Community Responsive Fund

The application for Community Responsive Fund grants closed on May 1.

Grant applications are being reviewed and award notifications will be sent in early July.

A special thanks to the Otto Bremer Trust for its vision and investment in the health and vitality of Central Minnesota nonprofits. Since its founding in 1944, the Otto Bremer Trust has granted more than $1 billion to help further its mission in communities across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Funding priorities for this grant round included …

• Basic Needs: This funding priority supports organizations assisting displaced individuals or those encountering various challenges in their journey toward self-sufficiency. These grants include those that focus on short-term assistance.
• Community Asset-building: This priority includes a variety of investments—all with a central focus on strengthening community assets.
• Health and Wellbeing: This priority seeks to increase the health and wellbeing of youth and adults.
• Restorative and Responsive Services: This priority focuses on assisting organizations dedicated to restoring stability for individuals and families encountering disruptive forces.

A Collaborative Minnesota Initiative Foundation Effort

Through this pilot program, the Initiative Foundation has the honor of serving as the administrative hub for the distribution of Community Responsive Fund resources to its Minnesota Initiative Foundation partners for local grantmaking: $400,000 to Southwest Initiative Foundation; $350,000 to West Central Initiative; $350,000 to Northwest Minnesota Foundation; $400,000 to Northland Foundation; and $750,000 to Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.

This one-year program will distribute a total of $3 million to support local organizations that are directly responding to immediate challenges in their communities. Each Minnesota Initiative Foundation will establish its own timeline and guidelines in alignment with Otto Bremer Trust’s grant goals. All grant awards will be distributed by the Little Falls-based Initiative Foundation.