Search Through Grants for Rural Development in Minnesota in the U.S.

What does this program do?

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

How may funds be used?

Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
• Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements.
• Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing.
• Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.
• Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools.
• Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment.
• Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses.

What are the funding priorities?

• Priority point system based on population, median household income
• Small communities with a population of 5,500 or less
• Low-income communities having a median household income below 80% of the state nonmetropolitan median household income.

Grant Approval

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:

Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.

Background

The Community Innovation program invests in great ideas and the people who power them across our region.

CI grants and program-related investments (PRIs) fund ideas that have the potential to make our region better for everyone. The idea can be related to any issue that a community believes is important. Through this program, we aim to:

• Develop, test and spread great ideas: CI grants support efforts to develop and test ideas to solve problems and create opportunities, then spread the best ideas across communities.
• Inspire, equip and connect leaders: Great ideas spread through people. CI grants invest in efforts to inspire, equip and connect leaders to more effectively lead change.

The potential for ideas to spread is a key aspect of this program. If an idea works, we want to understand if that idea could spread to other organizations or communities or issues. And if it doesn’t work as hoped, we want to know if there are lessons learned that can help others doing similar work. We also provide funds to help you understand and evaluate those lessons learned.

What We Fund

We fund the development and spread of great ideas. We make grants for ideas as varied as reimagining agricultural finance, Indigenizing tourism and adapting telehealth for people experiencing homelessness. We removed funding caps on our biggest grantmaking program, Community Innovation, and make large commitments to ensure that great ideas get the support needed for success. We tripled our grantmaking through community grant partners to make sure programs are designed with the communities served.

We invest directly in people. We know that change only happens when people make it happen. We invest in individuals through our Bush Fellowship program and by supporting amazing programs that help entrepreneurs thrive in rural areas and grows the next generation of Native leaders and leadership approaches. We also funded the creation of programs that help build generational wealth and support sabbaticals for leaders who are creating and nurturing community change.

We support organizations that support problem solvers. We offer flexible funding to organizations that we hear are the most highly valued by problem solvers in the region. We know we can directly fund only a small fraction of the great efforts happening in our region. And yet we can be even more helpful by supporting the work of organizations that others turn to for help in their own problem-solving efforts. We do this through Ecosystem grants and the Bush Prizes that are operated by our community grant partners.

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute $40 million to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement

Tier 1 awards are one-year grants of up to $150,000 for assessment and engagement efforts that increase understanding of the breadth, depth, or impact of local environmental or public health issues. These grants are limited to capacity-constrained and entry-level applicants, as determined by the information you submit in the intake form. These grants will be paid on a milestone basis: 50% up front and 50% at the midway point, upon completion of agreed-upon milestones.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• GIS mapping
• Air quality sensor purchasing and siting
• Air, water, or soil sampling, testing, and monitoring
• Research, surveys, and studies
• Power mapping, public engagement, and public education to improve collective understanding of community challenges, needs, and opportunities.

Through a noncompetitive process, we will also award grants of up to $75,000 to capacity constrained communities and community-based organizations under Tier One.

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 2: Community Education and Planning

Tier 2 awards are one- to two-year grants of up to $250,000 for community-focused efforts that design, inform, and highlight solutions to local environmental or public health priorities. Up to 50% of the grant can be used for relevant property acquisition. Grants will be paid on a reimbursement basis, with a small number of grantees eligible for one advance payment of up to 10% of the total grant.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Developing project plans
• Developing communications and outreach plans
• Conducting workshops and trainings
• Developing curricula, toolkits, or guidelines; developing social media content
• Producing videos or printed materials
• Hosting events and gatherings
• Building or strengthening partnerships and collaboration
• Creating local advisory committees
• Engaging in public review or comment periods
• Developing or updating disaster resilience plans, emergency preparedness plans, or other community planning and visioning efforts

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

Tier 3 awards are one- to two-year grants of up to $350,000 to pilot or implement project plans. Projects may have educational and outreach components, but must focus on developing tangible community assets or providing environmental or public health benefits to one or more disadvantaged communities. Up to 50% of the grant can be used for relevant property acquisition or purchase. Grants will be paid on a reimbursement basis, with a small number of grantees eligible for one advance payment of up to 10% of the total grant.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Strengthening cumulative impact, public health, or environmental protections
• Increasing access to healthy food
• Reducing the use of pesticides or toxic substances
• Cleaning up contaminated sites
• Conducting healthy home assessments
• Increasing energy or water efficiency in homes or buildings
• Launching community energy or water efficiency programs
• Installing water filters; developing community gardens
• Creating community resilience hubs
• Installing green infrastructure projects
• Creating internships or implementing workforce development programs

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

Mission

SEMAC exists to encourage, promote, and assist regional arts development by providing leadership, outreach, advocacy, mentorship, grants, and services.

SEMAC: General Operating Support Grants

Nonprofit arts organizations in the SEMAC region with operating expenses of less than $174,000 are invited to apply for these grants to strengthen and stabilize their organization by supporting administrative and other overhead expenses over the course of two years (biennial grant). Recipients of this grant must submit an interim report after Year One to receive Year Two payment.

Award amount: Up to $5,000 per year (up to $10,000 total over two years)

Program Description

Minnesota Statutes Sec. 144.147 authorizes the Commissioner of Health to award grants to eligible rural hospitals for the development of strategic plans that preserve or enhance access to health services or for the implementation of transition projects to modify the type and extent of services provided, based on an existing strategic plan.

Health Equity Priorities

It is the policy of the State of Minnesota to ensure fairness, precision, equity and consistency in competitive grant awards. This includes implementing diversity and inclusion in grant-making. The Policy on Rating Criteria for Competitive Grant Review establishes the expectation that grant programs intentionally identify how the grant serves diverse populations, especially populations experiencing inequities and/or disparities.

