Regional Highlights
“If you offer a welcoming place, people will come. The Joy Riders bike club has about 20 people aged 50+ who create connections. Interest keeps growing!”
– Susan Sperstad, Little Falls Bicycles Joy & Connection grant recipient
MORRISON COUNTY | Fueling Future Investment in Motley
A new matching grant program in Motley is helping local businesses invest in storefront improvements along Highway 10. Supported by an Initiative Foundation grant and city funding, the program helps cover improvements such as paint, siding, signage, awnings and landscaping. Three businesses have applied so far, including Scanlon Law Service, which added a new awning, sign and sidewalk—an early example of the investment taking shape in the community.
TODD COUNTY | Wellness in the Woods Plans for the Future
Preparing for future leadership transitions will help Wellness in the Woods sustain peer-led support for people experiencing mental health and substance use challenges. The Eagle Bend nonprofit received a $5,000 Initiative Foundation grant for succession planning. Working with staff, board members and an outside consultant, the organization aims to have a plan in place by 2027, strengthening its ability to continue serving underserved rural communities across Minnesota.
WADENA COUNTY | Building Healthy Connections Through Service
New opportunities for connection are helping Wadena-area residents build relationships and find purpose through Astera Health’s volunteer program. Following a 2025 community conversation about mental health and social isolation, a $5,000 Initiative Foundation grant helped Astera launch initiatives including a Pet Volunteer Program and monthly Connect & Chat luncheons. Today, nearly 60 volunteers contribute their time and talents, providing more than 1,000 hours of service in 2026.
CASS COUNTY | More Than a Ride
Faith in Action for Cass County is helping older adults and adults with disabilities stay connected to their communities—not just get where they need to go. A $10,000 Initiative Foundation grant is helping expand volunteer rides to concerts, art classes, farmers’ markets, powwows and other community activities. In a county without public transportation, those connections matter. Faith in Action volunteers drove 149,000 miles in 2025, helping residents stay active, healthy and connected.
CROW WING COUNTY | Crosby Puts Spotlight on Local Business Development
Local businesses and entrepreneurs are the focus of a new effort taking shape in Crosby. The community is one of three selected for the Rural Entrepreneurial Venture program, a partnership between the Initiative Foundation and University of Minnesota Extension. Over the next year, local leaders, business owners and residents will identify strengths, uncover opportunities and build stronger connections to support entrepreneurship and help local businesses thrive.
MILLE LACS COUNTY | Pease Cafe Serves Up a New Chapter
Hot roast beef sandwiches, homemade pies and fresh caramel rolls are still on the menu at Pease Cafe, where Jaime and Eli Lawrence have been serving customers for the past several years. After leasing the building and operating the cafe, the couple recently purchased the property with help from an Initiative Foundation loan. Jaime continues to serve customers while Eli does the cooking, carrying on the cafe’s longtime traditions.
BENTON COUNTY | Benton County Cooks Up New Event
Local flavors took center stage at the inaugural Taste of Benton County this summer. Held July 22 in Sauk Rapids, the event brought hundreds together to sample offerings from area food businesses, enjoy live entertainment and connect with one another. A $6,500 Initiative Foundation Joy & Connection grant helped Benton Economic Partnership launch the event. Following the success of the first event, Taste of Benton County will return April 22, 2027.
SHERBURNE COUNTY | The Next Track for ANP Streaming
Big Lake entrepreneur Lilly Goyah is building momentum behind ANP Streaming (A New Psalm), an app-based platform designed to connect listeners with Christian music that reflects their moods and spiritual needs. An Initiative Foundation loan is helping fund the software and equipment needed to continue developing the platform. Goyah is part of the 2026-27 Initiators Fellowship, where she is strengthening her social entrepreneurship skills while bringing her streaming venture to life.
STEARNS COUNTY | A Sustainable Start for Avivo Village
Avivo Village Central Minnesota opened this fall in St. Cloud, offering 48 private shelter units for adults experiencing homelessness. The facility helps guests work toward permanent housing through individualized services and resources. Open 24/7 with staff members on duty, Avivo Village serves people from surrounding counties. A $15,000 Initiative Foundation grant supported installing a high-efficiency HVAC system, helping reduce energy use and operating costs.
WRIGHT COUNTY | Growing Child Care in Waverly
Kid’s Haven Child Care & Preschool opened its new Waverly location this summer, adding capacity for up to 95 children, from infants through school-age. The new center expands access to care in an area where families and employers continue to feel the effects of a child care shortage. Citizens State Bank served as the lead lender, with an Initiative Foundation loan helping finance the project and expand child care options for area families.
CHISAGO COUNTY | Rush City Explores a New Home for City Services
City hall, the fire department and a sheriff’s satellite office could one day share a home in Rush City. The city is exploring a new public safety and administration center that would bring the three services under one roof, replacing aging and leased spaces with a permanent, centralized facility. A $5,000 Initiative Foundation grant is helping fund a study to examine space needs, potential sites and costs to determine whether the project should move forward.
ISANTI COUNTY | Braham and Isanti Main Streets See Renewal
More than $175,000 is helping breathe new life into properties in Braham and Isanti. At the Park Cafe
in Braham, improvements include new flooring, insulation and updates to second-floor apartments.
In Isanti, The Creamery Crossing is taking shape with improvements to apartments, business suites, and restaurant and kitchen space. The projects are supported through the Minnesota Main Street Economic Revitalization program, administered locally by the Initiative Foundation in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
KANABEC COUNTY | Connecting Through Play in Mora
Kanabec County Public Health has found plenty of ways to get people of all ages out and having fun through Mora Rocks the Parks. Free activities since last winter have ranged from ice skating, bowling and tie-dye to a Ninja Warrior course, kids yoga, a bike rodeo and water-themed fun with the Mora Area Fire Department. An Initiative Foundation Joy & Connection grant helped support the ongoing series, giving neighbors more opportunities to gather, play and connect.
PINE COUNTY | Old School, New Life
After sitting empty for more than two decades, Sandstone’s historic former school is bustling with life again. Jillpine transformed the landmark into The Bookmatch, 32 apartments that help address the area’s workforce housing shortage while preserving pieces of the building’s past. The Initiative Foundation provided its largest-ever business loan to help move the project forward. The Bookmatch opened to residents this summer and is now fully leased.