Greenbush Area Residents Establish Community Fund Greenbush, Minnesota is the kind of place where good people do great things, helping to make their community a desirable place to put down roots, find a job, raise a family, or start a business. This was demonstrated by the newest addition to the Northwest Minnesota Foundation family of community funds, the Greenbush Area Community Fund (GACF). Community members in Greenbush created this fund to enhance the quality of its places, to meet individual, organization and community needs, while building an endowment from which only the earnings will be available for qualified activities and projects. The reasons communities decide to establish community funds are varied and GACF began in its own unique way. An anonymous donor, who used to live in the Greenbush area, came forward with seed capital of $500 to kick off and spark interest in a fund benefiting the needs of the community and ensuring its future. His generous action served its purpose. When the Otter Tail Rural Economic Development Loan Program serving Greenbush was discontinued, undistributed money remained that had been given by investors into the loan fund. The parties involved, known as the Greenbush Development Corporation, contacted those investors to propose transferring some of the funds to the Greenbush Area Community Fund endowment. As a result, over $13,000 was contributed. Ritchie Houge, NMF director of development said, “The community fund concept of ‘helping communities help themselves’ increases donor involvement, encourages local participation, and builds on hometown pride. It’s one more way that the Northwest Minnesota Foundation works to develop our communities’ assets.”
Winter 2006 NUMBER 38 Greenbush Establishes Community Fund ....................1,3 Message From The President .........2 Philanthropic Services .................4 Early Childhood Initiative ..............5,7 Grants ....................6 Business Development .........7 Upcoming Events ....................8
How does a Community Fund benefit Greenbush? The philanthropic spirit of people living in northwest Minnesota is growing and maturing. More people are making charitable gifts and looking for immediate and long-term gift opportunities that closely match their priorities and financial interests. The creation of GACF represents a partnership with Northwest Minnesota Foundation that will better serve the needs of friends of the Greenbush area by: • developing a comprehensive fund development program that promotes private philanthropy • actively cultivating and soliciting private contributions for a variety of programs, projects and activities, Continued on page 2
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