Willmar, Minn. – The Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF) is pleased to announce awards of $189,000 to 13 local programs. 11 of these programs were awarded from the 2018-2019 WACF General Grant Round. The three focus areas of the grant round were for projects that addressed the achievement gap for youth, increased community connections or welcoming diverse populations and to support productive aging.
Among the general awarded grants, WACF is ecstatic to announce and award their first ever Difference Maker grant. These grants are significant investments that will be the “Difference Maker” in bringing about community-wide, lasting and positive changes to the Willmar area. This year, the Willmar Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce their financial support of $50,000 to the United Way of West Central Minnesota for the introduction of the Cardinal Backpack Food Program, which will provide a weekend backpack to Willmar Public Schools’ elementary students, filled with nutritious, nonperishable, child-friendly food items. This program will help address food insecurity helping to bring nourishment for food-insecure children so they arrive at school Monday morning, fed and ready to learn.
Sara Carlson, Executive Director of WACF, states “Kandiyohi County is making things happen. Whether it is helping to address our youth, increasing community connections, welcoming diversity, or supporting productive aging – our community is building today to help shape tomorrow. The WACF Board of Directors could not be more proud to make these local investments to the place we all love to call home!”
The additional grants awarded from the WACF General Grant Round are as follows:
- $30,000 to provide capital investments to Kandi Works Developmental Achievement Center for renovation of their facilities to non-vocational activity programming and facility improvements;
- $20,000 to the City of Spicer, for the YMCA Spicer Early Learning Center, for capital support in the development of a new child care facility addressing the child care disparity;
- $20,000 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;
- $15,000 to the Willmar Public Schools Child Guide Program that support underserved and low income K-5 students with enrichment and recreational resources offered in the schools and community;
- $10,000 to partner high school staff and local businesses to work with high school students experiencing a variety of barriers on learning soft skills, work experience, job skill development and school credit through the Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota;
- $10,000 for expanding the assortment of food products at the Kandiyohi County Food Shelf to assist with food insecurity;
- $8,000 to the City of Sunburg for “Together Sunburg”, a diverse program of intergenerational enrichment activities, through the Sunburg Community Center, that promote community engagement and healthy lifestyles;
- $5,000 to support financial literacy lessons including basic math and communication skills as well as critical thinking and problem solving for over 20 classrooms in the Willmar school district through Junior Achievement;
- $5,000 to the Lake Lillian Civic and Commerce Association to promote community connections and welcome new populations through a Historical City Mural in the City of Lake Lillian;
- $4,000 to the Link of Northern Kandiyohi County in effort to more holistically connect seniors to resources and programs in the New London-Spicer area.
In addition, WACF will be awarding $12,000 to 2 local programs from their Willmar Area Opportunity Gap Fund that supports projects addressing the Opportunity Gap in Kandiyohi County, which is the disparity in access to resources for all children to be successful. This includes $7,000 to Miles4Mentors for 3-4 inclusive, free Kids Fun Runs in the Willmar area and $5,000 the Willmar Public Schools Senior High School Culinary Club to provide enrichment activities and potential career on-ramps in the culinary field for students.
The Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local Willmar area. Since 1998, WACF has grown to over $18 million in assets and awarded $7.7 million in grants to local nonprofits. The WACF is governed by a local board of directors and is a partner of CommunityGiving which is a collaborative of many community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers nearly 800 funds totaling more than $140 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Willmar.