This program serves diverse, underserved communities in rural areas of Minnesota and promotes equitable access to health care. Grants support hospitals in conducting needs assessments to determine what health services are needed and desired by the community, developing strategic plans to preserve or enhance access to health services, and implementing transition projects to modify their services according to their strategic plans.

In determining which hospitals will receive grants, the following criteria will be considered:

• improving community access to hospital or health services,
• changes in service populations,
• availability and upgrading of ambulatory and emergency services,
• the extent that the health needs of the community are not currently being met by other providers in the service area,
• the need to recruit and retain health professionals,
• the extent of community support,
• the integration of health care services and the coordination with local community organizations, such as community development and public health agencies, and
• the financial condition of the hospital.

This grant will serve:

• Small, nonprofit, rural hospitals needing to create strategic plans for future success or implement transition projects to ensure longevity of services.
• The communities served by these hospitals, which partner with the hospitals on strategic planning and benefit from the services resulting from transition projects.

Grant outcomes will include:

• Hospitals establish sustainable strategic plans to preserve or enhance access to health services for rural communities.
• Hospitals implement transition projects to modify the type and extent of services provided as necessary to meet the needs of their rural communities as reflected in their strategic plans.

What does this program do?

It provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) to:

• To help microenterprises startup and growth through a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund.
• Provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro entrepreneurs.

Microenterprise Development Organizations must demonstrate experience in managing a Revolving Loan Fund, or:

• Certify that it or its employees have received education and training from a qualified microenterprise development training entity so that the applicant has the capacity to manage such a revolving loan fund.
• Demonstrate that it is actively and successfully participating as an intermediary lender in good standing under the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Microloan Program or other similar loan programs as determined by the Administrator.

 What kind of funding is available?

• Grants are available to provide technical assistance to rural micro-entrepreneurs or microenterprises, up to $205,000 annually. Funding at the requested level is not guaranteed, and at least 15 percent matching funds are required.

• Loans of $50,000 to $500,000 may be used for establishing a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund managed by the Microenterprise Development Organization.
• Total aggregate debt is capped at $2.5 million.

What are the loan terms?

• Maximum term is 20 years.
• Two-year payment deferral.
• Must establish a loan loss reserve fund.

What terms are required on loans to ultimate recipients?

• Up to $50,000.
• Fixed interest rate.
• Limited to 75 percent of project cost.

How may the funds be used?

Microlenders may make microloans for qualified business activities and expenses including, but not limited to:

• Working capital.
• Debt refinancing.
• Purchasing equipment and supplies.
• Improving real estate.

Mission

PFund Foundation builds equity with LGBTQ+ communities across the upper Midwest by providing grants and scholarships, developing leaders, and inspiring giving.

Vision

PFund Foundation invests in thriving and more equitable communities for queer people in the upper Midwest.

PRISM Fund

PRISM (Promoting Rural Interconnections for Sexual Minorities) grants support rural LGBTQ+ organizations from across PFund’s five-state service area.

The PRISM program works to increase the capacity and connection of rural LGBTQ+ serving organizations through grants, trainings and cohort collaboration.

PFund builds community and provides resources for LGBTQ+ individuals across the upper Midwest and the First Nations therein.

 Prioritized Communities

The LGBTQ+ community of the upper Midwest is not monolithic. Factors such as age, race/ethnicity, geography, disability, income, and gender all influence the challenges facing queer individuals. PFund Foundation recognizes that some subpopulations of the queer community may need elevated levels of support to achieve equitable outcomes. To address this need, PFund Foundation has identified three prioritized communities who are especially important to our work:

Queer People of Color

LGBTQ+ people who also belong to minority racial and ethnic groups experience additional oppression and discrimination—both inside and outside of queer communities. 

PFund demonstrates its commitment to queer people of color through its programs. 55% of 2022 PFund Scholars identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. During the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, PFund launched a $90,000 emergency fund (now known as the Equity Fund) for queer entrepreneurs of color in Minneapolis to help their businesses survive the economic impacts of the coronavirus and unrest following the murder of George Floyd. In 2022, PFund offered a second round of grants from the Equity Fund for queer BIPOC business owners in Minneapolis.

Gender-Expansive People

Transgender, gender-expansive, and nonbinary individuals are being made the targets of discriminatory legislation and scapegoating at the regional and national levels. The pandemic has also disproportionately impacted transgender and gender non-conforming college students: the Williams Institute at UCLA found that transgender students were six times more likely to have been seriously ill or hospitalized with COVID-19 than their cisgender peers. 55% of 2022 PFund Scholars identify as transgender, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, or nonbinary.

Queer People in North and South Dakota

LGBTQ+ people living in North or South Dakota face a unique set of challenges, including the ongoing impacts of high COVID-19 rates, political environments actively hostile to queer and trans individuals, and fewer nonprofit resources for queer communities (especially outside of large cities). PFund estimates there are at least 82,000 queer individuals living in the Dakotas and the foundation is in the process of building a new targeted outreach program to LGBTQ+ people in rural areas the upper Midwest in 2022.

Program Area: Environment

For more than two decades, the Joyce Foundation has been a leading foundation funder of policy work related to the Great Lakes. We are working to address three of the region’s critical long-term environmental challenges: climate change, the safety and accessibility of the water we drink and the health of the Great Lakes.

Climate change is the largest intergenerational environmental threat in our region. Great Lakes states are at a pivotal moment to dramatically reduce the emissions that drive climate change, while also creating economic opportunity and improving people’s health. Moreover, this region emits nearly 20 percent of all US climate pollution, so gains here are essential to national progress.

More than 40 million people rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, and protecting the Lakes is central to the region’s environmental health, economic vitality, and very identity. In our region, climate change is causing more intense storms and increasing the variability of Great Lakes’ water levels. These patterns increase polluted runoff and stress aging water systems. While all communities face water challenges, the most severe impacts fall on people from communities that have lacked investment because of structural racism or other barriers.

