Children’s Dental Services | $10,000
  • Churches United for the Homeless | $10,000
  • City of Morris | $7,000
  • Clay County Collaborative | $5,000
  • Conexiones | $10,000
  • Cultural Diversity Resources | $20,000
  • Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center | $5,000
  • Detroit Lakes High School | $15,000
  • Ecumen Detroit Lakes | $5,000
  • Empowering Kids Perham | $5,000
  • Enrichment Operations | $2,000
  • Fergus Falls Area Family YMCA | $3,000
  • Fergus Falls Downtown Council, Inc. | $1,000
  • Fergus Falls Public School District #544 | $16,000
  • Fergus Falls Salvation Army | $10,000
  • Fergus Falls Senior Center, Inc. | $5,755
  • First Congregational UCC Moorhead | $10,000
  • Friends of Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge | $5,000
  • Habitat for Humanity for Douglas County | $5,000
  • Habitat for Humanity of Prairie Lakes, Inc. | $5,000
  • Habitat for Humanity Douglas County MN | $9,730
  • Health Resources Lifecare Center | $3,433
  • Hoffman Economic Development Authority | $3,550
  • Hornets Hiver dba CornerStone | $20,000
  • Humane Society of the Lakes | $5,000
  • Immigrant Development Center | $17,375
  • Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota | $5,000
  • Independent School District 544 | $8,840
  • Indigenous Trades/Warriors Path | $10,000
  • Jeremiah Program Fargo-Moorhead | $3,000
  • Kaddatz Galleries Ltd | $5,000
  • Knute Nelson Foundation | $5,000
  • Lakeland Mental Health Center, Inc. | $5,000
  • Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership | $19,440
  • Lakes Crisis & Resource Center | $10,000
  • Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota | $5,000
  • MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership Inc. | $10,000
  • Moorhead Adult Basic Education | $3,000
  • Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans | $8,000
  • Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation | $3,000
  • Multicultural Resource Center | $10,000
  • New American Development Agency | $9,000
  • New York Mills Regional Cultural Center | $6,000
  • North Country Food Bank, Inc. | $35,000
  • Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society | $35,000
  • Ogema Organics | $20,000
  • Otter Tail County | $5,000
  • Partnership4Health CHB | $24,304
  • Pedal Fergus Falls | $10,000
  • Pelican Rapids Community Food Shelf, Inc. | $1,500
  • Pelican Rapids Multi-Cultural Committee | $5,000
  • Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance | $2,000
  • Prairie Rose Agricultural Institute for Research, Innovation & Education (PRAIRIE) | $25,000
  • Productive Alternatives, Inc. | $10,000
  • P’s & Q’s | $8,000
  • REACH Rural Enrichment and Counseling Headquarters | $5,000
  • Richland Wilkin Food Pantry | $25,000
  • Runestone Area Education District | $10,000
  • Safe Families for Children | $19,000
  • Someplace Safe | $34,000
  • South Sudanese Foundation | $20,000
  • Springboard for the Arts | $10,000
  • St Henry’s Area School | $5,000
  • St Mary’s School | $5,000
  • Sustainable Farming Association of MN (SFA of MN) | $9,947
  • The Birthing of a Diamond | $5,000
  • The Village Family Service Center | $3,000
  • The Welcome Place | $14,000
  • The Written Gift | $3,375
  • Time for Change | $3,375
  • Traverse County Food Shelf | $10,000
  • Traverse County Social Services | $10,000
  • Ulen Hitterdal Public School | $5,000
  • Underwood Public School | $2,950
  • United Way of Douglas & Pope Counties | $20,000
  • United Way of Otter Tail and Wadena Counties | $10,000
  • Wellness in the Woods | $7,000
  • West Central Area Schools | $6,000
  • West Central Minnesota Communities Action, Inc. | $30,000
  • White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians | $10,000
  • White Earth Food Distribution Center  | $5,000
  • Wilkin County Family Service Agency | $5,500
  • Women’s Initiative Network of Liberia in Cass and Clay County | $16,500
  • YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties | $5,300

Early Childhood

In 2022, we awarded $235,000 in grants to strengthen early childhood programs in the region including the Early Childhood Initiative, Early Childhood Dental Network, and Early Childhood Mental Health Network. 

• Early Childhood

  Apple Tree Dental | for the Early Childhood Dental Network

  Children’s Corner | for child care capacity

  Children’s Dental Services | for the Early Childhood Dental Network

  Clay County Social Services | for the Clay County Early Childhood Initiative, child care appreciation activities, and early childhood mental health

  Detroit Lakes Community Ed | for early childhood mental health

  Ecumen Detroit Lakes | for child care capacity

  Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership | for the Becker County Early Childhood Initiative

  MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, Inc. | for the Becker County Early Childhood Initiative and for child care appreciation activities

  Otter Cove Children’s Museum | for the Otter Tail County Early Childhood Initiative, child care appreciation activities, and the Early Childhood Dental Network

  PioneerCare | for child care capacity

  Stevens County Human Services | for the Stevens County Early Childhood Initiative and child care appreciation activities

  Traverse County Social Services | for the Traverse County Early Childhood Initiative and the Early Childhood Dental Network

  Trinity Lutheran Preschool | for child care capacity

  United Way of Douglas and Pope Counties | for theDouglas County Early Childhood Initiative and child care appreciation activities

  United Way of Otter Tail and Wadena Counties | for the Otter Tail County Early Childhood Initiative

  West Central Area Schools | for the Grant County Early Childhood Initiative, child care appreciation activities, early childhood mental health, and the Early Childhood Dental Network

  Western Prairie Human Services-Pope | for child care appreciation activities

  White Earth Child Care | for child care appreciation activities 

  Thank you to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation for providing us with grant dollars to distribute in our region.

Emergency Preparedness

In December 2022, we awarded grants totaling more than $20,000 from The Funders Network’s Community Foundation Disaster Response Fund to 20 fire departments in west central Minnesota. The COVID-19 pandemic affected funding opportunities for fire departments nationally because emergency management teams had to focus their resources on pandemic response.

• Emergency Preparedness
  • Carsonville Township
  • City of Bluffton
  • City of Callaway
  • City of Campbell
  • City of Dalton
  • City of Dent
  • City of Dumont
  • City of Elizabeth
  • City of Felton
  • City of Forada
  • City of Foxhome
  • City of Hitterdal
  • City of Millerville
  • City of Ogema
  • City of Sedan
  • City of Tintah
  • City of Vining
  • City of Wendell
  • City of Wolf Lake
  • City of Wolverton

  Thank you to The Funders Network’s Community Foundation Disaster Response Fund  for providing us with grant dollars to distribute in our region.

Project Support

We granted $2,500 to support regional projects in 2022.

• Project Support

  Friends of the Pelican Rapids Public Library | for a commercial kitchen feasibility study

  Habitat for Humanity for Douglas County | to support 30 families through the Homeownership and Aging in Place Programs