Northwest Minnesota Foundation
RESOURCE
The Northwest Minnesota Foundation invests resources, facilitates collaboration and promotes philanthropy to make the region a better place to live and work.
SUMMER 2016 | Number 72
SUMMER IS HERE, LET’S GET OUTSIDE! By Nate Dorr
Board of Directors Pete Haddeland, Chair Tom Anderson, Vice Chair Faye Auchenpaugh, Secretary Leah Pigatti, Treasurer Judy Roy Jody Horntvedt John Gonzalez Jon Linnell Cathy Forgit Kristin Eggerling Edie Ramstad Steven Anderson
Developing Community Assets Serving 12 Counties
School is out and the birds are chirping. There’s nothing like going for a leisurely walk in the prairie or paddling down the river. The Northwest Minnesota Foundation Natural Resources Grant Program promotes and preserves our natural assets and it is making really cool things happen all around us. Recently, the foundation supported a Northern Lights Council Boy Scouts of America project. The Scouts planted native prairie grasses and forbs to help improve critical habitat near Park Rapids for pollinators like bees, dragonflies, and butterflies. The Middle-Snake-Tamarac Rivers Watershed District in Warren received funding to help plan a birding trail along US Highway 75 that will have pollinator gardens at each stop. Another grant supported The Nature
Conservancy work in the Karlstad area to replicate the impact of fire and bison grazing on aspen parklands. The International Water Institute even got elementary school students interested in their local watersheds by releasing tiny wooden canoes and tracking their course downstream of Plummer, Old Mill State Park, Fertile, and Fisher. The foundation also helped lake associations at Turtle River and Grace Lake in the Bemidji area prevent the intrusion of aquatic invasive species. Many of us choose to live here in northwest Minnesota because of the easy access to our great outdoors. Grants to promote and preserve our natural areas truly improve the quality of place in our region. Now go ahead and saddle up for a nice bike ride. We will see you out on the trail!
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hello!
We continue to host quarterly NMF board meetings throughout the region. With each visit, we learn so many new things! I’d like to thank Cathy Forgit of Fertile and Steve Anderson of Warroad. These two board members were exceptional tour guides for the day! It was such a delight to visit Nancy Vyskocil and observe the abundant natural resources of our region at Glacial Ridge and Agassiz Environmental Learning Center. Located in the heart of the Sand Hills of Fertile, Minnesota, the Nature Center combines the best of nature study, conservation education, outdoor recreation, and environmental education. Another mission-driven element was witnessing the economic impact Marvin Windows and Doors has in our region. Steve Anderson arranged a tour of the manufacturing facility and the Wm. S. Marvin Training and Visitor Center. It was helpful for board members to understand the history of a major manufacturer remaining loyal to the region. I’m going to let the pictures tell the story, but we encourage everyone to explore Minnesota and experience what our great region has to offer!
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MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION The McKnight Foundation visits each of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations once every couple of years. This year McKnight board and staff visited NMF on April 27th. We highlighted all of our programs and many exciting things that are happening in the region. We had more than sixty people join us for lunch at the foundation, where Creative Curriculum for Preschool, a research-based, nationally accredited curriculum was presented. This goldstandard program is used by 80% of Minnesota’s Head Start agencies to
improve outcomes for children through effective teaching. We believe it is one of the curriculum programs that will move Pre-K to Grade 3 alignment forward in northwest Minnesota. We also toured five partner organizations and businesses within Bemidji: AirCorps Aviation (a 2016 IDEA winner), LaValley Industries, The Wolfe Center Homeless Shelter, Northern Dental Access Clinic, and the Watermark Art Center. We concluded the day with a downtown walking tour and the required photo stop at Paul and Babe!
Dr. John Gonzalez of Bemidji, Minnesota, was recently elected to the NMF Board of Directors. Gonzalez, whose Ojibwe name is Makade Ma’ingan (Black Wolf), is a member of the White Earth Indian Reservation. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bemidji State University and his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Dakota. He is currently a professor of psychology at Bemidji State University, where he has worked since 2008. Gonzalez and his wife Nanako have three boys: Devon, Kyler, and Sage.
