First Quarter Grants 2018

The Northwest Area Foundation approved 44 grants worth $3,032,727 and issued two Program Related Investments (PRIs) worth $1,250,000 in the first quarter of 2018.

Funding to provide access to capital, particularly our support of the groundbreaking work of Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) through our collaboration with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB Des Moines), and funding to provide access to capital for rural communities and low-income entrepreneurs, was the highlight of this quarter’s grantmaking. Funding also touched on work being done in each of our other 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 and dedicated to expanding economic opportunity in under-resourced communities across our region, including Native nations, communities of color, rural communities, and other resilient communities who have fewer opportunities to thrive on their own terms.

Our PRIs provide social and economic returns by investing in organizations that provide capital and support for new and growing businesses in underserved areas.

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

Grants to Provide Access to Capital

Grants to Advance Native CDFI Growth and Innovation (FHLB Des Moines Collaboration)

First Nations Oweesta Corporation of Longmont, CO, will receive $1 million over five years to use toward sub-grants to Native CDFIs in five states outside the Northwest Area Foundation’s region: Alaska, Hawaii, Missouri, Wyoming, and Utah. The sub-grants will provide equity capital that Native CDFIs can use to leverage additional debt capital for increased local lending efforts.
Grant term: March 1, 2018 – Feb. 28, 2023

First Nations Oweesta Corporation of Longmont, CO, will receive $1 million over 10 years in support of its $10 million aggregated capital fund that will provide low-cost, long-term loans to eligible Native CDFIs.
Grant term: March 1, 2018 – Feb. 28, 2028

Grants to Support Enterprise Development

Verde of Portland, OR, will receive $200,000 over two years to support Living Cully, which focuses on environmental investments at the neighborhood scale and ties those investments to community development, racial equity, and poverty-reduction efforts.
Grant term: March 1, 2018 – Feb. 28, 2020

Grants to Promote Financial Inclusion

Minneapolis Urban League of Minneapolis will receive $400,000 over two years to support strategy development and pilot implementation of the African American Financial Capability Initiative’s second phase, aimed at increasing financial education in Minneapolis Urban League’s target community.
Grant term: Jan. 1, 2017 – Dec. 31, 2018

Grants to Expand Work Opportunity

Opportunity Link of Havre, MT, will receive $307,054 over two years to build community partnerships and capacities, identify priorities for action, and initiate an inclusive community-driven asset-based development project to create opportunities for enterprise and job creation in the region.
Grant term: April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2020

Rainbow Research Inc. of Minneapolis received $65,320 to support one-on-one technical assistance to selected grantees of NWAF’s Reservation-based Work Opportunity Initiative, which will help build evaluation capacity and improve program outcomes.
Grant term: Jan. 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. For more information on general grants funded in the first quarter of 2018, all of which were for less than $10,000, please visit our grants database.

Program Related Investments (PRIs)

Dakota Resources of Renner, SD, will receive $1 million over seven years to support the Access to Capital for Rural Communities project, which will help strengthen rural communities through loans, technical support, and learning network opportunities for rural economic development institutions.
Grant term: Feb. 1, 2018 – Jan. 31, 2025

Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) of Portland, OR, will receive $250,000 over seven years to support the Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs project, which will provide low-income entrepreneurs in Oregon and Washington with access to capital, along with culturally specific technical assistance, support, resources, referrals, and education.
Grant term: March 1, 2018 – Feb. 28, 2025

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. We include sponsorships of $10,000 or more in the list below. For sponsorships of less than $10,000, please visit our grants database.

PolicyLink of Oakland, CA, received $40,000 to support its delegation’s attendance at the 2018 National Equity Summit in Chicago.
Grant term: Feb. 1, 2018 – Aug. 1, 2018