White Bear Lake, MN – The Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of their annual Community Partners Grant Round. This year 24 local organizations received funding from the GWBLCF, totaling $100,000.
Meredith St. Pierre, Executive Director of the GWBLCF, stated, “These organizations deliver critical programs that align with our mission and directly support community well-being. We are proud to partner with them in this grant round, and the Grants Committee and GWBLCF board has taken an additional step by fully funding the organizations addressing food insecurity, one of the most pressing challenges facing our community. We are also pleased to fund five organizations for the first time as new applicants.”
The following organizations received funding, listed in alphabetical order:
- Bazteck Fishing & Outdoors – 10K Ice Angler Project which provides outdoor education for area students on White Bear Lake
- Bear Boating – Repairs to the pontoon seats in order to maintain access to all veterans, including those with mobility issues
- Community Dental Care – Expanding access to dental care and preventive health education
- Children’s Dental Services – Increasing dental access for 100 Head Start children in White Bear Lake
- Children’s Performing Arts – Summerstock Theater Intensive featuring Newsies
- Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota – Family Navigator Program supporting individuals with Down syndrome and their families
- Girls on the Run Minnesota – Programs that build confidence, friendships, and healthy habits for girls in White Bear Lake
- White Bear Lake High School Black Student Union – HBCU tour fostering leadership, cultural awareness, and community engagement
- Junior Achievement North – JA BizTown and JA Finance Park financial literacy programming for students
- Lakeshore Players Theater – Special family-focused events
- Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation – Angel Fund providing student support
- Mahtomedi Area Food Shelf – Backpack meal program for students
- Mahtomedi Community Education – Page Turners Challenge summer reading initiative
- Merrick, Inc. – Grief Support Training and Certification for disability support professionals
- Northern Starz Center for Performing Arts – Penguin Project inclusive theater program for individuals with special needs
- Solid Ground – Afterschool tutoring and youth programming
- St. Andrews’ Community Resource Center – Food shelf and community meal program
- St. John in the Wilderness – Expanded 24/7 food pantry access and signage
- Tubman – Violence Prevention Education in White Bear Lake Schools
- White Bear Area Food Shelf – Curbside food pick-up program
- White Bear Center for the Arts – Vision & Verse high school contest and exhibition for written and visual work
- White Bear Lake Area Historical Society – Fillebrown House front porch restoration
- White Bear Lake Sailing School – Youth sailing access, development, and training
- White Bear Area YMCA – Financial assistance for memberships
The Greater White Bear Lake Community Foundation (GWBLCF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 2015, the GWBLCF has grown to over $5.4 million in assets and supports 41 active funds. The GWBLCF 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 1,300 funds totaling over $283 million in assets. Learn more at www.GWBLCF.org.