Year in Review

The Northland Foundation is honored to play a supporting role to the hardworking individuals, organizations, and businesses that achieve headline-worthy accomplishments in our seven-county region.  They deserve rave reviews for their dedication.  This “Year in Review” outlines key highlights of the Northland Foundation during fiscal year 2004-05.

Following are some feature clips:

• Awarded 208 grants totaling $1,210,439 to nonprofit organizations in northeastern Minnesota through the Grant Program.

• Invested $2,658,570 in 21 small and medium size businesses through the Business Finance Program.

• Increased the Business Finance Program portfolio to a record level of
  $9.2 million with 94 active loans.

• Secured $85,000 in resources for regional economic development projects through partnerships with The McKnight Foundation and the Otto Bremer Foundation.

• Generated nearly $1 million in funding for the KIDS PLUS Program to support children and youth initiatives in northeastern Minnesota.

• Continued our partnership with The McKnight Foundation to ensure young children thrive and have a healthy life of learning, achieving, and succeeding through the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative…A Campaign for Our Youngest Children.

• Renewed partnerships with The Sheltering Arms Foundation and The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation to support the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative.

• Established new relationships with the Robins, Kaplan, Miller, & Ciresi L.L.P. Foundation for Education, Public Health, and Social Justice and the Mardag Foundation to assist the Early Childhood Coalitions with planning and implementing local projects that strengthen resources for young children and their families.

• Launched two Early Childhood Coalitions, Koochiching County and the Mesabi East School District, as part of the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative.

• Provided ongoing technical assistance and financial support to the six regional Early Childhood Coalitions—Aitkin County, Carlton County, Hermantown/Proctor, Itasca Area, Koochiching County, and Mesabi East School District.  The Northland Foundation also provided these coalitions with regular training and education opportunities through the Regional Early Childhood Coalition Network.

• Launched the Early Word, an electronic newsletter, which offers an update on Early Childhood Initiative news and happenings in northeastern Minnesota.

• Coordinated the Statewide Early Childhood Coordinators’ Network to provide training and support to the 36 Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative Coalitions throughout Greater Minnesota.

• Planned and hosted the Minnesota Early Childhood Conference, “Seize the Opportunity:  Invest in Young Children” in St. Paul, which brought together nearly 700 business and community leaders to make early care and education a top priority in Minnesota.  This statewide conference was made possible through the generous support of The McKnight Foundation.

• Extended a 14 year partnership with St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic Health System to provide $25,000 in grant resources for projects focused on children, youth, and older adults in this region.

• Awarded $13,424 in KIDS PLUS Youth In Philanthropy grants to 16 youth-led projects across the region.  With support from Minnesota Power, this program engages 14 young people and three adult mentors on a regional grantmaking board and provides resources for projects that are planned and carried out by youth.

• Provided year-long leadership training to 77 ninth-grade students, with the support of 30 adult mentors, through the Duluth and Superior KIDS PLUS Youth Leadership Academies.  These programs prepare young people to be leaders and volunteers in their schools and communities.

• Received a $150,000 three year grant from the Emma B. Howe Foundation, a supporting organization of the Minneapolis Foundation, to assist the 26 KIDS PLUS Communities with youth engagement strategies.

• Provided support to youth development coordinators through the KIDS PLUS Regional Alliance of Communities.  The Northland Foundation offers regular networking and training opportunities to strengthen youth development programming in the 26 KIDS PLUS Communities.

• Collaborated with 70 foundations, corporations, service organizations, and individuals to sponsor the 14th Annual KIDS PLUS Conference, “Connecting Kids and Community.”  This event brings together 2,000 youth and adults from Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin communities.

• Awarded more than 600 gallons of paint and coating products to 14 organizations in the region through a partnership with the Valspar Foundation’s Minnesota Beautiful Program. Since 1998, the Valspar Foundation and Northland Foundation have provided over 3,600 gallons of free paint to 88 projects in northeastern Minnesota.