NMF Impact Report: Fiscal Year 2024

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Impact Report | 2024

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Deep roots, lasting growth

Letter from Board Chair Hello Neighbor!

Big change starts at the local level. The Northwest Minnesota Foundation believes this to the core. It is why we work side by side with our neighbors to make a real and lasting impact on our region.

Whether we’re brainstorming fundraiser ideas with local volunteers, breaking ground on new housing alongside a developer, or advising an emerging entrepreneur on funding opportunities, we believe that building a stronger community starts with you.

It is our hope that these pages reflect that commitment to community. It is my honor to present to you our annual Impact Report, detailing our financials and sharing our accomplishments from fiscal year 2024. We’ve highlighted a few particularly impactful efforts but have also included a collage of headlines, quotations, and photographs taken from the impact stories we’ve shared throughout the past year. We hope this is a meaningful way of illustrating a more complete picture of our work in building better lives throughout our region.

Living here in Northwest Minnesota is a choice – a choice to enjoy our fresh air, our open spaces, and our people. Home is here. The Northwest Minnesota Foundation believes in this community, believes in this place, and believes in you. We’re here to keep our region vibrant and strong. Join us! Every small action makes a big difference.

In gratitude, Deb Zak Chair of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation Board of Directors

About this issue It is difficult to summarize our work succinctly, but simplifying our reporting for ease of understanding is always a goal.

This year, we are breaking our work into four overarching categories: - Support for Community. This includes discretionary grants and activities administered through the following programs: Thriving Together (Welcoming Communities), Advocacy, and Housing.

- Support for Children and Families. This includes funding issued through the following discretionary grant programs: Child Care, Children & Families, and Ending Homelessness.

- Support for Businesses. This includes grants and loans extended in support of businesses and entrepreneurs.

- Family of Funds. We manage locally invested contributions of more than 450 local funds. Through this work, we also support and equip fund volunteers to help achieve their goals and advance their missions. Each fund makes annual grants which help strengthen our communities.

Last year, we introduced you to our two new subsidiaries: The Northwest Community Impact Corporation, which provides lending capital and business support to populations that have historically been underserved, and North Star Neighbors, a community land trust for housing development. Both of these subsidiaries are still in their infancy. As such, we are not reporting separately on their financials.

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Homelessness Systems-change: What does this mean?

Our work toward ending homelessness in Northwest Minnesota, specifically for youth and young adults under the age of 25, is rooted in systems-level change.

Specifically, our staff, working through the Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care and alongside its Racial Equity Accountability Project (REAP) team, are focused on addressing the racial disparities persistent in our region’s coordinated entry system, which connects those living through homelessness with the necessary supports and interventions.

Historically, the region’s coordinated entry system utilized a specific index tool that assessed the needs of people seeking housing, prioritizing resources to those with the greatest vulnerability. However, in examining the results of this system, it became clear that this prioritization tool is not sufficient for meeting the needs of our region’s populations.

Helpful definitions

“The NWCoC identified systemic issues that had negative impacts on historically marginalized communities, resulting in bias in the prioritization process and thus not serving people in an equitable manner,” NMF program officers reported.

In 2021, the NWCoC changed its entry process to shift away from a person’s deficits and instead toward a person-centered, strengths-based approach.

Meanwhile, as the REAP team was formed and dug in to accomplish its work, it prioritized the need to hear directly from those affected by the coordinated entry system. Hosting several talking circles in Indigenous communities to hear firsthand accounts of those with lived experience of homelessness, it became clear that the old approach – the prioritization of resources based on need – was re-traumatizing.

Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care (NWCoC): This is a regional planning body, comprised of regional stakeholders with a shared commitment toward preventing and ending homelessness in our region. The Northwest Minnesota Foundation, as the NWCoC’s “collaborative applicant” – essentially its host – employs the NWCoC staff, including two program officers and a program associate.

Racial Equity Accountability Project (REAP) team: Formed in 2022, this team serves as the decision-makers for the NWCoC and is primarily comprised of individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color, as well as those who have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity in Northwest Minnesota.

Coordinated Entry System (CES): A tool that provides access to services for those living through homelessness, efficiently connecting them to interventions that will rapidly end their homelessness. It is utilized by providers who receive federal and state funding to assist in securing and stabilizing persons in housing.

As one participant said: “The whole process needs to improve. The feelings of shame I felt was often a result of county workers or even tribal workers looking at me like another ‘poor Indian’ just asking for free handouts. That right there pushed me away from asking for help and seeking resources.”

