Fund to Support Key Community Needs
New London-Spicer Minn. – Twelve northern Kandiyohi County townships in the New London-Spicer area will soon start to benefit from a new grant-making fund. The New London-Spicer Area Fund (NLSAF), established in 2014, will begin accepting online grant applications for grants of $1,000 to $5,000 from October 15 to November 15, 2014.
Nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations, schools, and government entities are eligible to apply for funds to support services they provide or for a special project they wish to pursue within the townships of Arctander, Burbank, Colfax, Dovre, Green Lake, Harrison, Irving, Lake Andrew, Mamre, New London, Norway Lake and Roseville.
NSLAF has five priority areas for its grants: The Arts (performing, crafts and fine art); Capital (equipment and buildings); Healthy Communities (environment and lifestyles); Large-scale and sustainable initiatives; and Special collaboration initiatives involving two or more organizations working together in new ways.
“This first round of grants from NLSAF is a very exciting new opportunity,” said Nancy Johnson, said Spicer resident and coordinator of the Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF), which is helping to administer the new fund. “We have up to $10,000 to award this year. These grants are being made possible by people who have contributed their time and money to establish NLSAF as an important new resource for our community.”
New London-Spicer Area Fund plans to have one grant round each year. Organizations interested in possibly applying for a grant can learn more at www.communitygiving.org/willmar beginning October 15 or by contacting Johnson at [email protected] or (320) 235-4380, ext. 739.
Donations to the New London Spicer Area Fund are encouraged. “We expect to build NLSAF into a major resource for our community. We’ll be happy to talk with people who are considering making a gift; both large and small gifts are welcome,” NLSAF Advisory Committee Chair Clark Vollan said.
The Fund has already received an anonymous cornerstone charitable trust gift of $200,000, to be paid out over a seven-year period. “The Fund gives donors a new and professionally managed vehicle, with a broad range of giving options, for supporting northern Kandiyohi County communities,” WACF Executive Director Sara Carlson said. “This new fund is a wonderful partnership with committed local leaders that will leave a legacy for years to come. WACF is pleased to be part of making this dream a reality.”
NLSAF was established through the work of a citizen Blue Ribbon Planning Committee that helped develop the fund’s geographic service area and grantmaking priorities. The fund is now guided by a citizen advisory committee that makes recommendations on grants to be awarded.
The New London-Spicer Area Fund is a fund of the Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF), a $15 million organization governed by a 15-member volunteer board representing communities throughout Kandiyohi County. WACF is an affiliate of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, a public charity that administers over more than 600 charitable funds totaling more than $105 million for the benefit of local residents. CMCF has been engaging people and connecting resources to build a better community since 1985. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Willmar.