11 projects are awarded grants
Brainerd, Minn. – The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation (BLACF) Board of Directors and CommunityGiving are pleased to announce their 2016-2017 grant recipients. Eleven projects were chosen to receive a total of $91,000. This year’s grant recipients are listed below along with the purpose of the funds.
Grant Recipients
-$33,000 to the City of Brainerd for the Brainerd Riverfront Development Project for third year funding to move from project planning toward implementation of a destination Riverwalk.
-$10,000 to the Brainerd Baxter Youth Center for programming at The Shop, to support youth in transition.
-$10,000 to Salem WEST for emergency funding in response to the arson fire that destroyed their building and donated items that were ready for distribution to low income families.
-$7,500 to support continued expansion of the Lakes Area Music Festival’s outreach program and remove barriers of access to art for the community.
-$7,500 to help businesses and organizations in the Crow Wing County area fill key professional positions through the Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corporation Key Recruitment program.
-$7,500 to offer youth entrepreneurism and workforce readiness experiential programs to area high school students in the 2017-2018 school year through Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest.
-$5,000 to the Spirit of Hope Fund to support local benevolence funding administered by the Salvation Army and Bridges of Hope.
-$5,000 to Community Action Council of Crow Wing County for the Newcomers Club, which works to create a welcoming atmosphere to individuals and families moving into the area.
-$2,500 to United Way of Crow Wing and Southern Cass Counties for an application that helps connect area residents with volunteer opportunities.
-$2,000 to FRED (Fathers Reading Every Day) programming which promotes early literacy learning and healthy brain development through activities at Brainerd ISD 181.
-$1,000 to the Initiative Foundation for their nonprofit capacity building efforts in the Brainerd Lakes Area.
“This year, BLACF has focused their grant-making on work force development projects,” says Karl Samp, BLACF executive director. “As highlighted in the recent Rosenmeier Forum at CLC, finding a quality workforce is a real challenge for area employers of all types. We looked at supporting projects that would help develop a future work force, especially those students who tend to stay in our community after graduation. We are also supporting efforts that attract and retain workers by creating attractive community amenities and a welcoming community. I am very proud of our Board’s response to a challenging community issue.”
Since the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation was established in 1998, they have granted over $4.1 million to organizations to benefit communities.
The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation (BLACF), in affiliation with CommunityGiving, is a public charity that attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1998, BLACF has grown to over $8.7 million in assets and awarded over $4.1 million in grants to local non-profits. CommunityGiving is a collaboration of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. The core foundations working with CommunityGiving include the Alexandria Area Community Foundation, the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, the Central Minnesota Community Foundation and the Willmar Area Community Foundation. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers more than 650 funds totaling more than $123 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Brainerd.
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