Otto Bremer Foundation Awards 81 Grants Totaling $8.4 Million in December 2011

Source: Otto Bremer Foundation 01/05/2012

(Jan. 5, 2012) - The Otto Bremer Foundation awarded 81 grants totaling $8,377,418.00 in December, 2011. Fifty-One grants totaling $6,957,913 support programs and organizations in Minnesota; 15 totaling $954,041, in North Dakota; and 12 totaling $345,965, in Wisconsin. A complete list of grants by state is included below.

About the Otto Bremer Foundation

Created in 1944, the Otto Bremer Foundation assists people in achieving full economic, civic, and social participation in and for the betterment of their communities. The Foundation’s work to help build and maintain vibrant communities is based on the vision and legacy of Otto Bremer, whose commitment to Bremer Bank communities and to those working to make their lives better continues to guide the Foundation.

The Otto Bremer Foundation owns the majority share of Bremer Bank, and a portion of the bank’s profits comes to the Foundation as dividends, enabling the Foundation to invest back in the bank communities in the form of grants and program-related investments. Organizations whose beneficiaries are residents of Minnesota, North Dakota, or Wisconsin are eligible to apply for Foundation grants, with priority given to communities served by Bremer Bank. In 2011 the Foundation provided approximately $30 million in grants and program related investments.

Otto Bremer Foundation Grants, December, 2011

Minnesota, 51 Grants, $6,957,913

Access Philanthropy Charities
$50,000
Minneapolis, MN; For the start-up of the Parity Community Health Center, a multi-purpose, culturally sensitive health center serving low-income SE Asian refugees.
Contact: Kaying Hang (707) 483-1663

American Indian Family Center
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; For emergency support, financial literacy education, micro investment, and subsidized work experience.
Contact: Kevin Martineau (651) 793-3803

Apple Tree Dental
$60,000
Minneapolis, MN; To provide dental care needs to low-income and underserved populations in Bremer Bank communities.
Contact: Michael Helgeson (763) 784-7570

Avenues for Homeless Youth
$392,917
Minneapolis, MN; For general operating support of this organization, which provides shelter and services to homeless youth.
Contact: Deborah Loon (612) 522-1690

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
$150,000
Minneapolis, MN; To provide emergency relief at the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul.
Contact: Kate Kelly (612) 204-8367

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
$1,193,547
Minneapolis, MN; To support Hope Street for Runaway and Homeless Youth.
Contact: Kate Kelly (612) 204-8367

Children's Dental Services, Inc.
$70,000
Minneapolis, MN; To support the expansion of programs that will serve low-income homeless children and expecting women across Minnesota.
Contact: Sarah Wovcha (612) 746-1530

The Church of St. Michael of Morgan
$12,000
Morgan, MN; To support WeCare, a project that provides basic needs to families.
Contact: Mary Ann Larsen (507) 249-3822

CLUES, Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio
$75,000
Minneapolis, MN; To provide domestic violence and parenting support services through increased capacity for families.
Contact: Erin Randall (612) 746-3545

Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties
$150,000
St. Paul, MN; To support direct services to develop a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy.
Contact: Clarence Hightower (651) 645-6445

Community Dental Care
$25,000
St. Paul, MN; To expand the school-based dental sealant program.
Contact: Vacharee Peterson (651) 925-8425

City of Evansville
$45,000
Evansville, MN; To purchase new playground equipment and renovate the baseball complex.
Contact: Ron Buse (320) 834-4995

Face to Face Health and Counseling Service, Inc.
$416,497
St. Paul, MN; To support the basic needs of homeless youth and promote stability through barriers to health and self-sufficiency through employment, housing, and education through the Safe Zone programs.
Contact: Dana Hays (651) 772-5563

Fargo-Moorhead Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, Inc.
$40,000
Moorhead, MN; To provide food, clothing, and shelter to vulnerable populations.
Contact: Sonja Ellner (218) 233-5763

Friends Against Abuse
$75,000
International Falls, MN; To support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and general crimes in Koochiching County.
Contact: LeeAnn Meer (218) 285-7220

