February 3, 2025 (Bemidji, MN) – More than $1.3 million was granted or loaned out into the region from October through December through the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. This three-month timeframe comprises the second quarter of NMF’s fiscal year.
Dollars released by NMF included more than $860,000 in grants through NMF’s family of funds, $322,000 in loans to small business owners, and $175,000 through NMF’s mission-driven grants programs.
Additionally, the Northwest Small Business Development Center, for which NMF serves as host, provided 678 hours of no-cost business consulting hours to 169 clients throughout the region.
The Northwest Minnesota region served by NMF includes two tribal nations (Red Lake Nation and White Earth Nation) and 12 counties (Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau).
FAMILY OF FUNDS
Through 153 grants approved by local funds, more than $860,000 was disbursed into Northwest Minnesota. NMF houses 450 funds within its family of funds.
Disbursement included:
- 41 grants, $234,891, from education funds, dedicated to supporting a specific school district.
- 4 grants, $160,950, from economic development funds
- 25 grants, $125,088, from health care funds.
- 19 grants, $97,875, from donor-advised funds, benefitting nonprofits that fit the donors’ interests.
- 4 grants, $65,000, from environmental and recreation funds.
- 22 grants, $62,700, from community service funds, benefiting local efforts such as senior living, animal shelters, service organizations, churches, and homeless shelters.
- 2 grants, $40,000, from cultural funds, supporting local music, theater, and arts projects.
- 32 grants, $38,278, from community funds dedicated to their specific community.
- 4 grants, $35,575, through scholarship funds
BUSINESS LOANS
Three loans were approved for small businesses, totaling $322,000.
Those loans included: $158,000 to a Beltrami County business, $150,000 to a Norman County business, and $14,000 to a business in Hubbard County.
MISSION-DRIVEN GRANTS
Through mission-driven grants, NMF approved 9 grants totaling $175,000 to support child care providers throughout the region.
Those grants included:
- $40,000 to The Discovery Place in Thief River Falls to support an expansion project
- $40,000 to the City of Roseau to support Roseau Daycare’s facility improvements
- $22,500 to Little Learners Child Care in Ada to support an expansion
- $20,000 to St. Michael’s school in Mahnomen to support an expansion
- $15,000 to the City of McIntosh to support Clubhouse Childcare’s facility improvements
- $12,000 to Park Rapids ISD #309 to fund another year of the Early Childhood Education Class taught at Park Rapids Area High School
- $11,000 to Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership to support the Child Care Director’s Group, which provides programming throughout Northwest Minnesota
- $8,500 to The Learning Tree in Hallock to support an expansion
- $6,000 to Kelliher Public Schools to upgrade technology and offer child care training to staff