The new strengths-based approach has been developed to focus not on an individual’s faults but on their strengths and goals. This better equips case managers and direct service managers to determine their specific barriers to housing.

“This has not been a simple shift, but in utilizing the voices of those with lived expertise it allowed for a non-traumatizing approach,” NMF program officers reported.

The NWCoC will continue to monitor, review, and evaluate the results and data, understanding that the process will need to continually change and adapt to be ultimately successful in its goal of making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.

The NWCoC covers three tribal nations and 12 counties. 83% of the population is white while 8% identifies as Indigenous.

Yet, Indigenous populations make up 37% of the population experiencing homelessness. This population also spends an average of 41 days more than their white counterparts waiting for a referral to housing resources.

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Community Philanthropy How philanthropy helps feed hungry kids Each month, about 30 adult volunteers gather at the Warroad school to prepare food for their backpack program, often joined by high school students earning community service hours. After a delivery from the local grocery store, the volunteers quickly organize the food assembly line-style to fill 420 to 520 bags with nutritious items.

The packed bags are then sealed, placed in storage totes, and distributed weekly by retired teachers and community members into student backpacks.

Anonymity is key: The volunteers know only locker numbers, not names.

The Warroad School BackPack Food Program Fund began in 2016, after Susie Novak, executive director of the North Country Food Bank, introduced the community to the idea of a backpack program.

“With 1 in 5 children experiencing hunger in our region, we decided to hold a public meeting to gain input from our community, to inform them about the program and to see whether they supported (it),” said Glenda A. Phillipe, co-chair of the program. “Susie, Photo courtesy Warroad School BackPack Food Program who helped lead the meeting, stated that there had never been a larger crowd of supporters who attended any of the similar informational gatherings she had attended. Needless to say, our community was on board!”

In 2021, a similar effort was founded as the BGMR Backpack Program Fund was established by the Greenbush Area Women of Today to support students in the Greenbush-Middle River and Badger school districts.

“The programs in Warroad and Roseau had been up and running and well established,” said Kristy Kjos, chair of the fund committee. “The Greenbush Women of Today saw a need and started the process of establishing this in our schools. This was a bit more complicated because it involved two separate schools. … We were really lucky to have school personnel that took this on and ran with it!”

In Warroad, the numbers of students supported by the backpack program has grown over the years, from 75 in 2016 to upwards of 105 in recent years.

“Even though we provide food for early learners through fifth grade, we will send food home with older students, if requested,” Glenda said. “Our challenge is to be able to raise sufficient funds to cover food costs, so we can feed our hungry children.”

Each bag costs $12 to $15, a cost that has more than tripled since 2016.

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“We have a generous and thoughtful community of supporters,” Glenda said, noting that donations come from churches, banks, community groups, individuals, and local businesses.

The BGMR and Warroad programs provide three meals and snacks for two full days, at a minimum, and are typically given out before a holiday or long weekend during the school year.

Join the cause!

You can donate to support either the Warroad or BGMR backpack program – or both! – by visiting https://nwmf.org/donors-giving/find-a-fund/ and searching for “backpack.”

“Local churches regularly take collections and send them into our account, (and) financial companies, individuals, the hospital, are all regular donors,” Kristy said.

In its first three years of operation, the number of students enrolled in the BGMR program has grown by nearly 5 percent over that timeframe.

John Lee, whose position was for a time shared between the Badger and Greenbush school districts, has helped coordinate the assembly and delivery side of the program while the fund committee has managed the fundraising and the finances.

John credited the Badger National Honor Society, and its advisor Shannon Dostal, with preparing and assembling the meals while he was been back and forth between the districts.

He shared a story about a fifth-grade student who was left to care for other young children while their parent was away but there was no prepared food in the home. The backpack program provided for the children during that timeframe.

Photos courtesy Warroad School BackPack Food Program

“Good nutrition is very critical to good health and to success at school,” Glenda said. “Children who don’t get enough to eat have trouble concentrating, have lower energy levels, and experience greater absenteeism. Studies point out with good nutrition, improvement is shown in all areas.”

While anonymity is a key pillar of the program, volunteers are touched by the stories that do get back to them. In Warroad, a first-grader tugged on the suit coat of a teacher after that first distribution in 2016 and asked, “Will we get food again?”