Friends of the St. Paul Public Library
$468,000
St. Paul, MN; To build the capacity of the library in the areas of job-search assistance and infrastructural improvements.
Contact: Peter D. Pearson (651) 222-3242

Genesys Works
$40,000
St. Paul, MN; To support this organization, which provides intensive training, corporate internships, and college development for disadvantaged high school youth in the Twin Cities.
Contact: Jeffrey R. Tollefson (651) 789-0088

Habitat for Humanity of South Central Minnesota
$75,000
Mankato, MN; To support the expansion of the ReStore, for this organization that builds affordable housing.
Contact: Julie Schmillen (507) 388-2081

Hmong American Partnership
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; To support the Employment Services and to hire an on-site Social Worker to provide mental health and chemical dependency services.
Contact: Bao Vang (651) 495-9160

Kensington Fire Department
$25,950
Kensington, MN; To purchase equipment that will be used for wild land fires.
Contact: Joey Nessman (320) 815-4437

Keystone Community Services
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; To support emergency food and shelter services for vulnerable families.
Contact: Christine Pulver (651) 487-2792

Leech Lake Housing Authority
$40,000
Cass Lake, MN; To provide security deposits, rental assistance and utilities for individuals and families in need.
Contact: Eli Hunt (218) 335-8376

LegalCorps
$15,000
Minneapolis, MN; To develop and launch business law clinics at Small Business Development Centers across greater Minnesota to assist low-income entrepreneurs.
Contact: Michael Vitt (612) 752-6678

Lifeline Food Pantry
$5,700
Clear Lake, MN; To support general operating for this community food shelf.
Contact: Gordon Weber (715) 948-2776

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
$775,000
Thief River Falls, MN; To support the operations and expand capacity for StreetWorks, an organization that serves homeless youth.
Contact: Susan Phillips (651) 644-7739

Merrick Community Services
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; To support programs and services that provide emergency needs for food and shelter for families.
Contact: Daniel Rodriguez (651) 771-9339

Minnesota Council of Churches
$130,000
Minneapolis, MN; For general operating support to implement MRCI Refugee Services in Mankato and facilitate community-wide collaboration.
Contact: Peg Chemberlin (612) 870-3670

Mississippi Headwaters Area Dental Health Center
$23,000
Bemidji, MN; To provide dental care services to low-income and underserved populations in rural Minnesota.
Contact: Jeanne Edevold Larson (218) 444-9646

Neighborhood House
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; To support the Basic Needs Program, which works to enhance family stability and economic self-sufficiency.
Contact: Armando Camacho (651) 227-9291

Neighborhood Involvement Program, Inc.
$25,000
Minneapolis, MN; For continued support for this organization, which provides dental services to low-income and underserved people.
Contact: Patsy Bartley (612) 374-3125

New Horizons Crisis Center
$23,000
Marshall, MN; To support the crisis nursery program.
Contact: Jennifer A. Bruns (507) 532-5764

New Horizons Crisis Center
$30,000
Marshall, MN; To provide a safe environment for children and resources for parents experiencing a crisis situation.
Contact: Jennifer A. Bruns (507) 532-5764

New Pathways, Inc.
$15,000
Cambridge, MN; To provide support services, food, clothing, and safe shelter for homeless families with children in central Minnesota.
Contact: Cheryl Gray (763) 691-0121

Ruth's House of Hope, Inc.
$30,000
Faribault, MN; To provide safe shelter, food, and supportive services to homeless women and their children.
Contact: Ruth Hickey (507) 332-2236

The Saint Paul Foundation
$15,000
St. Paul, MN; To help low-income residents build assets and gain access to a home repair program.
Contact: Carrie Jo Short (651) 325-4261

Salem Lutheran Church
$10,000
Deerwood, MN; To provide material items and financial support to individuals and families in need.
Contact: Greg Meyer (218) 534-3309

The Salvation Army
$150,000
Roseville, MN; To support the Emergency Services program, which provides basic needs for individuals and families in need.
Contact: Denise Overstake (651) 746-3493

