Second Quarter Grants 2019

The Northwest Area Foundation approved 35 grants worth $3,769,375 in the second quarter of 2019.

Funding touched on work being done in each of our four interlocking portfolios, with a special focus on grants promoting financial inclusion for underserved communities in the Twin Cities area. Funding also supported 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

Leech Lake Financial Services of Cass Lake, MN, will receive $100,000 over two years to support operating costs for its asset-building project so it can continue providing financial education and loan products to consumers and businesses on and near the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota.
Grant term: May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2021

Lummi Community Development Financial Institution of Ferndale, WA, will receive $250,000 over two years to support its efforts to tailor its developmental services to the cultural values and practices of the Lummi and Coast Salish peoples, including a pilot project to enhance how it provides support and mentoring for Native families and entrepreneurs in its target market.
Grant term: April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2021

Grants to Advance Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Growth

The following two grants are in support of the groundbreaking work of Native CDFIs through our collaboration with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB Des Moines):

Bii Gii Wiin Community Development Loan Fund of Minneapolis will receive $17,000 over four years as lending capital so it can meet growing demand for business loans among its clients, specifically Native American families.
Grant term: July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2023

Native 360 Loan Fund Inc. of Grand Island, NE, will receive $100,000 over four years as lending capital to support businesses in its target market.
Grant term: July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2023

Grants to Support Enterprise Development

Byrd Barr Place of Seattle will receive $500,000 over two years to support its efforts as the lead organization for a community of practice (CoP) established as part of the African American Financial Capability Initiative. Byrd Barr Place and the CoP will advocate for equitable public policies that impact African Americans in the Seattle area.
Grant term: July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2021

Hmong American Partnership of St. Paul, MN, will receive $400,000 over two years to support its efforts to convene community leaders and other stakeholders to develop a strategic plan for improving the economic prosperity of Hmongs in Minnesota.
Grant term: July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2021

Region Five Development Commission of Staples, MN, will receive $387,000 over two years so it can upgrade its economic development approach to include and benefit marginalized and low-income individuals in its region.
Grant term: July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2021

Grants to Promote Financial Inclusion

Build Wealth MN Inc. of Minneapolis will receive $500,000 over two years to support its Family Stabilization Plan (FSP) and Savings to Save (STS) programs. These culturally based programs incorporate financial skill-building approaches that promote financial inclusion for underserved communities of color, particularly African Americans.
Grant term: April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2021

CAPI USA of Brooklyn Center, MN, will receive $200,000 over two years so it can strengthen its financial and economic empowerment programming as it expands its services to immigrant, refugee, and other communities of color in North Minneapolis.
Grant term: June 1, 2019 – May 31, 2021

Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) of St. Paul, MN, will receive $300,000 over two years to support its financial inclusion work in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, incorporating culturally anchored solutions to work with targeted groups that are facing the greatest inequities—especially women, youth, immigrants, and Latinos living in rural areas.
Grant term: April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2021

Minneapolis Urban League of Minneapolis will receive $250,000 over two years to support its efforts as the lead organization for a community of practice (CoP) established as part of the African American Financial Capability Initiative, continuing collaborative work with three additional Black-led nonprofits to advance financial well-being in North Minneapolis.
Grant term: June 1, 2019 – May 31, 2021

Solid Ground Washington of Seattle will receive $175,000 over two years to support its efforts to fight the root causes of poverty and advocate for equitable policy reform that expands opportunities for low-income communities and communities of color in Washington State.
Grant term: June 1, 2019 – May 31, 2021

Grants to Expand Work Opportunity

Coeur d’Alene Tribe Department of Education of Plummer, ID, received $20,000 to support technical assistance for its workforce development initiatives that address educational and career pathways for its indigenous youth and adults.
Grant term: June 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020

Northwest Indian Community Development Center of Bemidji, MN, received $20,000 to support technical assistance for its efforts to increase the understanding, valuing, and use of evaluation for building capacities and communicating to Native stakeholders and non-Native audiences.
Grant term: June 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020

Oregon Native American Chamber of Portland, OR, will receive $80,000 over 18 months to support its participation in NWAF’s Vibrant Tribal Economies Initiative, working with other technical partners to support participating tribal communities. The Chamber will work directly with and assist the Warm Springs Tribe in Oregon.
Grant term: Jan. 1, 2019 – July 31, 2020

Rosebud Economic Development Corporation of Mission, SD, will receive $190,000 over 18 months to support continued development of its Social Emotional Intelligence Training (SEIT) program, with plans to add new training components that address the effects of historical trauma from a Lakota perspective. The training is a critical component to increasing the well-being and productivity of the workforce on the Rosebud Reservation.
Grant term: June 1, 2019 – Dec 31, 2020

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.

Migizi Communications Inc. of Minneapolis received $15,000 to support its efforts to convene Native leaders and practitioners and facilitate learning and sharing of resources and best practices, with a focus on two issues: Census 2020 and workforce development in Indian Country.
Grant term: June 1, 2019 – Dec. 31, 2019

Philanthropy Northwest of Seattle will receive $250,000 over two years to support enhancement of multiple programming efforts that raise awareness of opportunities to increase funding in Indian Country; grow impact investing; and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) outcomes in rural areas—specifically in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
Grant term: April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2021