New Grant Portfolios Designed to Strengthen Community Wealth Building, Small Communities and Rural Placemaking Grand Rapids, Minn. – March 6, 2025 – The Blandin Foundation announced applications for its 2025 grant programs open on March 7, 2025 for prospective grantees in its local giving area of Itasca County, Blackduck, Hill City, Northome and Remer. The three …
$114,720 grant to use community-driven planning to strengthen Grand Rapids as a regional hub and improve infrastructure, safety and economic opportunity Key Points: Boost Regional Revitalization: Blandin awarded $114,720 to the Grand Rapids Economic Development Authority (GREDA) to revitalize the Highway 2 corridor with MNDOT, improving infrastructure, safety and economic development. Strategic Community Alignment: This …
The Daily Yonder talks with Jennifer Bevis, Blandin Foundation’s Senior Rural Advocacy Manager, about the charms of living in rural Minnesota, some of the unique challenges and opportunities of small-town philanthropy, and a big picture view on how we might reach a more prosperous future for rural people and places. Read the Interview
Grants to Minnesota’s smallest towns highlight needs, dreams and innovation in rural areas. Key Points: Blandin announced funding to 72 grantees in rural MN communities with populations under 5,000 in Blandin’s local giving area and throughout the state. Rural communities in MN receive only eight percent of philanthropic funding despite hosting 23 percent of the …
Strong regional collaboration and largest cumulative investment in Foundation history of $37M has improved early childhood, education and social outcomes in Itasca County area Key Points: $2 Million Grant: The Blandin Foundation awarded a $2 million grant to Invest Early, completing a 20-year funding commitment to a nationally recognized, community-driven partnership. Community-Centered Impact: Invest Early …
Unique $500,000 Capital Grant to Northern Dental Access Center in Park Rapids Expands Nationally Recognized Model Key points: $500,000 grant enables Northern Dental Access Center to acquire and expand the Park Rapids Community Dental Clinic, serve new patients and improve access to essential dental and health care in rural Minnesota. Addresses critical needs with a …
Key points: Following a 10-year tenure as a grants officer with Blandin Foundation, Kyle Erickson was named Blandin Foundation director of rural grantmaking. As a grants officer, Erickson oversaw a multi-million-dollar grant portfolio addressing some of rural Minnesota’s most pressing needs, including affordable housing, support for first-generation college students, and expansion of legal services for …
The program is a step in the right direction but comes with some implications. Last year, Minnesota enacted legislation to help defray the costs of higher education, called the North Star Promise. The program is designed to create a tuition- and fee-free pathway to higher education for families with household incomes below $80,000. But many …
$500,000 grant aims to transform rural development by strengthening community foundations Key points: A $500K, three-year grant from the Blandin Foundation to CommunityGiving will help 10-12 small rural community foundations create powerful local development strategies through coaching cohorts, matching grants and an annual regional conference. The grant supported the commissioning of a new study showing …
Funding will help fight poverty and build community through long-term planning, program evaluation and organizational development. Key Points: KOOTASCA supports vital community needs, including affordable housing, early childhood education, community engagement and poverty reduction. The combined service area of Itasca and Koochiching counties experiences higher rates of poverty and food insecurity and lower median household …