Blandin Foundation Invests in Itasca-Area Community Connection Spaces, Workforce and Nonprofit Leadership Supports

Key Points

• $2.64 million in grants support 33 projects across the Itasca area, 20 of those in small communities, highlighting strong community-driven ideas and demand.
• Funding supports the Foundation’s focus areas: community wealth building, placemaking, and local capacity building.
• Additional $990,000 in grants advance community wealth building and rural placemaking in rural Minnesota.
• Investments are focused on expanding opportunity and delivering stronger outcomes for rural communities in the Itasca County area and across the state.

Grand Rapids, Minn. – April 17, 2026

Blandin Foundation recently awarded $3.69 million in grants to support projects across the Itasca County area and rural Minnesota, advancing community-driven efforts to build resourced and resilient rural places.

A majority of the grant funds, $2.64 million, support 33 projects in communities across the Itasca County area. Several rural placemaking grants will ensure communities have well-functioning, easy to use gathering spaces. Northome, population 152, will reestablish and preserve its library. Hill City, Calumet, Nashwauk and Balsam Township also will make improvements to city halls or community centers.

“Projects like these are about more than just buildings and meeting spaces,” said Mary Magnuson, rural placemaking grants officer at Blandin Foundation. “Making sure people can participate in public meetings, community gatherings and other important events keeps neighbors connected to each other. When neighbors connect to make a vision like this reality, they also build trust and relationships that drive positive social change.”

Other grants bolster nonprofit organizations’ capacity to address community needs.

• Itasca County Habitat for Humanity plans to partner with the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) YouthBuild program to produce net-zero energy-efficient housing panels and offer vocational training.
• A partnership between Itasca County Family YMCA, Minnesota North College and the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board will provide customized, hands-on, credentialed training for the Y’s childcare staff, to sustain high-quality childcare programming, support staff professional growth and strengthen relationships with childcare families.

The Y also will focus on leadership and board development with an eye toward leadership transitions. Grants to Itasca Economic Development Corporation, Northland Counseling, Northland Area Family Service Center, Grace House and ElderCircle also support these organizations in recently completed or anticipated changes in leadership.

“Rural communities are overlooked for investment, despite the innovation and leadership they demonstrate every day,” said Tuleah Palmer, Blandin Foundation president and CEO. “By supporting this work, we’re not only helping communities move forward. We’re showing what’s possible when rural places are trusted and resourced.”

Blandin Foundation also recently awarded grants to three rural Minnesota organizations for community wealth-building and rural placemaking initiatives.

• $250,000 to Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) to support regenerative agriculture efforts. LEDC will fill gaps in services and financing to address three high-priority barriers small and immigrant farmers face: access to credit or capital, access to land, and financial resiliency through financial literacy. Minnesota is home to 68,500 farms that encompass 25.5 million acres, and ranks fifth in the nation in terms of regenerative agriculture production, with more than 430,000 regenerative agriculture-related jobs in the state.
• $250,000 to Nexus Community Partners to expand community wealth building in rural Minnesota. The project will begin with outreach and education to communities and leaders interested in adopting this approach to local development.
• $490,000 over three years to the Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) to expand its Engage Rural program, which strengthens civic participation, leadership, and community connection. DoPT will conduct two 12-month Civic Arts Cohorts and a pilot of the Engage Rural Connect Track. Research shows arts-based, people-centered civic engagement strategies build representation, transparency, and trust in local government. Participating communities will gain practical tools, funding, and support to design and implement arts-based civic engagement initiatives that are accessible, culturally grounded, and responsive to local context.

“This entire round of grants demonstrates our steady approach to our strategic direction,” said Erickson. “We emphasize stability and capacity for sustainable long-term growth over short-term outcomes, while still backing real, visible progress that gets people engaged and moving forward.”

A list of grants awarded is available here (PDF format).

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Blandin Foundation is a private foundation based in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. One of a handful of rural-based, rural-serving foundations in the country, Blandin Foundation serves rural Minnesota, focusing resources in north-central Minnesota. Its grants, leadership development programs, and policy work build financial and human capital so rural communities can welcome diversity, address injustice, and create a sustainable and equitable future.