To respond to these challenges, Joyce will support efforts to put Great Lakes states on a path to achieve just, equitable, carbon-free electric power systems by 2040. We will also seek to ensure all people in the Great Lakes region have clean water from lake to tap by supporting policy to address threats, improve infrastructure, and remedy water disparities in communities of color. In all our grants, we will prioritize projects that are guided by the perspectives of people impacted by the environmental issues being addressed.

The program has two focus areas: Climate Solutions and Great Lakes & Drinking Water.

Climate Solutions

Shifting to non-carbon sources of electric power is essential to eliminating global warming pollution – both directly by reducing the burning of fossil fuels in power plants, and indirectly as the transportation, industrial, building heating, and other sectors switch to electricity. There is positive technological, economic, and—in some Great Lakes states—policy momentum behind transitioning to carbon-free electric power. Yet, no states in our region are more than about halfway to achieving complete electric sector decarbonization, and some still get 80 or 90 percent of their electricity from fossil fuels. Joyce will support work on clean energy policy in Great Lakes states to secure long-term commitments to 100 percent carbon-free electricity.

Goal: To put Great Lakes states on a path to achieve just, equitable, carbon-free electric power systems by 2040.

• Secure long-term commitments to transition to carbon-free electricity, including states establishing 100 percent carbon-free electricity goals and strategies, and states, utilities and their stakeholders embracing racial equity and energy justice as core elements of decarbonization plans
• Achieve full implementation of near-term state energy efficiency and renewable energy policies, with strategies tailored to fit the unique needs and opportunities in each state— focusing mostly on Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, with smaller investments in Ohio and Wisconsin
• Support policy innovation to achieve complete, equitable decarbonization, closing the gap between the cumulative reductions that can be driven by the current generation of clean energy policies and 100 percent decarbonization

Great Lakes & Drinking Water

One of every five gallons of fresh water on the surface of the planet is found in the Great Lakes, which provide clean, abundant drinking water for 40 million people in our region. Yet the future health of the lakes is far from assured, given major threats to their physical, chemical, and biological integrity. Public and private decisions made in the next decade will likely determine whether the Great Lakes will be healthy enough to provide for the next generation as they have provided for us.

Protecting the health of our region depends on protecting the health of the Great Lakes and the water systems that serve our communities. The Great Lakes and Drinking Water focus area will accelerate actions to protect the region’s freshwater, upgrade our water infrastructure, and improve access to safe, affordable drinking water. We will pursue two initiatives, with most efforts focused in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Goal: To ensure all people in the Great Lakes region have clean water from lake to tap by supporting policy to address threats, improve infrastructure, and remedy water disparities in communities of color.

To help ensure that the Great Lakes remain healthy enough to provide for the next generation as they have provided for us, we will address major threats to their physical, chemical, and biological integrity, with a focus on efforts to:

• Improve water infrastructure performance, management, and funding, with a focus on remedying water system disparities in communities of color
• Prevent unsustainable diversions from the Great Lakes by enforcing the Great Lakes Compact
• Prevent groundwater depletion (proposals currently by invitation only)
• Reduce the risk of oil spills from oil transport by continuing to support closure of the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline
• Reduce polluted runoff in rural and urban areas
• Prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species

To help make certain that the next generation in our region has access to safe, affordable drinking water, Joyce will support equitable water policy that ensures that water systems and infrastructure provide safe, affordable water services for everyone. We will focus on efforts to develop and support utility, municipal, state, and federal policies that:

• Reduce the risk of lead exposure in drinking water
• Ensure high quality, affordable water services

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What is an eligible area?

Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas. 

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. There are two types of RBDG projects, Opportunity grants and Enterprise grants.

• Opportunity type grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.
• Enterprise type grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application.

How may Enterprise type funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports, or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Rural distance learning for job training and advancement for adult students.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

How may Opportunity type funds be used?

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

About

Compeer Financial is a member-owned, Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities. We provide loans, leases, risk management and other financial services throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in the upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America. With 1,300 dedicated team members serving approximately 72,600 member-owners, we offer specialized expertise and personalized service regardless of the size of the farm, the type of crop grown or the livestock raised. Our services are provided with convenience in mind, through visits to fields, barns and homes, or by maximizing technology to make the most of every hour in every day.

Compeer Financial regularly collaborates with others who are also dedicated to agriculture and rural America. Our in-house specialists participate in conversations that extend beyond our service area, providing formal and informal insight on topics pertinent to all industries, including dairy, swine, grain and renewable energy. With $27 billion in total assets, Compeer Financial is one of the largest cooperatives in the Farm Credit System. This nationwide network of lending institutions supports agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services.

Farmers Market Grant Program - Vendor

Fresh and healthy food is a vital part of our local and regional food systems. Farmers markets offer farmers the unique opportunity to work directly with consumers and diversify their business.

The Compeer Financial Farmers Market Grant Program has two different grant programs: one designed to help organizations and another for farmers directly.

Grants for farmers market vendors are designed to help farmers with education, marketing or technology advancements. This can include developing branding, website creation, or mobile payment technology products (excluding cell/smart phones) or fees. Other examples of eligible uses of grant funds include: scales, tents, tables, display racks, coolers, labeling equipment, and signage.

Community Wealth Building Grants

Weaving together financial, intellectual, cultural, and social assets for healthy communities.

About Blandin Foundation and 2025 Grantmaking

Mission: We connect, fund, and advocate for ideas and people to inspire resourcefulness and move rural places forward.

As one of the few foundations in the nation devoted exclusively to rural needs, Blandin Foundation has shifted our strategic focus to better meet rural Minnesota’s urgent challenges. The COVID pandemic and racial turmoil accelerated many of the economic and social disparities that originally inspired our collective passion for rural philanthropy, and we realized we had to take bold steps to meet the moment. Our intent is to support rural communities and Native Nations in tapping courage, ingenuity, and resourcefulness to rebuild connections that have long been a source of their strength and identity.