NMF Board Chair Pete Haddeland said, “On behalf of the other members, I am very pleased to welcome John to the Northwest Minnesota Foundation Board. His work with Indigenous communities utilizing local cultural knowledge and values will be essential in serving our twelve-county region.” Haddeland noted, “His work to enhance the strengths and quality of life in communities is very much in line with our mission.” Gonzalez said, “I am proud to call northwest Minnesota my home. We have amazing resources and investments in our land and people. The investments Northwest Minnesota Foundation has and is making in our area, particularly for the American Indian communities, is important. I am honored to be asked to serve on the board of directors.” 3
ASSET BUILDING GRANTS Grants totaling $566,630 were awarded from March 2016 - June 2016 COMPONENT FUNDS TOTAL: $404,752 75 GRANTS AWARDED
SCHOLARSHIP AWARD TOTAL: $4,550 7 SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
CARING COMMUNITIES TOTAL: $52,500
NATURAL RESOURCES TOTAL: $47,328
COMMUNITY PLANNING TOTAL: $57,500
Rural Immigration Project, Northwest Minnesota - Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Movil Maze Recreation Area mountain bike trail system – Beltrami County Natural Resource Department
Bemidji Lumberjack Career Academies – Bemidji Area Schools
Camp Bliss Retreats for Veterans and People with Disabilities – Independent Lifestyles
Increase hours for Farm Manager and hiring an Assistant Farm Manager – Bemidji Community Food Shelf
Minnesota Justice Foundation Summer Clerkship Program – Minnesota Justice Foundation
White Earth Land Use and Zoning Plan – White Earth Nation
Component Fund Grants are now found online at 4
Comprehensive Plan – City of Fisher Roseau Community Marketing Campaign – City of Roseau Hubbard County Workforce Action Plan – Hubbard County
NWMF.ORG under the Donor menu.
PHILANTHROPIC SERVICES - NEW COMPONENT FUNDS: Dennis Aguiar Scholarship Fund, supports scholarships
to qualified high school student athletes from Bemidji Independent School District # 31, or its successors, who are pursuing postsecondary education through a four-year college or university outside of the Bemidji area to participate in an intercollegiate sport.
IMPACT 20/20 College Collaborative Scholarship, supports
scholarships to qualified students from the Independent School Districts that participated in the Fall 2015 College Collaboration presentations, who are pursuing postsecondary education at one of the participating colleges or universities (Bemidji State University, Northland Community and Technical College, Northwest Technical College and the University of MN – Crookston).
TEAM Industries Scholarship Fund, supports students
graduating from a consortium of twelve school districts identified by TEAM Industries and located in Northwest Minnesota, who are pursuing postsecondary education through a college, university, trade school, technical school or other accredited nonprofit education/training institution or program.
Fosston Schools Facilities Fund, supports the development,
Hallock Park & Recreation Fund, supports park, trail, and recreational amenities of the Hallock area.
Bemidji Third Street Arch Fund, support for the design and
construction of the Bemidji Development Authority’s Third Street Arch project.
White Earth Reservation Disaster Recovery & Resiliency Fund, supports funding for the immediate and long-term needs of the White Earth Reservation recovering from a natural or manmade disaster.
Roseau Area Disaster Recovery & Resiliency Fund, supports
funding for the immediate and long-term needs of the Roseau community recovering from a natural or man-made disaster.
Argyle Parks and Recreation Fund, supports park, trail, and recreational amenities in the City of Argyle.
Fertile Parks and Trails Fund, supports park, trail, and recreational amenities in the City of Fertile.
Thief River Falls Rotary Fund, supports charitable and
educational purposes and public purpose programs, projects, and activities benefiting the greater Thief River Falls area.
construction, renovation, remodeling, maintenance, operations of and programming for multiuse school facilities within the Fosston School District (ISD #601) or its successors, which will be used for school and community-related purposes.
Caryl Turnow has accepted a new position as Executive Director of the Central Minnesota Foundation. We appreciate Caryl’s contributions to NMF over the past seventeen years and wish her great things!
Caryl Turnow
A search for Caryl’s replacement is currently underway. 5
PPREP CONFERENCE The Northwest Minnesota Foundation, along with our planning partners, Headwaters Regional Development Commission and Northwest Regional Development Commission, sponsored the Community Disaster Response and Recovery Conference on June 7, 2016 in Mahnomen. The conference brought together partners from across many disciplines that work before, during, and after a natural disaster. Emergency managers, faith-based leaders, city and county officials, nonprofit executives, law enforcement, volunteer organizers, philanthropy organizers, and fund advisory members were a few of the participants. When a disaster strikes, communities must continue to respond effectively to these challenging situations. The conference provided a time to connect, to learn the roles we each play before, during, and after a disaster, and to discuss the role of philanthropy in that process. The keynote speaker, Bob Ottenhoff from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, spoke about how communities can partner with philanthropic organizations to fund disaster recovery.
