St. Cloud, Minn. – St. Cloud, Minn. – The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) has awarded $190,000 to 16 local organizations through three competitive grant rounds, supporting initiatives that strengthen housing stability, expand access to the arts, and improve opportunities for youth throughout Central Minnesota.
“The generosity of our fundholders, donors, and community partners makes these grant opportunities possible,” said Tailor Doeden, Director of Community Engagement for the Central Minnesota Community Foundation. “Together, we are investing in organizations that are creating meaningful change, meeting critical community needs, and building a stronger Central Minnesota for today and for future generations.”
Central Minnesota Difference Maker Grants
The Central Minnesota Difference Maker Grant supports projects that address pressing community needs through an annual focus area. This year’s grant round focused on keeping people housed by supporting organizations working to improve housing stability across the region.
Grant recipients include:
- CommonBond Communities received $20,000 for its Affordable Housing Services – Sherburne County program.
- Lutheran Social Services of MN received $30,000 for its Pathways to Housing Success program.
- Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance received $30,000 for its Housing Stability for Families program.
- ServeMinnesota received $20,000 for its Heading Home Corps: Keeping Central Minnesotans Housed program.
Central Minnesota Arts Grants
The Central Minnesota Arts Grant supports visual art, including but not limited to murals, sculptures, mosaics, installations, and other non-performing art forms. Funding is intended to help create publicly accessible, permanent or long-lasting visual artworks that enhance community spaces and contribute to local identity, pride, and vibrancy.
Grant recipients include:
- Economic Development Authority of Richmond received $7,000 for its mural project.
- Heijeu Arts received $9,900 for its Alleyway of Art: Prism Path project.
- Melrose Area Arts Council received $8,000 for its mural project.
- St. Cloud Downtown Alliance received $5,100 for its mural project.
Thomas Ritsche Youth Grants
The Thomas Ritsche Youth Grant supports youth-focused programs and projects that help young people thrive throughout Central Minnesota.
Grant recipients include:
- 180 Degrees received $7,500 to support its St. Cloud youth shelter.
- District 742 – LEAF received $7,500 for its Breaking Barriers: Extracurricular Access for Students program.
- Foster Advocates received $5,000 for its Foster Youth Postsecondary Connection project.
- Girl Scouts of MN & WI Lakes and Pines received $2,500 for its St. Cloud Area Girl Scouts in Action program.
- Great River Children’s Museum received $10,000 for its Pop Up Play program.
- Katherine Johnson Education Center received $10,000 for its Rebalance Program.
- QUEERSPACE Collective received $10,000 for its Hangouts St. Cloud program.
- Thumbs Up received $7,500 for its Youth Resilience After School program.
To learn more about the Central Minnesota Community Foundation’s annual grant opportunities, visit communitygiving.org/cmcfgrants.
The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1985, CMCF has grown to $177.7 million in assets and awarded $178.6 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 1,300 funds totaling over $283 million in assets. Learn more at communitygiving.org/cmcf