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Minnesota Grantmaker News
and Notes
February 2008
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Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a journalist with more than 40 years of experience in television, radio and print, addressed a sell-out crowd of 2,000 at the 18th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast at the Minneapolis Convention Center. In urging continuation of the work of Dr. King, Hunter-Gault challenged breakfast guests to reach out to others, whether they are across an ocean or in our own backyards. With a theme of "Answering the Call," the beakfast featured a new community service component that asked breakfast guests — as well as television viewers — to fill out commitment cards pledging to volunteer in the community in the coming year. The effort is expected to generate thousands of hours of volunteer service in the Twin Cities in 2008. Potential volunteers can learn more about service opportunities at www.mlkbreakfast.org. Each year, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the General Mills Foundation host the breakfast, which kicks off a day of metro-wide celebrations.
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The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation awarded 50 grants totaling $363,992 to nonprofit organizations in its nine-county service region. The Knight Creative Communities Initiative received nearly $80,000 for four projects, including $25,000 for the Art Works Expo and $25,000 for the Twin Ports Early Adopters of Sustainability Project. The Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra received more than $10,000 for three projects, including an auditorium sound system. Find a complete list of grants awarded at dsacommunityfoundation.com.
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TwinsFest 2008 attracted 30,483 fans to the Metrodome, the third-highest attendance in the event's history. TwinsFest is an annual fundraiser for the Minnesota Twins Community Fund, a nonprofit organization working to support and improve youth baseball and softball in the Upper Midwest. Since its inception in 1989, TwinsFest has raised more than $4 million for programs and organizations supported by the Twins Community Fund.
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The W.K. Kellogg Foundation made a $3 million donation to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. in Washington, D.C. The gift signifies the largest private foundation contribution for the four-acre memorial, which will be built on the National Mall, and lifts the fundraising total to $90 million of the $100 million needed.
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The Northland Foundation made a $1 million investment in Granite Equity Partners, a Minnesota-based private equity firm, addressing the foundation's mission of wealth creation and economic diversification and complimenting its Business Finance Program and other regional economic development initiatives. Granite invests financial and human resources in growing and profitable companies with revenues of $10-$100 million. The firm focuses on management buyouts, recapitalizations and growth equity achieved through the sale or purchase of a business, generational transfers or business expansions.
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Northwest Area Foundation announced winners of its 2008 Great Strides Awards, which recognize communities that have designed and benefited from creative models of long-term poverty reduction; each community will receive a $100,000 award for their successes to date. This year's winners:
- Eagle Butte, South Dakota – Four Bands Community Fund
- Elk City, Idaho – Framing Our Community, Inc. (FOC)
- Glendive, Montana – Community GATE
- Roseburg, Oregon – Umpqua Community Development Corporation
Find more information at nwaf.org. |
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The Initiative Foundation awarded eight grants totaling $27,800. The city of Holdingford received $10,000 to support community projects including welcome packets for new community members, nonprofit incorporation of historical society, trailhead enhancements and covered bridge construction plans for Lake Wobegon trail. The city of Princeton received $7,000 to support the development of a strategic plan encouraging business expansion and retention in the downtown area and public access and recreation at Riebe Park and Natural Area. Find a complete list of grants awarded at ifound.org.
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