NORTHLAND FOUNDATION

Since 1986, the Northland Foundation has partnered with the nonprofits, businesses, and communities of northeastern Minnesota to help support, strengthen, and sustain our vast, seven-county rural area.

We are one of six regionally based “Initiative Foundations” created by the McKnight Foundation to address the distinct challenges of rural Minnesota. For more information about the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, visit http://www.greaterminnesota.net

To date, the Northland Foundation’s Grant Program has awarded more than $21 million to nonprofit organizations that share our priorities of connecting kids and community, strengthening families, promoting self-reliance and dignity for all people, and helping older adults age with independence.

No community can thrive without a solid economic base and family-sustaining jobs. A unique aspect of the Northland Foundation is our ability to provide gap financing to small and medium-sized businesses in northeastern Minnesota. Since its inception in 1988, the Business Finance Program has closed more than 425 loans totaling over $41 million to encourage entrepreneurship, a diverse economy, and the creation or retention of more than 6,000 jobs.

In 2006, the Northland Foundation's interests in aging-in-place and economic development dovetailed into an exciting new initiative, Northland Assisted Living. The Foundation established a nonprofit entity to bring housing with assistance to older adults living in rural communities, where a large percentage of the population is older, housing options are few, and the risk of premature placement in nursing homes is high. Northland Village - McGregor's Assisted Living Community opened in 2007 and a second assisted living opened in 2009. The Foundation will break ground on a third assisted living facility in Hoyt Lakes in Spring 2010.

Not only is Northland a grantmaker and business lender but also an operating foundation. Tens of thousands of children and youth, from birth to adulthood, have been impacted by our KIDS PLUS Program, the umbrella for an array of initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of children and youth. It has become a nationally recognized model for community organizing.

Among KIDS PLUS' many accomplishments since 1990 is the establishment of 26 KIDS PLUS Communities in northeastern Minnesota, mainly in small, rural communities which traditionally have not had the capacity or resources to serve the needs of young people. They have, with ongoing support from the Northland Foundation and one another, rallied their communities to action and leveraged millions of outside dollars to create innovative programming for local youth ages 10-18.

Two leading-edge early childhood efforts – the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative and the Minnesota Thrive Initiative – have made great strides statewide to support and advocate for the needs and well-being of children ages birth to five years. The groundbreaking work of these initiatives has brought together diverse partners from across Minnesota to focus on our youngest, most vulnerable citizens.

AGE to age: bringing generations together, is a locally-driven program of ten communities, including three Indian Reservations, that joins elders with young people to build relationships across the ages and improve life in their communities.

Two KIDS PLUS programs are helping schools and communities prepare a new generation of leaders to be aware of social issues and how to solve them. Youth in Philanthropy teaches teens firsthand about civic engagement and the art of giving, by giving young people real grant-making responsibilities to support youth-led service projects. The Youth Leadership Academy offers a year-long experience in teamwork, volunteerism, and leadership training to ninth graders.

Finally, the KIDS PLUS Institute delivers a variety of high-quality learning opportunities to youth development and early childhood specialists, educators and school administrators, and other community members each year. With the financial and in-kind support of sponsoring organizations, these trainings have been provided at no cost to participants.

Through its Grant Program, Business Finance Program, KIDS PLUS Program, and Northland Assisted Living, the Northland Foundation is a resource for the people, businesses, and communities in Northeast Minnesota working toward prosperity through economic and social justice. Our purpose is to strengthen families, grow a sustainable regional economy, cultivate leadership and philanthropy, and foster respect for all.