Community Context for our Focus on Community Wealth Building

We know that land ownership inequality is growing, wealth and income gaps persist, and that this inequality harms economic growth. Community wealth building’s focus on collaborative work aimed at reducing disparities and support for projects that promote equitable access and outcomes will help push back against these harmful trends. Knowing that Community Wealth Building concepts were developed in urban settings, one objective of this grant program is to gather data from partners’ community wealth-building activities to more deeply inform rural practice and impact.

What is Community Wealth Building?

In a nutshell, it is building the rural bases of knowledge, money, workforce, entrepreneurship, and investment – and keeping those powerful resources close to home. Its goal is to reduce disparities in outcomes that too often fall along the lines of place, race, and class.

Community Wealth Building is a community development approach that considers the full spectrum of assets needed for healthy communities – financial, intellectual, environmental, cultural, and social – and weaves them together in a way that roots all development locally, focusing on sustainable, shared community benefit and reducing disparities.

Outcomes We Seek

Affordable Housing and Housing Stability

• Increased Affordable Housing Units:
  • Creation, preservation, or rehabilitation of a significant number of affordable housing units for low- and moderate-income residents, particularly in communities facing housing shortages in Itasca County.
• Improved Housing Stability for Disadvantaged Populations:
  • Reduction in housing instability and homelessness through initiatives that provide direct support services such as rental assistance, legal aid, and tenant education for marginalized groups (e.g., low-income, Indigenous, and people of color communities). Increases in the number of homeowners from historically underserved populations and from lower-income households as a core household wealth-building strategy.
• Green and Sustainable Housing Development:
  • Development of energy-efficient, climate-resilient housing projects that reduce long-term living costs for lower-income families and address environmental justice concerns.
• System Capacity Building:
  • Expand local expertise, organizational capacity, and access to capital to accelerate and sustain long-term capacity for strategic development of affordable housing in rural communities.

Community-Based Economic Development

• Local Business Growth and Job Creation:
  • Support for community-based businesses, particularly those owned by people of color, Indigenous individuals, and women, leading to new living-wage job creation and economic opportunities for marginalized groups.
• Strengthened Community Land Ownership:
  • Increased access to community land trusts and co-operative business models, giving local communities, especially people of color and Indigenous populations, greater control over their land and economic resources.
• Increased Economic Diversification:
  • Enhanced economic resilience through the development of new industries or revitalization of key sectors in rural areas, such as sustainable food systems, clean energy, or creative industries, benefiting rural communities.
• Whole-community Development:
  • Support Indigenous approaches to wealth—rooted in relational, cultural, and environmental well-being— that build not only financial capital but also value the health of relationships, the stewardship of natural resources, and the preservation of language, cultural knowledge, and traditions to build community.

Workforce and Talent Development Systems

• Improved Workforce Participation:
  • Increased participation of underrepresented groups (especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), rural women, immigrants, and low-income residents) in the workforce through tailored job training programs, apprenticeships, and support for re-entry populations.
• Industry-Specific Workforce Development:
  • Development of workforce pipelines in high-demand sectors like healthcare, housing construction, renewable energy, and technology, with pathways that are specifically inclusive of rural residents with greater barriers to success.
• Leadership Development for Underrepresented Groups:
  • Increased representation of BIPOC, women, and rural populations in leadership roles in both the public and private sectors through mentorship programs, leadership training, and capacity-building initiatives.
• K-12 and Higher Education Partnerships:
  • Enhanced collaborations between local schools, community colleges, and businesses to create career pathways for youth, particularly in underserved communities, including mentorship programs, internships, and dual-credit opportunities. Emphasis on collaborative regional approaches versus support for individual programs or organizations. Pathways should lead to living-wage work.

Equitable Access to Capital

• Increased Access to Small Business Financing:
  • Strengthening the rural economic development ecosystem to support small businesses and entrepreneurs from marginalized communities in Itasca County and across rural Minnesota, particularly those owned by BIPOC, women, and low-income individuals.
• Community Investment Funds:
  • Creation of community investment funds that pool resources from residents and local organizations to fund community development projects and businesses that directly benefit local residents, with a focus on rooting economic activity and wealth building in Minnesota’s rural communities.
• Financial Empowerment and Capital Access Education:
  • Increased financial empowerment programs aimed at BIPOC and low-income communities to improve financial management, investment strategies, knowledge of household wealth-building pathways, and access to credit for both businesses and households.
• Partnerships for Equitable Economic Investment:
  • Formation of strategic partnerships between local governments, financial institutions, and community organizations to increase investment in rural communities, prioritizing equitable access to capital for underserved populations.

Cross-cutting and Community-Level Outcomes

• Reduction of Racial and Economic Disparities:
  • Demonstrable reductions in economic disparities across racial, class, and geographic lines, with a focus on lifting up communities of color, Indigenous populations, immigrant communities, and rural low-income residents in Itasca County and across rural Minnesota.
• Strengthened Social Cohesion and Community Leadership:
  • Increased capacity of local community leaders, to advocate for and drive economic development and policy change that addresses racial, economic, and geographic disparities and emphasizes community benefit and inclusive prosperity.
• Improved Public Health and Economic Well-Being:
  • Measurable improvement in health outcomes (mental, physical, economic) through the combined impact of affordable housing, access to quality jobs, financial stability, and reduced systemic barriers.
• Sustainable Rural Development:
  • Enhance rural resilience by integrating climate adaptation, sustainable practices, and long-term economic sustainability into all community wealth-building efforts in rural, underserved areas.
• Community-focused Procurement and Purchasing Practices:
  • Grow resilient local and regional rural economies by prioritizing procurement for local businesses and producers, supporting conditions for increased economic activity, living-wage job growth, and inclusive, locally-created wealth.