More recently, a student went to her locker, unzipped her backpack and slid her hand inside. She turned to her Warroad Elementary teacher with a big smile, gave the teacher a thumbs-up and said, “Teacher, my food is here!”

This set off a chain reaction as three other children checked their own backpacks and added their own thumbs-up, “Me too!”

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Children & Families Red Lake Nation expanding outdoor recreation opportunities Through the grant support that Northwest Minnesota Foundation funnels to Red Lake Nation, the goal is always to support the tribal community in achieving its own goals.

Recently, grants disbursed to the Izhaadaa Agwajiing program (translated to “Let’s Go Outside”) has helped the tribe expand opportunities for families to recreate together outdoors. This effort, designed and led by the tribe, is woven through a greater effort of Red Lake Nation to put culture at the forefront of community wellness.

Funding from NMF is one slice of the funding pie that supports the Izhaadaa Agwajiing program, which is administered through Ombimindwaa Gidinawemaaganinaadog (“Lifting Up Our Relatives”, formerly known as family and children services). Red Lake Nation is one of eight tribal nations in the U.S. that are demonstration sites for the federal government’s Tiwahe Program, which provides tribes funding to design their own models to improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of families “Me, as a kid, living here, there was nothing to do, you just walk around, get in trouble,” said Joshua Jones, a hydrologist with the DNR. “It drives me nuts when I hear older people that say, “Oh, the kids, you know, they are always in trouble,” and it's like, well, what else is there for them to do? We have a responsibility to provide them the opportunities to do things, and now we have those capabilities.”

Through Izhaadaa Agwajiing, Red Lake Nation families are able to access cross-country skis, snowshoes, ice skates, mountain bikes, fat tire bikes, and much more. Its new trailhead boasts one new building, with a larger, sister building set to open this fall. Both are strategically stationed to easily access trails that connect to other trails deeper in the woods. There are plans to add a zipline and all-terrain track chairs so those with physical disabilities can also enjoy the outdoors.

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Further, the program has funded extensive beach restoration outside of the Obimindwaa building, which provides local children a safe and clean place to recreate in the water; lifeguards will be hired next year for its first full summer. Izhaadaa Agwajiing has also funded Brazilian jiu-jitsu learning opportunities and pop-up events at the water’s edge and in Lower Red Lake itself.

A key aspect of the program is that it not only offers recreational opportunities to families but also provides employment for teens in foster care and juvenile detention. This past summer, 33 such youth were employed through the program.

In just its second year, the impact is already clear. Josh shared the story of one teen on federal probation.

As they traveled to different project sites, Josh kept in close contact with the probation officer. In August, they celebrated when, after a court hearing, the teen was able to remove his ankle monitor and return home. “(The probation officer) told me the changes that they’d seen in him since he started working in this program,” Josh said. “He's a completely different kid, and he’s a natural leader. He would kind of talk to the other kids and tell them what to do and keep them in check.”

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation is committed to continuing its support and partnership with Red Lake Nation by working with individuals like Josh to address and improve Indigenous youth health and wellness into the future.

You can learn more about the Izhaadaa Agwajiing program by following its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089014514859

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Supporting Businesses and Entrepreneurship New business chooses humanity over profit Eighteen months ago, Jimmie and Misty Wiley set out to establish 4-U Convertible Sheds, a business venture to sell convertible sheds. Having completed their first shed this past winter, they were about to put the shed on market when they learned that their neighbor lost the home he had been building, along with some key valuables, in a fire.

Valuing humanity over profit, they chose to provide their neighbor housing. The Wileys gave him the 4-U Convertible Shed, agreeing that he’d pay back only the cost of the building materials once he was back on his feet.

Through the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, 4-U Convertible Sheds has received SBA microloan funding, as well as loan funds intended to support underserved populations.

Advocacy efforts spark policy change for entrepreneurs During an open comment period for the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund last summer, Northwest Minnesota Foundation staff became aware of an extra hurdle facing Native American entrepreneurs seeking loan financing from a certified CDFI. Proposed language from the CDFI Fund included a methodology for certified CDFIs to confirm Indigenous heritage of borrowers; namely, the requirement of written proof by way of Tribal identification or other registration documents. This was in contrast to other ethnicities who do not need to prove their identity, but instead can self-report their ethnicity.

This discrepancy led partner agencies to provide critical comments during the comment period process and to organize other CDFIs to submit comments and contact elected representatives. In December, the policy change was adopted; Native American entrepreneurs will be treated as any other individual seeking loan and technical assistance from the CDFI Fund.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation led advocacy efforts in Minnesota for this change.

