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Northwest Area Foundation Awards $465,000 for New Jobs, Workforce Training and Strategies that Promote Economic Stability

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (April 16, 2010)  The Northwest Area Foundation has awarded 10 grants totaling $465,000 to further asset and wealth creation, build capacity and leadership and improve public policy to benefit people with low incomes.

“These grants address many of the issues that are critical to building assets and wealth, such as jobs creation, workforce development, affordable homeownership and financial literacy.  Combining that with awards to improve public policy and build capacity and leadership is the most effective way we can make a mark on moving people from poverty to prosperity,” said Kevin Walker, president and CEO of Northwest Area Foundation.

Four grants totaling $145,000 were awarded to nonprofit organizations to support asset and wealth creation strategies:   

• Framing Our Community of Elk City, Idaho received $75,000 to expand small business training and to support a regional network that provides workforce training and economic development opportunities for displaced and low- and moderate-income workers in rural north central Idaho and within the Nez Perce Tribe. 
• South Dakota Community Foundation of Pierre, South Dakota and Native Americans in Philanthropy of Minneapolis received $10,000 each to support emergency disaster relief for Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. These awards are provided as matching funds solicit donations to aid recovery from a winter ice storm on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation.
• Stairstep Foundation of Minneapolis, received $50,000 for economic development initiatives for people with low incomes in North Minneapolis. This grant will support public policy advocacy, affordable home ownership opportunities, job creation, financial literacy education, and neighborhood revitalization.

Two grants totaling $120,000 were awarded for strategies that build capacity and leadership among communities and organizations:

• The Center for Community Change of Washington D.C. received $100,000 for community organizing in Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon. The Center for Community Change will assist low-income people in creating local leadership networks that can tap into national networks which assist in shaping state and federal policy on jobs, wealth creation and asset building.  The grant will provide small sub-grants to organizations for participation in community organizing and to fund Democracy School trainings.
• Center for Communication and Development of Minneapolis received $20,000 to expand programming of KMOJ radio that will benefit people with low incomes. This grant will support two weekly asset- and wealth-creation radio programs over a year’s time, assist with the development of a business plan for KMOJ.

Two grants totaling $125,000 were awarded for improved public policy solutions for people with low incomes:

• Demos of New York, received $75,000 for the Public Works project. This grant will fund training for Northwest Area Foundation grantees to increase their understanding of how to effectively make the case for the essential public structures necessary to reduce poverty and build prosperity.  Trainings will focus on strengthening coalitions, shaping communications and advocacy to build understanding of and support for the role of government in achieving these goals.
• The Ohio State University Foundation and Kirwin Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity of Columbus, Ohio received $50,000 to develop opportunity maps for Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. This grant will raise awareness to the structural and community barriers impacting marginalized communities. This work will be done using GIS mapping, which will identify patterns of access and opportunities.  

Two grants totaling $75,000 were awarded to advance the work of other funders to increase economic opportunities or to leverage public policy:

• The Minneapolis Foundation of Minneapolis, received $50,000 to support a statewide immigrant funders collaborative. This initiative will focus on advocacy and integration of immigrants in Minnesota. The collaborative is expected to attract additional local and national funding, which will be re-granted to Minnesota organizations and coalitions working on immigrant integration. 
  
  
• The Saint Paul Foundation of St. Paul received $25,000 for the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. This grant will support forums on issues affecting low income communities located along the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit that is planned between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Forums will address business resources, affordable housing, workforce and economic development and job access.

The Foundation is currently accepting grant proposals by invitation only.  For more information about the Foundation’s grantmaking approach and the work of grantees across its eight-state region, please visit www.nwaf.org.  

The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts by the people, organizations and communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son Louis W. Hill established the Foundation.

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