Otto Bremer Foundation Supports Apostle Islands Fund

The Otto Bremer Foundation, St. Paul, has provided major support for the Bayfield-Madeline Island-Red Cliff region through a grant to the Apostle Islands Area Community Fund, which serves the needs of the region. The foundation announced a four-year grant of $304,124 to AIACF for its grantmaking, matching monies for gifts to the endowment, and for its operations.

The grant will support the continued growth of the Community Fund's Unrestricted Endowment, matching gifts dollar for dollar up to a total of $80,000. Over 150 donors have made gifts and pledges to date and 22 family funds have been established at AIACF. Income from this Unrestricted Endowment provides a permanent source of grant funding to help meet the changing needs of the Bayfield-Madeline Island-Red Cliff region.

In its first three years, AIACF has awarded 24 grants to support such projects as an engineering study to find a permanent solution to washout on the Brownstone Trail, a volunteer coordinator for North Coast Community Sailing, allowing Red Cliff Girl Scouts to attend an Ojibwe language immersion camp, and the La Pointe Center Musical Society's first family concert.

"We are delighted to be able to support some of the important work of nonprofit organizations that serve our region and enhance our quality of life," said Nancy Sandstrom, chair of the AIACF advisory board. "The Otto Bremer Foundation has really affirmed the work of the Community Fund in the past three years with this second major grant."

The Apostle Islands Area Community Fund was established in 2000 to provide a simple and permanent way to give back to the region. The founders chose to become an affiliate fund of the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation, which has built an endowment of more than $35 million over 20 years. The foundation's other regional affiliates include the Two Harbors Area Fund and Cook County Community Fund.

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