Bemidji gift shop Compass Rose charts new, expanded path forward As with many small retail businesses, the COVID-19 shutdowns had a dramatic effect on Compass Rose, a gift shop in downtown Bemidji.

Its owner, Hannah Peura, a natural creative, recognized an opportunity to serve customers in new ways, and the shop pivoted to items like craft projects that customers could purchase online or pick up at the shop. She also continued to promote their online retail store. These retail online sales started to provide additional revenue opportunities, which eventually morphed into a separate line of products specifically designed for wholesale customers, such as resorts.

As Hannah explored financing options for equipment and working capital to support the expansion, she was connected with a business support workshop offered through Redstar Creative, a marketing agency based in Willmar. “Business Reinvention” is a 10-week business reinvention bootcamp. Hannah went through the Business Reinvention program with seven other small business owners from a wide variety of industries.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation worked with Hannah in exploring financial options and also offered her the opportunity to take part in “Business Reinvention”.

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2 selected from Northwest Minnesota for Initiators Fellowship Nine individuals from rural Minnesota have been chosen to make up the 2024-2025 cohort of the Initiators Fellowship, a two-year program that develops social entrepreneurism through mentorship, leadership training, and business coaching.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation is one of four Minnesota Initiative Foundation partners that administer the Initiators Fellowship, which is dedicated to supporting and developing early-stage entrepreneurs in Greater Minnesota who wish to address a social or environmental challenge while pursuing leadership growth.

Ben Cahill Ben Cahill is deeply committed to ensuring there is a community of support and resources for LGBTQIA2S+ people in and around Beltrami County.

He plans to expand the Pride Support Network to empower and connect LGBTQIA2S+ people with culturally relevant and affirming resources, programs, and support groups, and create a better connected community.

“ I am still learning. But, before, it felt like an insurmountable task; now it feels like it’s a rocky road that I’m going to have my hand held to get through. I’m feeling very supported, which is a huge relief.”

— Ben Cahill

Shannon Murray Shannon’s goal is to blend youth development with increasing access and opportunities for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).

“Lead for Inclusion co-creates accessible and welcoming communities through inclusive youth development. By elevating and supporting young leaders of diverse abilities, we remove barriers to belonging and increase opportunities for inclusive work and social activities for everyone.”

“ There are just so many brilliant, talented young people out there and I don’t think that they get the chance to raise their voices.”

— Shannon Murray

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Supporting Community $2 million awarded to address Indigenous youth homelessness The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the Northwest Minnesota Foundation $2 million to fund a collaborative effort of four organizations in supporting Indigenous youth experiencing housing instability and homelessness.

While NMF receives the funds as the grantee, funds will be sub-granted out in partnership with the Minnesota Tribal Collaborative to Prevent and End Homelessness, the Northeast Minnesota Continuum of Care, and the Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation received the funds as the grantee but funds will be sub-granted to the other organizations to support their shared goal of ending homelessness in our region.

“ We have heard that you are doing something very special.

The way that you are working together caught our attention.”

— Marion McFadden Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development for HUD

‘A Seat at the Table’ event celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, a family-friendly event was held in Thief River Falls, offering free food, activities for kids, music and dancing, and an informational presentation on quinceañeras.

The event capped off a month full of activities on campus as Northland Community & Technical College celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, inviting the community to learn about Hispanic heritage and traditions directly from community members originally from Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation provided Advocacy grant funding to support the event.

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11 emerging developers present their projects to development professionals

North Star Neighbors breaks ground on first home In April, we celebrated the first groundbreaking for North Star Neighbors, a community land trust that will expand affordable homeownership opportunities in Northwest Minnesota.

In its first phase, North Star Neighbors will construct new construction homes in both Thief River Falls and Red Lake Falls, with additional homes sold to qualifying homebuyers on the open market.

North Star Neighbors is a subsidiary organization of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation.

Sec. Simon speaks to voting law changes, expanding voting rights Highlighting new changes to Minnesota’s voting laws, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon addressed more than 50 people gathered in the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University.

Simon’s appearance was part of a statewide effort to highlight the changes to Minnesota’s voting laws, which include restoring the right to vote to convicted felons released from prison, automatic voter registration for those applying for a Minnesota driver’s license or state identification, implementing the option of preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds, expanding election worker protections, and prohibiting disinformation Northwest Minnesota Foundation co-hosted Simon’s appearance, along with the League of Women Voters.

