Third Quarter Grants 2018

The Northwest Area Foundation approved 33 grants worth $3,724,135 in the third quarter of 2018.

Funding touched on work being done in three of our four interlocking portfolios, as well as sponsorships and work related to general projects that are not designated to a specific portfolio.

Our grants support organizations anchored in the culture of the people they serve across our region of eight states and 75 Native nations. Our grantees are dedicated to expanding economic opportunity in under-resourced communities by advancing good jobs and financial capability. They build on the untapped potential within our priority communities: Native Americans, communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and people in rural areas.

We include grants of $10,000 or more below. For information on grants of less than $10,000, please visit our grants database.

Grants to Provide Access to Capital

Native CDFI Network Inc. of Rapid City, SD, received $50,000 to build the capacity of more member organizations and strengthen the Native CDFI field, which will ultimately translate into improved financial capability and job creation in Native communities.
Grant term: June 1, 2018 – Oct. 31, 2018

Native360 Loan Fund (formerly First Ponca Financial) of Grand Island, NE, will receive $199,824 over two years to strengthen Native-owned businesses through continued outreach and expansion of financial literacy training, small-business lending services and products for Native Americans in Iowa and southeastern South Dakota.
Grant term: Aug. 1, 2018 – July 31, 2020

Grants to Support Enterprise Development

Nexus Community Partners of St. Paul, MN, will receive $400,000 over two years to support expansion of its ongoing community wealth-building (CWB) initiatives, which focus on building collaborative, inclusive, and locally controlled economies by incorporating social enterprise principles into a broader community and economic development framework. Grant funds will also help provide stability and a stronger internal infrastructure for organizations shifting from learning about CWB to implementing it.
Grant term: July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2020

Grants to Expand Work Opportunity

American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) of Alexandria, VA, received $55,873 to enable it to assess the efficacy of apprenticeship programs at five tribal colleges in Montana. AIHEC will get input from different stakeholders, convene the grantees, and analyze the data and recommendations.
Grant term: July 1, 2018 – Dec. 31, 2018

General Grants

When we fund projects that help organizations and communities in ways that aren’t specifically associated with one of our four interlocking portfolios, we include those grants in the “General” category. General grants of $10,000 or more are listed below. For information on general grants of less than $10,000, please visit our grants database.

Center Pole of Garryowen, MT, will receive $165,000 over two years to support phase two of its social enterprise expansion project. The project provides workforce readiness and employment experience, including workshops on financial skills, hospitality, food sanitation and safety, gardening, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship, to 40 Native American reservation youths in various service fields.
Grant term: June 1, 2018 – May 31, 2020

Equitable Food Initiative of Washington, DC, will receive $225,000 over 16 months to support its efforts to fully consolidate engagement with the tree-fruit industry in Washington state regarding improved wages and working conditions for over 50,000 of the state’s agricultural workers.
Grant term: Sept. 1, 2018 – Dec. 31, 2019

Homes of Oakridge Human Services of Des Moines, IA, will receive $150,000 over two years to support the Transitions – 2 Gen Project, a program that focuses on eliminating the barriers to employment faced by refugees and other hard-to-place low-income clients.
Grant term: Aug. 1, 2018 – July 31, 2020

Islamic Resource Group of St. Anthony, MN, received $25,000 to support its efforts to assist organizations addressing emerging threats and opportunities in their communities, as well as organizations advancing solidarity and inclusion in Minnesota.
Grant term: Oct. 1, 2018 – Sept. 30, 2019

Main Street Project of Northfield, MN, will receive $500,000 over two years to support its community-based agricultural model, which seeks to improve access to farmland and agricultural markets by providing an economically viable option for aspiring Latino and other immigrant farmers in southeastern Minnesota.
Grant term: Aug. 1, 2018 – July 31, 2020

The Montana Racial Equity Project of Bozeman, MT, received $25,000 to support its efforts to assist organizations addressing emerging threats and opportunities in their communities, as well as organizations advancing solidarity and inclusion in Montana.
Grant term: Oct. 1, 2018 – Sept. 30, 2019

Prepare and Prosper of St. Paul, MN, will receive $450,000 over two years to support general operations and Financial Access in Reach (FAIR)—a community-designed suite of banking amenities such as tax preparation, financial services, financial coaching, systems changes, and affordable banking products—for low-income Minnesotans.
Grant term: July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2020

Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation of Porcupine, SD, will receive $1,122,341 over two years in continued support for its community-building models, which provide access to the financial capabilities, assets, and resources that families need to address the systemic poverty on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Grant term: July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2020

Ujamaa Place of St. Paul, MN, will receive $300,000 over three years to support its capacity to expand work opportunities, including job skills training, for formerly incarcerated, young African American men.
Grant term: July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2021

Unite Oregon of Portland, OR, received $25,000 for its Building an Inclusive Oregon initiative, which supports organizations addressing emerging threats and opportunities in their communities, as well as organizations advancing solidarity and inclusion in Oregon.
Grant term: Oct. 1, 2018 – Sept. 30, 2019

Sponsorships

Sponsorships support opportunities for grantees to participate in activities that advance their learning, build relationships, exchange ideas and resources, and collaborate in unexpected ways. For information on sponsorships funded in the third quarter of 2018, all of which were for less than $10,000, please visit our grants database.