Northwest Blog

In mid-November the Northwest Minnesota Foundation hosted Phil Hatlie, NonprofitAssistance Fund (NAF) to deliver the workshop, “What Do Your Programs Really Cost”.   Phil introduced a great new tool called Program Budget Allocation - which helps nonprofit organizations manage their program costs, create an effective budget and work toward sustainability. What do your Programs Cost - November session This free tool launches in mid-December, and if you register with  Nonprofit Assistance Fund , you will be one of the first nonprofit organizations in Minnesota to receive this tool. NAF has put the finishing touches on this new program budget and allocation tool to walk you through the mechanics and produce some great financial information. The guide and accompanying spreadsheet template breaks down the process of understanding true program costs, either through budgeting or financial reports, into several stages.  The narrative that accompanies the tool gu

We would like to thank each and every donor for helping us to further our mission.  The gifts we have received for this project are encouraging us to forge ahead, however we still need your support!  Please take a look below to see our vision for this project. We hope the Carnegie Library will be a gathering place for locals and tourists alike ...With your support, this vision will become a reality.  Our Vision The Carnegie Library is not only an historic building, but resides within an historic site on the banks of Lake Bemidji, near the Mississippi River inlet, a site of human habitation for 3000 years.  As we restore the interior of the Carnegie, we intend to create an ongoing exhibit of regional Native American history and culture to celebrate this long and rich story, significant to the Ojibwe as well as those who settled here later.  An exhibit will expand on the life of Shaynowishkung (Chief Bemidji) but also reflect on the pre-contact and post-contact life o

NMF Program Officer- Grants, Nate Dorr The City of Baudette received a $12,500 grant from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation’s Community Planning Program to plan for future housing.  Leadership from Baudette’s Mayor Rick Rhone, City Council, City Clerk Tina Rennemo, Headwaters Regional Development Commission, and other local stakeholders will create an action plan for the next two years.   The plan will focus on steps the city and its partners must take to prepare sites for new and renovated housing units.  This includes working with the City of Baudette Housing and Redevelopment Authority to increase their ability to expand the housing stock.   Tax-increment financing options for multi-family housing units or development are under consideration.  Public bonding for infrastructure investments will also be part of the overall strategy.  Aging water and sewer lines, utilities, and communication infrastructure systems are all expected to get a makeover.    With th

Win-E-Mac Arthur I. & Jane B. Snustad Education Fund When we learned that Art Snustad had passed away and that his trust was being distributed, we knew that big things were going to happen. We did not realize just how big. The legacy that Art has left to Win-E-Mac school district amounts to nearly two-and-a-half million dollars that will be invested for the long term through the Foundation. What this means is that for the foreseeable future, Win-E-Mac will have about $45,000 annually to spend for educational programs, projects and activities in the Win-E-Mac schools that encourage, inspire and support student interest in education and preparation for college.  In addition, scholarship dollars totaling over $40,000 each year will be awarded to qualified students who have at least a “B” average upon graduation and have been accepted into a post-secondary institution or program. The scholarships are renewable for up to four years if the student meets the conditions of ren

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn (May 8, 2014) – Blandin Foundation announced today that it has awarded  six grants totaling $147,750 that assist rural Minnesota communities in advancing high-speed Internet access and use in their communities. Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) will work with area businesses to take advantage of more online resources available through high-speed Internet, with support of a $9,750 Blandin Foundation grant.  This work will occur as part of the regional IMPACT 20/20 Business Broadband Initiative.   “The generous assistance of the Blandin Foundation will enable NMF and IMPACT 20/20 to assess broadband training needs of area businesses and then deliver courses based on th e assessment outcomes,” said Nancy Vyskocil, NMF President.  “While the specifics of the training will be determined by the assessment, we expect that instruction will be delivered on such topics as search engine optimization, social med

The IDEA Competition announced the names of three 2014 winners on Wednesday, April 24 th at the IDEA awards banquet held at the Sanford Center, Bemidji.  Each winner receives $10,000 in cash to advance their business idea, plus additional specialized technical assistance.  The 2014 Winners are: ·       Brian & Coreen Berdahl, Red Lake Falls, for Reel-Deal – a line spooling device that quickly and easily transfers fishing line from a standard size line spool to a fishing rod.   ·         Cindy Krankkala, Thief River Falls, for Addy-Olly, LLC – an innovative play yard mattress cover that meets the highest standards of child safety. ·         Robert Cloose, Bagley, for CR Data Solutions – a software product that will revolutionize installation and testing of fiber optic splices. 2014 Winners: Robert Cloose, Brian & Coreen Berdahl, Cindy Krankkala The main goal of the IDEA competition is to assist promising local entrepreneurs in the commercializ