Funding Range

Please request an amount that speaks to what you need to complete your proposal. Typical grant awards will be between $25,000 and $150,000. Funded projects can have a timeframe of up to 3 years. Requests over $250,000 may follow a different timeline for review and approval.

We expect funding decisions to be made around the end of May 2025; however, depending on the volume of proposals received, the timeline may shift.

Please see FAQs on the Grant Eligibility & Applications page for additional guidelines and information.

Small Communities Grants

Funding resources, skills, and needed system changes in rural Minnesota’s smallest communities.

Our Small Communities Grant Program is a program focused on reaching small, often overlooked places, and providing funding for the resources and skills they need to solve community issues. It is one important way we can improve community well-being and begin to reverse decades of fiscal policies and practices that have harmed rural places and the people who live there.

The Small Communities Grant Program will build on the pride rural residents feel for their communities. Rural connection and interdependence can be powerful community forces. When people work together to solve community issues, they create trust, ownership and buy-in which again translates to success with completing projects and initiatives, and ultimately strengthening the community. Activities funded by our Small Communities Grant Program should drive positive economic, physical, and social change in a rural community.

Blandin’s Value Framework

Build Rural Capacity

• Strengthening the resources and skills rural MN needs to address community problems and opportunities. We are focusing our funding and programming on strategies that produce measurable, sustainable outcomes in our three impact areas and those that can demonstrate coordinated, regional impact.

Build Connection

• Enabling can-do communities that are rich in people-to-people connections and generate opportunity at the individual, community and state levels. Connected individuals stay healthier, are happier, achieve higher education, improve their job outlook and are more likely to have long-term economic upward mobility. Connected communities thrive amidst change, both unintended (disaster, economic uncertainty) and proactive (future-forward community initiatives).

Focus Areas

Planning

• Planning for a small communities initiative.
  • Engage community in evaluating its financial, cultural, and natural assets to support community development planning.
  • Plan and design programs, inclusive community events, public spaces, and community amenities that improve wellbeing and increased livability.
  • Research to support community planning or increased access to grants and other financial resources.

Implementation

• Executing a small communities initiative.
  • Implementing community initiatives, including events, discussions and gatherings.
  • Creation, enhancement or revitalization of indoor and outdoor physical spaces, such as:
    • Community gathering and ceremonial places.
    • Community centers.
    • Downtowns/Main Street projects.
    • Repurposing buildings.
    • Redevelopment.
    • Addressing brownfields.
    • Libraries.
    • Revitalization and capital improvements.
    • Parks and trails.

Capacity Building

• Building small community skills and attracting resources.
  • Build the skills and resources of a community or organizations to drive positive economic, physical and social changes:
    • Grant-writing assistance.
    • Technical assistance.
    • Consulting expertise, including inter-generational knowledge sharing.
    • Leadership skill-building.
    • Research to support skill and resource-building.
    • Collaboratively changing how systems work and the outcomes they produce.

Outcomes We Seek

Proposed projects should impact one or more of the following objectives and should include a description of how your organization will measure progress toward those. It is acceptable to measure “what happened/what’s different” (qualitative data) along with or instead of “how many or how much” (quantitative) because impact in small rural communities is often challenging to demonstrate with numbers only.

• Bring about positive, visible change in the community, including increasing community/leadership engagement, planning, nurturing community pride and revitalization.
  • Possible metrics: visible community change in structures or enhancements, new construction, beautification, increased civic engagement, survey results showing increased pride in place.
• Engage in productive discourse around issues affecting small, rural Minnesota communities, including race, class, gender, and other self-identified divides.
  • Possible metrics: notable signs of a more connected, engaged and less divisive community, including possible survey results, social media tenor, examples of new community cohesion, policy changes or advocacy.
• Prepare for the future by enhancing community aesthetics and amenities, cooperating with neighboring communities for mutual benefit, and laying the groundwork for future development.
  • Possible metrics: visible community change in structures and amenities, established partnerships with other communities or partners, local business and job growth, and completing professional development and skill building and training opportunities.

Please see FAQs on the Grant Eligibility & Applications page for additional guidelines and information.

Funding Range

Please request an amount that speaks to what you need to complete your proposal. Typical grant awards will be between $25,000 and $150,000. Funded projects can have a timeframe of up to 3 years. Requests over $250,000 may follow a different timeline for review and approval.

We expect funding decisions to be made around the end of May 2025; however, depending on the volume of proposals received, the timeline may shift.

Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council

The Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) has served as the designated regional arts council for Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona counties, including the Prairie Island Indian Community since 1977. Through our six grant programs, SEMAC supports arts programming in every corner of our region by awarding close to $1,000,000 per year to individuals, arts organizations, non-arts nonprofits, schools, and local government entities.

SEMAC is one of eleven Regional Arts Councils designated by the State of Minnesota to make final decisions on the use of appropriations from the state’s general fund and from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund | Minnesota’s Legacy to support local and regional arts development.

Programming and Project Support Grants for Organizations

These grants are meant to support activities directly involved in the creation, performance, publication, and exhibition of the arts with a focus in one or more of the three key areas identified in the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Legacy Amendment – Arts Access, Arts Education, and Cultural Heritage.

Nonprofit arts and non-arts organizations (nonprofits, schools, local government and tribal entities) are eligible to apply and collaborations between arts and non-arts organizations are encouraged. An accessible public event is required.

Proposed budgets should give priority to paying fees to artists, creative production team members, and people providing technical support to help create and support a thriving arts ecosystem throughout southeastern Minnesota.

Award amount: $3,000 to $11,000 for nonprofit arts organizations. Non-arts nonprofits, non-religious K-12 schools, or other non-arts organizations including local government entities, nonprofits, colleges, and universities are eligible for $3,000 to $6,000.