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Kevin Burns, the afternoon speaker and the Principal Information Officer with Mayo Clinic Health System, shared his experience with and insights on the importance of effective messaging during crisis and disaster. Numerous break-out sessions covered topics such as the effective mobilization of volunteers and developing a strategy for financial disaster contributions. NMF looks forward to ongoing conversations about the role of philanthropy in disaster preparedness to best help communities in northwest Minnesota prepare for and recover from disaster. The conference was funded in part through a grant from the Funders’ Network for The Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership (PPREP)—a project of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities to support disaster preparedness, response, and recovery learning cohort among seventeen community foundations in an eight-state Midwestern region of the United States.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM BUSINESS FINANCE
MICROLOANS
Two loans were made in the amount of: $450,000
Business counseling and loans are available to help entrepreneurs develop small business and self-employment opportunities. Four loans were made totaling: $100,000.
BEMIDJI BREWING COMPANY, LLC – Capital for expansion to new location and new brewing equipment. LARSON PARTS & REPAIR, INC. – Refinancing of existing debt plus new money for working capital.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE A $2,000 sponsorship for the 2016 State of Manufacturing event provided training for regional businesses.
2016 The IDEA Competition announced the names of three 2016 winners on Tuesday, April 26th, at the IDEA awards banquet held at Bemidji State University’s Beaux Arts Ballroom. Each winner was awarded $10,000 in cash to advance their business idea, plus additional specialized technical assistance. • Dan Matejcek, Eric Trueblood, Erik Hokuf, and Mark Tisler, Bemidji, for AirCorps Aviation
AirCorps Aviation created AirCorps Library, an online platform hosting WWII and legacy aircraft resources that is delivered to subscribers through an innovative viewer. It provides access to more than 500,000 searchable engineering drawings and blueprints, as well as high-resolution design, flight, maintenance, and restoration manuals.
• Michael Swanson and Cheri Reese, Hallock, for Far North Spirits The northernmost distillery in the contiguous United States, Minnesota’s Far North Spirits, is one of a handful of authentic field-to-glass estate producers of small-batch, craft-distilled spirits. • Eric Niskanen, Bemidji, for NISKY, LLC Niskanen is the creator, developer, and manufacturer of a line of goaltenders training aids such as Pro-Angle, The Deflector, and two other yet-to-be-named products that will help with screen and tipping platforms and weighted training to promote explosive and controlled movements.
The 2016 runners-up are David Bahr, Bemidji, for 3Suns, LLC; Jana Younggren, Hallock, for b.able; Keila McCracken, Bemidji, for Bare Cloth; Curtis Borchert, Ada, for Char Energy Equipment, LLC; and Sachel and Kari Josefson and Jeff Mackenstadt, Bemidji, for Prostrain. The IDEA Hall of Fame added Keith Johanneson, president and CEO of the Johanneson Group of Companies, who was presented with an award at the banquet. The IDEA Hall of Fame was established to recognize the accomplishments of the region’s legacy innovators—those within the region who have inspired others with their entrepreneurial vision, leadership, and achievement.
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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Mailed From Zip Code 56601 Permit No.36
201 3rd St. NW • Bemidji, MN 56601
NORTHERN ADVANTEDGE CAREER EXPO NOVEMBER 9, 2016 • 9:00 am – 1:30 pm Sanford Center Bemidji • 1111 Event Center Dr.
Exhibitor registrations are open for the 3rd Annual Northern AdvantEdge Career Expo. Companies in Northwest Minnesota are invited to use the event as an opportunity to attract their future workforce by showcasing career opportunities they can offer. The Expo is designed to educate high school students who are beginning to explore career paths about opportunities available with Northwest Minnesota employers. In addition to career specific break-out sessions, regional businesses will have hands-on exhibits on a showcase floor that will allow students to experience the type of work they could be performing for their companies. The expo will also address the skills and education necessary to become a future employee in specific careers.
$150 PER BOOTH
Includes 10x10 space with one table, internet and electricity. Sponsorship opportunities range from $500 - $2,000. For more information contact: Ashley Johnson Northwest Minnesota Foundation 218-759-2057 • ashleyj@nwmf.org or visit www.northernadvantedge.org
The Northwest Minnesota Foundation has refurbished computers available for nonprofits.
Please contact Barb Lien, barbl@nwmf.org for more information or call 218.759.2057