The Salvation Army
$645,834
Roseville, MN; For the operations of the Booth Brown House, an emergency shelter for youth.
Contact: Jeff Strickler (651) 646-2601

The Salvation Army Fergus Falls Corps
$20,000
Fergus Falls, MN; To support heating, electrical, food pantry, transportation and emergency housing for individuals and families.
Contact: Linda McCormick (218) 739-9692

Sherburne County Area United Way
$4,974
Elk River, MN; To purchase new technology for this local United Way.
Contact: Joy Nadeau (763) 633-5886

Town of Dairyland
$10,000
Dairyland, MN; To install a high-volume well in the fire hall.
Contact: Michael Knutson (715) 791-0101

Union Gospel Mission Association of St. Paul
$150,000
St. Paul, MN; To provide food, shelter and care programs for this organization that serves men.
Contact: Barbara Martenson (651) 789-7553

United Way of Superior
$5,000
Superior, MN; To support a capacity building conference for non-profits in Northwestern Wisconsin.
Contact: Kathleen Madsen (715) 394-2733

Valley-Lake Boy's Home
$25,000
Breckenridge, MN; To construct a building that will provide employment opportunities for the boys at this home.
Contact: Mark Engebretson (218) 643-4036

Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; To assist clients with applications for housing, rental assistance, food support, health insurance and other basic needs.
Contact: Yen Pham (651) 641-8907

West Central Minnesota Communities Action, Inc.
$25,000
Elbow Lake, MN; To support an earned income tax credit preparation clinic and basic housing needs support.
Contact: Stephen Nagle (218) 685-4486

West Seventh Community Center, Inc.
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; To support the Family Emergency Assistance program, which provides basic needs.
Contact: Greg Wandersee (651) 298-5493

White Earth Reservation Tribal Council
$52,327
White Earth, MN; To purchase and install a security fence for the Dove Program and White Earth Omiimii Wadiswan Equay, a women's shelter.
Contact: Ron Valiant (218) 983-3285

Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
$150,000
St. Paul, MN; To provide supportive services to families who have experienced homelessness.
Contact: MayKao Hang (651) 280-2111

YouthLink
$619,167
Minneapolis, MN; To support increased access to crisis, basic needs drop-in center interventions.
Contact: Frances Roen (612) 252-1207

YWCA of St. Paul
$75,000
St. Paul, MN; To provide emergency financial assistance to families in the Housing and Supportive Services program.
Contact: William L. Collins, Jr. (651) 222-3741

North Dakota, 15 Grants, $954,041

Bismarck State College Foundation
$167,955
Bismarck, ND; To provide nursing and emergency medical technology students with hands-on critical skills learning with simulation equipment.
Contact: Gordon Binek (701) 224-5700

Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Inc.
$50,000
Minot, ND; For the operations of this domestic abuse shelter.
Contact: Dena O. Filler (701) 852-2258

Family Health Care Center
$294,649
Fargo, ND; To provide capital support for an expansion of this community healthcare center.
Contact: Patricia Patron (701) 239-7111

Fraser, Ltd
$60,000
Fargo, ND; To provide comprehensive, continuum-based programming in therapeutic and case management services.
Contact: Christopher Johnson (701) 232-3301

Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota
$40,000
Grand Forks, ND; To provide emergency food assistance to low-income children, seniors and families in North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota.
Contact: Marcia Paulson (701) 232-6219

Mercer County Women's Action Resource Center
$14,850
Beulah, ND; For shelter renovations and program support to serve rural victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Contact: Lisa Weisz (701) 873-2274

Northlands Rescue Mission
$50,000
Grand Forks, ND; To provide food, shelter and clothing to individuals needing emergency services.
Contact: David Sena (701) 772-6609

Rape and Abuse Crisis Center
$75,000
Fargo, ND; To support low-income individuals and families of domestic abuse.
Contact: Greg Diehl (701) 293-7273