Purpose: To support activities directly involved in the creation, performance, publication, and exhibition of the arts with a focus in one or more of the three key areas identified in the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Legacy Amendment – Arts Access, Arts Education, and Cultural Heritage.

About Our Funding

The information provided on this page applies only to potential grantees located in the state of Minnesota. The Medica Foundation recognizes the importance of supporting the unique health needs of individual communities in our grantmaking.

Our overarching principles:

• Benefit the communities Medica serves
• Advance health equity
• Build trust and collaboration with grantee partners and create mutual accountability between funders and nonprofits
• Improve the availability of, access to, and/or quality of health care
• Achieve success or demonstrate effectiveness through measurable outcomes

Minnesota: Early Childhood Health Grant

We seek proposals that support early intervention programs that foster optimal growth and development for children from birth through age 12. We prioritize proposals that strategically align their work to advance health equity for the following communities:

• Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
• Immigrants and refugees
• Individuals experiencing homelessness
• Individuals living in rural areas
• LGBTQ+
• Youth in or aging out of foster care

We'll prioritize proposals that address:

• Abuse prevention
• Culturally-focused care
• Early childhood health workforce
• Maternal health and birth equity (e.g., prenatal/perinatal care and doula support)
• Oral health
• Parenting skills
• Primary care and immunizations
• Social-emotional learning

Funding

Individual grants may be awarded up to $100,000.

Our Mission...

The mission of The Needmor Fund for Social Justice is to work with others to bring about social justice. We support groups of people who come together to organize their community, build power, and challenge the social, economic, or political conditions that bar their access to participation in a democratic society.

Our Vision...

Our work is informed by a vision of democracy and justice:

• We strive to engage those whose participation in our democratic society has been systemically denied, because we believe our nation will operate most equitably when all of its people are actively involved in crafting the vision, values, and policies that affect their lives. This includes, but is not limited to, those who have traditionally been excluded — i.e., low- and moderate-income communities, BIPOC communities, the disabled, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community.
• We seek a just society in which all persons are treated with dignity and assured their fundamental rights, including equal access to the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, safety, healthcare, education, livable wages, and a clean environment.
• We work to build a nation in which all people are free to exercise their rights regardless of race, ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, economic status, or faith.
• We believe in the power of community and its ability to collectively determine the best strategies for improving the lives of its members.

Our Values...

Our work together is guided by the following beliefs:

• Every individual has inherent worth and has the right to have his or her voice heard.
• Community organizing is one of the most effective means to engage and lift the voices of those whose participation in our democratic society has been systematically denied.
• Equality, equity, and inclusion of the diverse voices of our society are central to responsible deliberation and decision-making, within both our institutions and society-at-large.

Core Grants

The Needmor Fund for Social Justice’s Core Grants Program provides general operating support to groups engaged in the work of community organizing. Grantees funded through this program are eligible to receive funding for up to three years, after which an organization may not apply for at least two years.

Needmor’s Core Grants Program will focus on supporting community organizing in the Midwest — specifically an eight state region that includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Basic Criteria

While Needmor embraces the opportunity to fund emerging organizations, our commitment remains to funding strong, effective community organizing. We thus seek to support groups that:

• Organize primarily low- and moderate-income people, as evidenced by demographic/ statistical data indicating social and economic distress.
• Have a multi-issue agenda that reflects an intersectional approach to addressing issues associated with race, economic justice and equality.
• Demonstrate a commitment to long-term base building and effectively link issue work to building organizational power.
• Are democratically run and consist of a dues-paying membership base, with deep member engagement and a process for both developing and regenerating a strong cadre of leaders over time.
• Have developed a power analysis and a clearly defined plan for challenging/altering the dynamics of power within their communities.
• Engage in direct action and have demonstrated the ability to win concrete victories of increasingly larger scale.
• Have a vision to continually build and aggregate power, enabling them to take on bigger policy issues and expand its base of allies to increase its impact over time.
• Are well managed, engage in strategic planning, and have a sound budget and diversified fundraising plan.

Additional Screens

In addition to meeting the above basic criteria, Needmor is interested in funding groups that:

• Organize across lines of race, class, and gender; and, promote the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Are linked to and leverage the power of faith, labor, and community into powerful organizations.
• Demonstrate a willingness to work collaboratively for the purpose of building collective power to achieve systematic change at the regional, state, and national level. 
• Are connected to larger organizing networks that are working to implement new, broad, and creative public policies that address systemic issues facing low- and moderate-income communities.
• Integrate voter engagement strategies and the expansion of democracy into the building of powerful community organizations.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop an agenda that frames issues of relevance to both urban and rural constituencies.
• Recognize and address the impact of global corporatization as it relates to issues of economic and environmental justice.
• Have potential for attracting the interest and support of other funders.

MN Forward Pooled Fund Grant Program

Grants from the MN Forward Pooled Fund will emphasize efforts created and led by communities impacted by the short- and long-term effects brought on by federal shifts. This new grant program for organizations and coalitions with annual or program budgets of $3 million or less.

Fortify Grant

Fortify Grants will support the strategic planning and response efforts of organizations and coalitions/collaboratives as they address effects brought on by federal shifts.

Fortify Grants do not need to be for brand new work that has only recently emerged; however, the fund seeks to support work that is explicitly focused on Minnesotans directly impacted by effects brought on by federal shifts since January of 2025. For example, your group may already conduct leadership development cohorts, and you have recently shifted program content to focus on effects of recent federal shifts.

Priorities

The MN Forward Pooled Fund will emphasize efforts created and led by communities impacted by the short- and long-term effects brought on by federal shifts.

Priority for groups supporting multiple organizations or leaders. Emphasis placed on applications that demonstrate impacted communities and geographies are in leadership, have informed and formed the process and solution, will benefit from the effort being funded.

