2012 First Quarter Grants

Northwest Area Foundation announced grants totaling $2,491,553 in the first quarter of 2012. The grants further the Foundation’s work to build assets and wealth, improve public policy, and strengthen leadership in order to reduce poverty and build prosperity. The following is a list of those grants.

Building Assets and Wealth

Express Advantage of Seattle, Wash., received $18,000 for the Human Capital Development Loan project.  Grant dollars will support research into the possibility of offering a new type of commercial loan to low-income people seeking to advance their job opportunities through college degree and certificate programs.
Grant term: March 15, 2012 - Aug. 31, 2012

Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) of Minneapolis, Minn., received $250,000 for the Minnesota Rural Farming and Agricultural Latino Co-op Initiative. Funding will provide general operating support, enabling LEDC to hire a new deputy director. A certified community development financial institution, LEDC offers training, resources, and access to capital to Latino entrepreneurs as they open and expand businesses, particularly in rural areas.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2014

Main Street Project of Minneapolis, Minn., received $250,000 for the Rural Enterprise Center Program, which operates poultry production and community gardens for low-income entrepreneurs. Grant dollars will support training, outreach, expansion, strategic planning, and general operations.
Grant term:  April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2014

Minneapolis Urban League (MUL) of Minneapolis, Minn., received $75,000 for the Building Assets and Workforce in the African American Community project. The grant supports MUL’s new strategic plan, which aims to increase access to employment and build assets among low-income people of color.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013

Mountain States Group Inc. of Boise, Idaho, received $125,000 for the Growing Green Businesses project.  Funding will support efforts by the MicroEnterprise Training and Assistance (META) program to foster development and expansion of green businesses. META will offer training, assistance, and loans to disadvantaged entrepreneurs, particularly Latinos, women, and refugees in southwest Idaho.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013

National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) of San Antonio, Texas, received $500,000 for a two-year grant renewal to expand regional partnerships in leadership development and small business strategies. NALCAB will provide business training, professional development, and access to grants that strengthen asset-building organizations. The work will concentrate in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Minnesota, and Iowa, where the Latino population is growing rapidly.
Grant term: June 1, 2012 – May 31, 2014

Rural Dynamics Inc. of Great Falls, Mont., received $207,000 for the Family Economic Security project, which will provide asset- and wealth-building strategies in rural and reservation communities in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  Among the programs the grant dollars will fund:
• Tax Help Montana, which provides volunteer tax assistance that will help low-income families maximize their returns through programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
• The Prosperity Club, a peer mentoring program that provides tools for low-income families to move toward financial stability.
• Matched savings that can be used to purchase a home, start a business or pay for education.
• Mobilizing Rural Communities, which provides training on policy issues, program developments and professional skill building.
• Building Economic Strength Together (BEST), a coalition to improve asset- and wealth-building policies in Montana.
• Startup of a new community development financial institution, RDI Financial, that will increase access to capital for low-income businesses.
Grant term:  April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2014

Stairstep Foundation of Minneapolis, Minn., received $50,000 for the Economic Development Initiative to revitalize the community and reduce poverty. The project will focus on increasing assets and wealth through access to jobs, small business development, and homeownership in North Minneapolis. Special efforts will be made to increase social bonds that will strengthen the community.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013

Summit Academy OIC of Minneapolis, Minn., received $95,000 for the Vertical and Horizontal Program Expansion that will create job training and placement opportunities in green jobs for low-income workers in St. Paul and on the Leech Lake Reservation. Grant dollars will help support the creation of a local tribally operated workforce center on the Leech Lake Reservation.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013

Improving Public Policy

Consensus Council Inc. of Bismarck, N.D., received $175,000 to advance the work of the North Dakota Economic Security & Prosperity Alliance (NDESPA), a statewide coalition that advocates for policies that reduce poverty and build prosperity. Funding for the two-year project will promote civic engagement by strengthening advocacy networks and advancing policies that benefit low- and moderate-income families.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2014

Four Bands Community Fund Inc. of Eagle Butte, S.D., received $25,000 for A Year of Uniting and Strengthening Native CDFIs, a project to build the capability of the Native Community Development Institution (CDFI) network. The money will be used to create peer mentoring, strengthen data tracking systems, and advance policies that create a stronger voice for Native community and economic development.
Grant term: Jan. 1, 2012 – June 30, 2012

