$431,000 in grants awarded by Northland Foundation

From October to December of 2022, the Northland Foundation awarded nearly 20 grants to support people and communities for a thriving region. In total, that amounts to $431,000.

$81,000 of total funding went toward prevention/intervention work in relation to domestic and family violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Grants totaling $64,000 were awarded to three organizations serving survivors in northeast Minnesota communities.

In addition, grant dollars were awarded through the Northland Foundation’s recent Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relations (MMIWR) Grant Opportunity, which was open to individuals or grassroots groups of Native nation citizens, descendants, or with kinship ties or affiliations to Indigenous communities. The Native Lives Matter Coalition in Duluth served as fiscal host for several grants totaling $17,000 for projects in the region. The special grant program was created to bolster efforts to raise awareness, urge change, and promote healing around MMIWR.

All Northland Foundation grants awarded October 1 through December 31, 2022, are as follows:

• Voices for Ethnic and Multicultural Awareness, Chisholm: $30,000 to support a multicultural center that creates a safe and inclusive space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color living across Iron Range communities.
• Advocates for Family Peace, Grand Rapids: $15,000 to provide services to support survivors of domestic abuse in Itasca and northern St. Louis Counties.
• Advocates Against Domestic Abuse d/b/a HOPE, Aitkin: $25,000 to provide services to support survivors of domestic violence in Aitkin County.
• Native Lives Matter Coalition, Duluth: $17,000 to provide activities throughout the Duluth area to advocate, heal, and support Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relations.
• Care With Amanda LLC, Virginia: $25,000 in support of child care program expansion with funding provided by the State of Minnesota, with support of the Northland Foundation.
• Lil Lumberjacks Learning Center, Cloquet: $30,000 in support of child care program expansion with funding provided by the State of Minnesota, with support of the Northland Foundation.
• REACH Mentoring Program Youth Adult Partnerships, Cloquet: $25,000 to support mentoring and enrichment programming to youth across Carlton County.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids and Greenway, Grand Rapids: $35,000 to support out-of-school time enrichment programming for youth in the Grand Rapids and Greenway school districts.
• Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Grand Rapids: $25,000 to support efforts to reduce food insecurity among children and youth in Itasca and Aitkin Counties.
• North St. Louis County Habitat for Humanity, Virginia: $50,000 to support the development of affordable housing across communities in northern St. Louis County.
• Divine Konnections, Duluth: $20,000 to provide supportive services to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color mothers and children experiencing homelessness.
• Duluth Sobriety Feast, Duluth: $25,000 to support Indigenous-led programming to help people maintain their sobriety.
• Essentia Health Foundation, Duluth: $20,000 to provide hospitality to families with seriously ill or injured children.
• Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, Duluth: $20,000 to support a strategic planning process to improve access to legal services for residents with low incomes in northeast Minnesota.
• Lamppa Manufacturing, Inc., Tower: $15,000 for a pilot program offered in partnership with the MN Dept. of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation helping small businesses successfully navigate rapid growth.