Grants are available to groups working across many disciplines including but not limited to:

• Advocacy
• Organizing
• Services
• Capacity building
• Training/facilitation
• Arts & culture
• Healing

Funding

Grants will be a set amount of $50,000 per grantee. 

MN Forward Pooled Fund Grant Program

Grants from the MN Forward Pooled Fund will emphasize efforts created and led by communities impacted by the short- and long-term effects brought on by federal shifts. This new grant program for organizations and coalitions with annual or program budgets of $3 million or less.

Futuring Grant

Futuring Grants will support organizations and coalitions/collaboratives building for futures beyond the current moment with 10-, 20-, and 30-year visions where impacted communities are leading and thriving.

Priorities

The MN Forward Pooled Fund will emphasize efforts created and led by communities impacted by the short- and long-term effects brought on by federal shifts.

Priority for groups supporting multiple organizations or leaders. Emphasis placed on applications that demonstrate impacted communities and geographies are in leadership, have informed and formed the process and solution, will benefit from the effort being funded.

Grants are available to groups working across many disciplines including but not limited to:

• Advocacy
• Organizing
• Services
• Capacity building
• Training/facilitation
• Arts & culture
• Healing

Funding

Grants will be a set amount of $50,000 per grantee. 

Brief Description

In even years (2020, 2022, 2024…) the Central Minnesota Community Foundation and the Initiative Foundation are jointly offering the Rural Poverty Fund grants for planning and implementation of projects or programs that address rural poverty. Grant funds may: Establish or supplement existing emergency and transitional activities which directly address specific and immediate needs that rural people have due to poverty or be used to assess community needs and assets, develop action plans, or provide for project implementation in rural areas. Grants must relate to a variety of identified programs or agency needs.

Focus Areas

• Establish or supplement existing emergency and transitional activities
• Assess community needs and assets
• Development of action plans
• Provide for project implementation

What We Fund

• General Operations
• New programs/projects
• Expanded programs/projects

Rural Primary Care Residency Training Grant Program

The Rural Primary Care Residency Training Grant Program, authorized by Minnesota Statutes Section 144.1507, awards grants to eligible programs to plan, implement, and sustain rural primary care residency training programs. Grants support programs with costs such as planning and development, obtaining accreditation, recruiting and training residents and faculty, and improving training sites. The program is designed to increase training opportunities in rural Minnesota, with the goal of strengthening the rural primary care physician workforce.

Program Planning and Development

A planning and development phase for one to three years to establish a new ACGMEaccredited rural primary care residency training program or a new rural residency training track within an existing accredited primary care residency program.

To receive planning and development funding, applicants and grantees must submit annual proof of application for federal funds to support planning and development, if funds are available and the program is eligible. If the program is not eligible for federal funds, they must submit documentation of ineligibility.

Programs that receive federal funds to support planning and development must submit a revised budget to MDH reflecting the reduced need for state funding. The MDH grant award may be reduced or concluded based on the federal funding award.

Upon completion of year one of this phase, grantees must submit the following:

• Attestation of the financial feasibility and viability of the rural residency training program or track, based on the results of the GME consultation.
• The MDH Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) will review the financial feasibility findings and must deem them acceptable in order to approve further grant funding.
• Letters of support from rural residency training sites and all other partners.
• Grantees who meet all requirements and wish to continue planning and development wil receive an annual award letter detailing the funds that will be added to their grant in years two and three.

Up to $250,000 per year for up to three years, for a maximum of $750,000. Grantees who successfully complete the planning and development phase may have funds added to their grant in following years for program sustainability (phase 2). To demonstrate successful completion of phase 1, grantees must submit the following:

• Proof of ACGME accreditation.
• Documentation of plans to begin training the first rural resident class no later than the academic year immediately following the end of the grant period. 

Rural Primary Care Residency Training Grant Program -  Planning and Development

The Rural Primary Care Residency Training Grant Program, authorized by Minnesota Statutes Section 144.1507, awards grants to eligible programs to plan, implement, and sustain rural primary care residency training programs. Grants support programs with costs such as planning and development, obtaining accreditation, recruiting, and training residents and faculty, and improving training sites. The program is designed to increase training opportunities in rural Minnesota, with the goal of strengthening the rural primary care physician workforce.

Funding

An estimated $1,500,000-2,000,000 will be available to grant this cycle. Funds will be distributed in approximately two or three awards, with an estimated maximum award amount of up to $225,000 per resident per year for Sustaining Program Projects.

Program Sustainability

• An ongoing sustainability phase for one to five years to sustain operations of an ACGME-accredited rural residency training program or a rural residency training track within an existing accredited primary care residency program.
• To receive program sustainability grant funds, new applicants or existing grantees must submit:
  • Proof of ACGME accreditation.
  • Proof that the program established its rural residency slots in 2022 or more recently. Documentation that residents are currently being trained or will begin training in the following academic year.
  • Annual verification of the number of residents in the program.
  • Annual proof of application for federal funds to support ongoing program operation, if funds are available and program is eligible. If the program is not eligible for federal funds, they must submit documentation of ineligibility. 
  • An annual program budget overview showing expenditures and revenue from all sources.
• Programs that receive federal funds to support ongoing program operation must submit a revised budget to MDH reflecting the reduced need for state funding. The MDH grant award may be reduced or concluded based on the federal funding award.
• Grantees who meet all requirements will receive an annual award letter detailing the funds that will be added to their grant each year. 
• Up to $225,000 per resident per year. 
• A grant agreement may be in effect for up to five years. Programs may reapply for funding as their grant agreements come to an end.

About Our Funding

The information provided on this page applies only to potential grantees located in the state of Minnesota. The Medica Foundation recognizes the importance of supporting the unique health needs of individual communities in our grantmaking.

Our overarching principles:

• Benefits local communities.
• Improves the availability of, access to and/or quality of health care.
• Achieves success or demonstrates effectiveness through measurable outcomes.