Red River Valley Community Action
$60,000
Grand Forks, ND; To assist low-income families with rental assistance, deposits, childcare and minor dental costs for adults.
Contact: Kent Keys (701) 746-5431

Red River Valley Dental Access Project
$10,000
Fargo, ND; To support the Urgent Care Walk-In Dental clinic.
Contact: Michelle Berg (701) 364-5364

Richardton Health Center, Inc.
$31,387
Richardton, ND; To purchase a mobility van to transport residents.
Contact: Lynn Blakeman (701) 974-3304

Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council for Development
$30,000
Dickinson, ND; To provide coordination, inspections and technical assistance to homeowners for repairs and upgrades.
Contact: Rod Landblom (701) 227-1241

Three Rivers Crisis Center, Inc.
$20,000
Wahpeton, ND; To support counseling services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse in Richland County.
Contact: Susan Rittenour (701) 642-2115

Wells County Soil Conservation District
$15,200
Fessenden, ND; To support the construction of a gazebo and benches to be used as an outdoor gathering area for the County Learning Center.
Contact: David Lautt (701) 547-3622

YWCA Cass Clay
$35,000
Fargo, ND; To expand shelter programming, case management and services for this organization, which serves women and children.
Contact: Erin Prochnow (701) 232-2547

Wisconsin, 12 Grants, $345,965

The Arc of Dunn County
$4,995
Menomonie, WI; To support equipment and materials for health and wellness activities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Contact: Rebecca Cooper (715) 235-7373

Assistance & Resource Center, Inc.
$3,000
River Falls, WI; To extend community outreach and program services for individuals and families.
Contact: Paige Miller (225) 571-3047

The Bridge to Hope
$26,000
Menomonie, WI; To support increased expenses for victims of domestic abused and sexual assault.
Contact: Naomi Cummings (715) 235-9074

Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, Inc.
$41,820
Superior, WI; to provide legal advocacy and representation to low-income victims of abuse in Bayfield and Ashland counties in Northwestern Wisconsin.
Contact: Kelly Burger (715) 392-3136

Colfax Community Fire Department
$49,400
Colfax, WI; To purchase appliance, equipment and supplies for the new Fire Station.
Contact: Mark Warner (715) 658-1602

Community Foundation of Dunn County
$10,750
Menomonie, WI; To support the blacktop pathway project for the Knapp Lions Club.
Contact: Linda McIntyre (715) 232-8019

Community Referral Agency, Inc.
$15,000
Milltown, WI; For general operations of the Milltown shelter.
Contact: Ann Frey (715) 825-4414

Indianhead Community Action Agency
$75,000
Ladysmith, WI; For emergency financial assistance to support rent, utilities, medical and dental needs for individuals and families in Burnett and Washburn counties.
Contact: Brett Gerber (715) 532-5594

North Land Municipal Ambulance, Inc.
$60,000
Luck, WI; To support the construction of a new ambulance facility.
Contact: Ronald Ogren (715) 472-2388

Northwoods Homeless Shelters
$25,000
Amery, WI; To provide shelter, case management, and client assistance to homeless families and individuals in need.
Contact: Virginia Ormsby (715) 268-5730

Northwoods Women, Inc.
$10,000
Ashland, WI; To provide emergency shelter and food assistance to victims of domestic abuse.
Contact: Kathy Roper (715) 682-9566

The Salvation Army
$25,000
Balsam Lake, WI; To provide case management services to individuals and families.
Contact: Duana Bremer (715) 485-1221

Other, 3 Grants, $119,500

The Foundation Center
$7,000
New York, NY; For membership renewal for this organization, which responds to the needs of under-resourced organizations.
Contact: R. Nancy Albilal

Independent Sector
$12,500
Washington, DC; For membership renewal for this organization, which provides resources for both foundation and nonprofits.
Contact: Diana Aviv (202) 467-6147

Pew Charitable Trusts
$100,000
Washington, DC; To support the Children's Dental Health Campaign assessment, which works to improve access to services.
Contact: Rebecca Rimel (202) 540-6551