For the better part of 2023, the Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) has been working with a cohort of emerging housing developers to support their ideas and develop their skills to respond to affordable housing needs in Northwest Minnesota.

MHP launched its Emerging Developer Initiative in the fall of 2022, working to engage with, support, and equip emerging housing developers, thereby increasing the developer capacity in the region.

In June, 11 emerging developers presented to local leaders and community development professionals, sharing their plans to meet housing needs in their community.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation has supported MHP’s emerging developer initiative, providing more than $140,000 in grant support through two phases.

“ We’ve had a lot of successes, a lot of wins through this program.

We also identified some barriers and that’s where we come in – we want to work with those folks, to continue to work with them, and help lift them up.”

— Donald Goggleye Minnesota Housing Partnership community development manager

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Supporting Children & Families Forgivable child care loan program helps support additional licensed child care in Polk County

Wheels to Work offers free car repairs and vehicle services in Bemidji

Michelle Broten successfully obtained grants to support her efforts to provide family child care when she moved to Minnesota.

She planned to replace the carpet in her home with new laminate flooring to reduce the children’s exposure to bacteria, dust, and pollen. Michelle obtained a grant through First Children’s Finance but the awarded funds weren’t quite enough to cover the subfloor installation or the labor costs.

She was able to secure a forgivable loan through Northwest Minnesota Foundation’s Child Care Finance Program that not only covered her funding gap but also funded the purchase of a new water heater.

The projects have now been completed and she is fully licensed for 12 children.

NMF’s Child Care Finance Program offers forgivable and low-interest loans to increase the capacity of quality child care in our region.

Wheels to Work: Fueling Opportunities to Thrive, a program that runs through United Way of Bemidji Area, held two Car Care Clinics last year, providing car repairs and services to 33 families. Many of those families received free safety repairs.

Samantha (not her real name), was one of the community members who benefitted from the services through the program. She’s a single mother of three and holds a full-time job. She described the Wheels to Work program as a “lifesaver” and felt grateful that programs like this exist.

“My vehicle is my only means of transportation to get us back and forth to our appointments and school and work,” she said. “The Wheels to Work program helped me to get my vehicle fixed at a time I couldn’t afford to do it myself.”

Northwest Minnesota Foundation provided a grant to the United Way of Bemidji Area to help fund the program.

A life spent serving others Lori Anderson retired after 20 years as the priority list manager for the coordinated entry system in Northwest Minnesota. The coordinated entry system is a tool that provides access to services for those living through homelessness, efficiently connecting them to interventions that will rapidly end their homelessness.

Families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of such are impacted by the work of the priority list manager because that person can provide housing solutions and services to meet their needs.

Through extensive case conferencing, the priority list manager offers a platform for agencies to meet, advocate for their clients, and exchange referrals and resources to quickly house the people they serve.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) serves as the “collaborative applicant” for the Northwest Minnesota Continuum of Care, which deploys the coordinated entry system as a tool to serve those experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

In July 2023, Megan Chavez was hired by NMF to serve as the new priority list manager, training alongside Lori Anderson before she retired.

“ Homelessness isn’t a ‘them’ issue, it’s an ‘us’ problem to solve.”

— Lori Anderson

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‘You view every tantrum differently’ With nearly a dozen toddlers and preschoolers gathered around her, Roxanne Stinar held a plush pink circle in one hand and a copy of A Little Spot of Love in the other.

The pink plush had large, expressive eyes, a happy smile, and spindly arms and legs.

“How do we fill our love spot?” Roxanne asked the little ones sitting at her feet.

It was the Thursday before Father’s Day and the children, one at a time, listed how they like to show their love to their dads.

Roxanne Stinar says incorporating socialemotional learning into her Park Rapids child care has been life-changing. She has taken all of the Step Up social-emotional learning workshops, as well as the in-person coaching sessions, to help equip her on implementing those teachings in her Care-a-Lot Child Care in Park Rapids.

The Step Up workshops, facilitated by Peacemaker Resources, teach providers how they can help children develop selfawareness, emotional regulation, and social skills.

“ It wasn’t until I went through the Step Up program that I really started to dive in deeper to the social-emotional learning aspect of it and how important that is. You cannot learn cognitively … until you center emotionally. That first workshop, it rocked my world.”