Minnesota: Rural Health Grant

We aim to fund community-led solutions that address health equity in rural communities. 

We prioritize proposals that address:

• Culturally-focused care
• Dental health
• Domestic violence and sexual assault services and prevention
• Independent living for seniors
• Maternal and birth health
• Mental health and chemical health
• Primary care for underserved communities
• Sexual health
• Transportation for medical/health appointments

Funding

Individual grants may be awarded between $5,000 - $10,000.

CHS Inc

CHS (fomerly is a leading global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States. Diversified in energy, agronomy, grains and foods, CHS is committed to creating connections to empower agriculture, helping its farmer-owners, customers and other stakeholders grow their businesses through its domestic and global operations. CHS supplies energy, crop nutrients, seed, crop protection products, grain marketing services, production and agricultural services, animal nutrition products, foods and food ingredients, and risk management services. The company operates petroleum refineries and pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes Cenex® brand refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products. 

CHS invests in programs that strengthen hometown communities and develop future generations of ag leaders through CHS community giving and the CHS Foundation. These initiatives support CHS sustainability efforts and long-term focus on people and rural communities

CHS community giving serves cooperative communities through support of cooperative matching grants, Twin Cities projects, volunteerism and industry support.

CHS Foundation

The CHS Foundation builds ag career pathways and educates rural youth through support of ag safety.

Teacher Grants

The CHS Foundation will award up to $50,000 to help teachers to implement a project at their school that will engage students in experiential agricultural education. We know teachers have big ideas we want to help bring those to life for students in rural communities.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund wants to encourage collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions in a number of civic areas including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education.

Priority is placed on projects that: 

• Bring together a broad range of community members and institutions
• Provide the opportunity for diverse community members to work together
• Contain measurable short term outcomes within the first 12 to 18 months
• Include community members actively in all phases of the process 
• Work toward an outcome of positive change within their community

Projects must demonstrate:

• Support from a diverse cross-section of community members and institutions
• Matching financial and/or in-kind support from the local community
• Significant volunteer participation
• Reasonable plans to complete the project within 18 months or less

Funds will be available for: 

• Planning (up to $5,000) - These funds may support costs like: consultant or staff time, meeting costs, mailings, secretarial support, refreshments, local travel, childcare, etc.
• Note - this stage is optional and not a required phase prior to applying for or receiving an implementation grant. If an organization receives a planning grant from the Musser Fund, this in no way implies a commitment on the part of the Musser Fund to provide the organization with any subsequent implementation grant.
• But organizations that receive a planning grant may apply for subsequent implementation support after their planning activities are completed.      
• Implementation (Up to $25,000) - These funds are available to implement community based rural projects that originate in, have been planned by, and involve diverse people from the local community.
• Capital campaigns will not be supported.
• The projects should result in a tangible outcome within at least the first 18 months.
• Projects will be eligible for either planning or implementation funds during any one grant period.

What the Program will Cover:

• New programs or projects within their first three years
• A planning, and/or implementation phase

Grant Intention: This grant supports public art research and development activities by Minnesota-based early-career artists.

Forecast Equity Commitment

Forecast seeks to fund a diverse group of artists working in all career stages and a range of public art practices and media. We place particular emphasis on supporting and amplifying the artistic work of BIPOC and Native artists, LGBTQIA+ artists, womxn artists, immigrant artists, artists from rural communities, and artists with disabilities. It is our value that our applicants, panelists, and grantees reflect the racial, cultural, and geographic diversity of our state, as well as the stories and perspectives of the artists and communities we serve.

We know that there is no “one-size-fits-all” language when it comes to talking about race and identity and that this language is always evolving. If you relate to what we’ve described here, please apply!

Overview

This grant supports early-career artists in public art-related research and development, or with the planning phase of a freely accessible public art installation or activity in Minnesota. Activities could range from research to planning, community dialogues, site or budget development, or model building. R+D grants may be used for the development of proposals for other public or nonprofit agencies; however, they may not be used for private commissions.

• What is Public Art? Broadly speaking, public art is artwork in the public realm, regardless of whether it is situated on public or private property, or whether it is supported through public or private funding. It can range from temporary to permanent work, murals to sculptures, interventions, performances, storytelling, iron pours, sound and light projects, dance and spoken word. It is free and accessible to all members of a community.
• What is an Early-Career Artist? An early-career artist is considered as, “showing significant potential, yet…under recognized by their peers and arts professionals. Evidence of some professional achievement is expected but artists with an extensive record of accomplishment are not eligible.” These grants are not for artists early on in their public career, it is for artists of any discipline who are early in their career. If you are considered mid-career in your studio practice but have little public art experience, you would not qualify for the early-career grants, rather, you should apply for the mid-career grants. Forecast’s early-career artist grants are funded by the Jerome Foundation.

Funding

Four grants, $2,500 each

The Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Follow Along Program is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide culturally and linguistically inclusive supports and resources for families from our focus communities to increase enrollment and participation in the program.

The Follow Along Program identifies developmental and social-emotional areas of need in young children (birth through kindergarten entrance), connects them with services as early as possible, and continues to support them in their development throughout early childhood. Families complete periodic questionnaires (called Ages and Stages Questionnaires) focused on developmental and social-emotional skills. When needs are identified, staff from local public health departments then follow-up with families.

MDH is seeking collaboration with a group of organizations to support a Community Connectors component. Our goal is to better reach populations that have been historically underserved by the Follow Along Program. Organizations will recruit and deploy a group of Community Connectors to provide culturally and linguistically inclusive outreach and navigation support for families as they enroll and participate in the Follow Along Program. The Follow Along Program Community Connectors will specifically serve families from a focus population group(s). Focus population groups are historically oppressed groups, including (but not limited to) Tribal Nations, American Indian, African American, Somali, Hmong, Latinx, and Karen communities, as well as those from rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.