Willmar, Minn. – The Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF) is pleased to announce today the grant recipients of their 2017-2018 grant round. Ten projects were chosen to receive a total of $129,450 in funding. The three focus areas of the grant round were for projects that addressed the achievement gap for youth, increased community connections and welcoming diverse populations and to support productive aging.
Sara Carlson, Executive Director of WACF comments – “With the revised grant priorities this year, we are ecstatic with the results of our 2017-2018 grant round. We are excited to be able to fund and fuel strong, innovative projects that inspire and support intersectional change in Kandiyohi County.”
The latest grant round is supporting the following projects:
- $17,000 to support community gatherings, cultural events, Somali/English language classes and support youth sports through the Community Integration Center in Willmar, MN.
- $17,000 for growth of a multi-cultural children’s library to provide early childhood literacy programming and membership opportunities for low income families to the children’s museum at the Village Inc.
- $17,000 to support Iftiin Somali Youth organization which will be providing homework help to students, a health and education class for girls and a parent support group.
- $16,950 for continued early literacy programming including enhancements to curriculum for Somali and Latino families through the Imagination Library and Growmobile programs at United Way of West Central Minnesota.
- $15,000 to support the hiring of a staff person to assist in the growth of the Family Promise which helps families who are experiencing homelessness in Kandiyohi County.
- $15,000 to support leadership education through Vision 2040 which includes monthly sessions for the leadership cohort, alumni education opportunities and networking opportunities.
- $13,000 for the implementation of community drumming circles to promote community and appreciation for diversity through the Willmar Community Center.
- $10,000 to support summer programming that combines literacy and fun for low income-families to combat the summer learning loss at the Kandiyohi County Area Family YMCA.
- $5,000 to support technology and social media mentoring and training for seniors through the Dethlefs Center in Spicer.
- $3,500 to support financial literacy lessons including basic math and communication skills as well as critical thinking and problem solving for 28 classrooms in the Willmar school district through Junior Achievement.
The Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF), in affiliation with CommunityGiving, is a public charity that attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1998, WACF has grown to over $17.7 million in assets and awarded $6.5 million in grants to nonprofits. 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 700 funds totaling more than $129 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Willmar.