— Roxanne Stinar

Park Rapids Area High School offering Child Development Associate training to students To address the shortage of child care slots and staffing challenges in its community, the Park Rapids area has decided to use a futuristic vision – “growing their own” child care providers.

Park Rapids Area Schools is now offering a course to juniors and seniors through which students can earn a Child Development Associate credential while in school.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation provided a $12,000 grant to support the program.

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Family of Funds The next four pages feature headlines from our family of funds. We manage locally invested contributions of more than 450 local funds. Through this work, we also support and equip fund volunteers to help achieve their goals and advance their missions. Each fund makes annual grants which help strengthen our communities.

Fertile-Beltrami Area Community Fund grants to support outdoor education Agassiz Environmental Learning Center received a grant from the Fertile-Beltrami Area Community Fund to support its Water Wonders of the Sand Hill River program, providing an exciting outdoor opportunity for fourth-grade classes from school districts within the area to explore the river.

The AELC reported that the program focused on having students explore the movement and quality of water, which would help them to understand the importance of water quality.

Education fund grant funds Native American comic book author appearance at local elementary school Magelssen Elementary received a grant from the Fosston Education Foundation Fund to bring author and educator Mark Mindt to the school to present his comic book series, KODA the Warrior, to students.

Since it was released, KODA the Warrior has received attention from educators throughout the country. As an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation of North Dakota, Mark Mindt believes it is very important to help kids understand their gifts and encourage them to develop their dreams.

In addition to covering the cost for Mindt’s presentation, the grant allowed the school to purchase a copy of Mark's comic book series for the Magelssen Elementary media center, available for all students in grades K-6.

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Thief River Falls Area Community Fund helps Little Brother Little Sister Thanks to a grant from the Thief River Falls Area Community Fund, Little Brother Little Sister of Pennington County produced 12 more matches between kids (mentees) and adult volunteers (mentors), which positively impacted local families.

The LBLS Program helps young people by matching each of them with a mentor to experience the positive example an adult can make in their lives. The kids and their mentors will meet at least once a month to share fun activities or work together to solve a problem.

“ Knowing that my (child) gets to spend at least four hours a month with (their) mentor is priceless to me. (They have) been provided with a friend, confidante, a cheerleader, and a wonderful role model.”

— Anonymous mother of participant

Addition to Marshall County Area Veterans Memorial Park in Warren will focus on PTSD The Marshall County Area Veterans Memorial Park (MCAVMP) was awarded a grant by Warren Area Community Fund to support the addition of a statue featuring a bronze veteran with a dog.

The goal of this specific addition is to raise awareness of posttraumatic stress disorder which affects many veterans in the U.S. At the same time, it gives the public an opportunity to learn and understand what veterans are experiencing.

In addition to the bronze sculpture, funding also covered a new bench on which there is a quote from the late American actor and WWII soldier Audie Murphy who suffered from insomnia and depression: “I want company, and I want to be alone. I want to talk, and I want to be silent. I want to sit, and I want to walk.”

The MCAVMP is located on the Marshall County Courthouse grounds in Warren.

Both the MCAVMP and the Warren Area Community Fund are funds in the family of funds at Northwest Minnesota Foundation. The community fund is one of about two dozen community funds at NMF and the MCAVMP is a project fund.

Donor-advised fund supports Honor Flight trips honoring veterans’ service The Ole and Ruth Tweet Family Fund supported a nonprofit that takes veterans on Honor Flights to Washington, D.C. so they can experience memorials honoring their service.

Each Honor Flight brings more than 100 veterans to D.C., according to Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN. More than 1,900 veterans have been able to experience an Honor Flight since the effort started.

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Family of Funds Park Rapids Area Community Fund help fund new community mural Downtown Park Rapids welcomed its newest mural last summer, a vibrant mural painted in blue, red, and white that combines Scandinavian art motifs with music and arts designs, including a depiction of an Anishinaabe drum as well.

This is now the third mural in downtown Park Rapids; the three vibrant murals bring joy to locals and tourists alike.

Last year, Heartland Arts received a grant from the Park Rapids Area Community Fund, a fund held at Northwest Minnesota Foundation, to support adding the mural to the building on 2nd Street in downtown Park Rapids.