Iowa Policy Project of Iowa City, Iowa, received $25,000 to support the Coalition for a Better Iowa, which is working to build a strong state revenue system to fund education, health, and human services programs. Grant dollars will bolster the coalition’s membership, strength, media visibility, and research and presentation skills to address tax and budget issues addressed in the 2012 Iowa legislative session.
Grant term: Feb. 15, 2012 – Aug. 15, 2012

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits of St. Paul, Minn., received $75,000 for the Building Collaborative Capacity in Minnesota to Bring Positive State Budget Outcomes project, which supports efforts to protect anti-poverty policies and initiatives from state budget cuts. The project also aims to engage racial justice advocates in tax and budget advocacy and analysis.
Grant term: Jan. 1, 2012 – Dec. 31, 2012

Oregon Center for Public Policy of Silverton, Ore., received $50,000 for the Oregon State Fiscal Analysis Initiative. The money will be used to build the ability and effectiveness of anti-poverty groups to engage in policy debates regarding raising additional state revenue.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013

Building Capacity and Leadership

Native Youth Leadership Alliance (NYLA) of Pine Ridge, S.D., received $175,000 for the NYLA Strategic Partnerships and Sustainability Plan Development. Grant dollars will support recruitment and development of NYLA Fellows, college students who participate in inter-generational and collaborative leadership training and then return to their communities to apply their visions for community development. Funding will build NLYA’s ability to serve young Native Americans in South Dakota, Washington, and Montana.
Grant term: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2014

General

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) of Sebastopol, Calif., received $100,000 for the Advancing Immigrant Economic Integration project.  GCIR works to assimilate low-income immigrants and refugees into society by expanding economic opportunities and promoting citizenship. Funding will enable GCIR to continue working in the Foundation’s eight-state region of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
Grant term:  May 1, 2012 – April 30, 2013

NWAF Discretionary Gifts Program of St. Paul, Minn., received $12,000. Each quarter, three employees are given the chance to award a $1,000 gift to a nonprofit organization of their choice that has a mission consistent with the Foundation’s.
Grant term: Jan. 1, 2012 – Dec. 31, 2012

NWAF Employee Matching Gifts Program of St. Paul, Minn., received $20,000. This program offers eligible employees a chance to increase their giving power by matching donations to nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)3 status.
Grant term: Jan. 1, 2012- Dec. 31, 2012

The Saint Paul Foundation of St. Paul, Minn., received $50,000 for the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, which seeks to create neighborhoods that are places of opportunity economically and socially. Members of the collaborative develop strategies that ensure residents and businesses share in the benefits of public and private investment in the Central Corridor light-rail transit line.
Grant term:  March 1, 2012 – Feb. 28, 2014

University of Minnesota Foundation of Minneapolis, Minn., received $52,404 for the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, which is providing two internships at the Foundation.
Grant term: Sept. 1, 2012 – Aug. 31, 2013

Sponsorships

American Indian Institute of Bozeman, Mont., received $10,000 for the Gathering of Condolence, Strength & Peace, a planned healing gathering of Elders and traditional leaders at the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
Grant term: Jan. 1, 2012 – Aug. 31, 2012

Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys of St. Paul, Minn., received $5,000 for the Centennial Awards Gala.
Grant Term: April 21, 2012

Givens Foundation of Minneapolis, Minn., received $10,000 for the Inaugural Gala.
Grant term: Oct. 20, 2012 – Oct. 31, 2012

Minnesota Council on Foundations of Minneapolis, Minn., received $500 for the Twin Cities Funders Briefing.
Grant term: Feb.10, 2012

Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives of Portland, Ore., received $2,000 for the Dancing with the Stars Portland Gala.
Grant term: March 31, 2012 – May 1, 2012

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity of Minneapolis, Minn., received $2,500 for the Hard Hat & Black Tie Gala.
Grant term: April 21, 2012  

Way to Grow of Minneapolis, Minn., received $1,300 for the 2012 Shine Celebration Gala.
Grant term: April 27, 2012 – April 29, 2012

Annual Memberships

Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy - $2,500

Association of Black Foundation Executives - $2,500

Council on Foundations - $35,000

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - $5,000

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations - $5,750

Grantmakers of Oregon and SW Washington - $2,789

Grant Managers Network - $2,000

Hispanics in Philanthropy - $3,000

Independent Sector - $12,500

Iowa Council of Foundations  - $1,000

Minnesota Council on Foundations - $24,500

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy - $6,000

Native Americans in Philanthropy - $4,000

Neighborhood Funders Group - $1,600

Philanthropy Northwest - $17,710

Philanthropy Northwest – PRI Makers Network - $5,000