St. Cloud, Minn. – To honor the legacy of Norman C. Skalicky, the Central Minnesota Community Foundation is excited to announce grants totaling $1 million to three local organizations.
The following organizations have received grants from the Norman C. Skalicky Foundation Fund:
- The Friends of North Park in Albany received $500,000, for its picnic shelter project ($250,000) in 2024 and for its splash pad project ($250,000) in 2025.
- The Great River Children’s Museum received $250,000 for programming.
- St. Cloud Technical and Community College received $250,000 for its Scholarship Fund.
Norman Skalicky began his banking career in Albany, MN. Prior to founding Stearns Bank, he got his start as an insurance agent at the Stearn County State Bank. Norm would later purchase the majority interest in both the Stearns County State Bank and First State Bank of Albany.
In 1966, he merged both banks to create Stearns Bank National Association which is based in St. Cloud Minnesota, with locations in Arizona and Florida. The bank is over 20% employee owned and employs more than 500. The bank’s success, growing from $6 million in assets to more than $3 billion over the years, allowed for giving back to the community in many ways. The bank continues providing innovative commercial and personal deposit products as well as specialty and traditional commercial lending and leasing. Skalicky’s innovative spirit inspired many.
Norm passed away, November 7, 2021. He was an active philanthropist and community advocate in St. Cloud and Albany. He and wife Mae Skalicky chose to raise their family of four on North Lake in Albany in the early years. His children often speak about how wonderful it was to grow up in Albany on the lake. In his early years, Norm served on the Albany Community Hospital Board and was an active member of the Lions Club. He valued giving back to the community and did so by supporting other local businesses, providing jobs through his business, and contributing his time, talents, and treasures to local charities. Norm believed in helping others and dedicated his time to instilling those same values in his children.
The Norman C. Skalicky Foundation Fund, with the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, began in 1999 by Norman C. Skalicky’s passion for philanthropy. For the past nearly 25 years, this fund has supported a multitude of community initiatives, programs, and response needs.
The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1985, CMCF has grown to $143.5 million in assets and awarded $155.3 million in grants to non-profits. The CMCF is governed by a local board of directors and is a partner of CommunityGiving, which is a network of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers over 1,100 funds totaling over $225 million in assets. Learn more at communitygiving.org/cmcf