Thief River Falls Area Community Fund grant provides community members access to local events NorsKids Foundation received a grant from the Thief River Falls Area Community Fund (TRFACF) to support its “Ticket Purchases for Local Events” project. Through the project, NorsKids provided 212 tickets to disabled individuals, their caregivers, and veterans who live in the Thief River Falls school district. Most of the tickets were given to the participants from REM North Star and Johnson Riverside Inc. NorsKids Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Thief River Falls with the mission to support and conduct social activities and mentoring programs for people of all ages, including disabled adults, veterans, youth, and senior citizens. They have been providing tickets to community members for local events since 2016, and the demand has continued to grow each year.

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Bemidji students learn to read traditional paper road maps, thanks to grant support Eighth-graders at Bemidji Middle School (BMS) learned how to read a paper Minnesota road map, thanks to grant support from the Bemidji 31 Education Foundation.

Valerie Olson, the geography teacher at BMS who plans and delivers the lesson, said that while digital mapping systems are widely used nowadays, she wants her students to understand that technologies can fail and they need to know how to use a traditional paper-copy road map.

Students complete a scavenger hunt to find 20 items on a road map and calculate the distance between places. To strengthen their skills, students are asked to describe the routes they would take to get from one city to another.

Scholarships

Katrina Warkentin Warroad High School General Scholarship recipient

Tyson Mortimer Lyle Engelstad Scholarship recipient Warren-Alvarado-Oslo High School

“ I will never forget all of the people who helped me get to where I need to be.”

“ It goes a long way to students like me to know that there are people out there looking out for us.”

Ashley Pirkl Heidi Bitzer McClure Memorial Scholarship Bemidji High School

“As the selected recipient of this scholarship, I have been able to gain more confidence in my academics as well as my ability to work hard to achieve my goals.”

Aaron Wensloff Citizens State Bank of Roseau Scholarship Roseau High School

“This scholarship allows me to worry less about the financial stress of paying for my education and devote more time to my studies.”

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Financial Report: Fiscal Year 2024

$103,998,983 $97,387,322 Revenue & Support

TOTAL ASSETS As of June 30, 2024

NET ASSETS

Expenses

Program Revenue

$

Investment Income

9,514,518

Programs and Funds

$ 9,614,808

$ 8,786,977

Administration

$

1,625,420

Endowment Contributions

$

939,283

Fundraising

$

1,149,349

Other

$

243,059

TOTAL EXPENSES

$ 12,389,577

TOTAL REVENUE

$ 19,483,837

$ 7,094,260

Mission-driven grants TOTAL GRANTS

138 TOTAL GRANTS AMOUNT

$ 4,113,896

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INCREASE IN NET ASSETS

Grants Grants in support of businesses

$ 3,268,846

Grants in support of children and families

$

613,700

Grants in support of community

$

231,350

Building Better Lives Philanthropic Services Community Revitalization

25 TOTAL LOANS AMOUNT $ 843,009 BUSINESS LOANS ISSUED

TOTAL DONATIONS

$

CHILD CARE FINANCE PROGRAM LOANS ISSUED TOTAL COMPONENT FUND GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

9

$ $ 40,000

TOTAL LOANS AMOUNT

NUMBER OF FUNDS NEW CHILD CARE SLOTS CREATED

NORTHWEST SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER CLIENTS SERVED

381

CONSULTING HOURS

2,845

82

TOTAL FAMILY OF FUNDS GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Philanthropy TOTAL DONATIONS

$ 2,714,960 TOTAL NUMBER OF GIFTS

$ 2,022,097 MISSION-RELATED EXPENSES

$ 1,016,725 TOTAL PHILANTHROPY FINANCIAL IMPACT

4,363

$ 3,038,822

NUMBER OF FUNDS

NEW FUNDS 19 new funds!

446 Advance Thief River Falls Childcare

Manoomin Scholarship Fund

Bemidji High School Lumberjack Field Improvement Project

Melody Legacy Fund Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society Fund

Dannette Smith Scholarship Fund

Moon Trades Scholarship Fund

Fred Hase Scholarship Fund

NTC Career Catalyst Fund

Highland Elementary Inclusive Playground Project

Red Lake Memorial Fund

Horace May Elementary Technology Fund

Roseau Area Food Shelf

James Burlum Memorial Scholarship and Education Fund

The Brauer Wibe Charitable Fund

Jim Carrington Memorial Scholarship Fund

Title IX Scholarship Fund

Lorena G. Dale Education Scholarship Fund

White Earth Boxing Club Fund

Impact Report 2024

19

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Bemidji, MN Permit No.36

201 3rd Street NW Bemidji, MN 56601