Northland Foundation grants

The Northland Foundation awarded nearly $2 million in grant funds in the last quarter of 2023 to benefit people and communities in its geographic service area.

The lion’s share of grant dollars, $1,175,000, was awarded through the Northland Foundation’s Integrated Rural Community Aging Program. The program provides resources to help three targeted rural sites and three Tribal nations to integrate care coordination, social engagement, and quality of care for older adults, elders, and their caregivers. This is the second three-year phase of this special program, focused on deeper capacity-building work to bolster services and supports which give rural older adults opportunities for social connections and access to care.

• The United Way of Carlton County, based in Cloquet, received $32,820 to provide basic resources, support, and connection to housing opportunities in the community to youth experiencing homelessness in Carlton County.

• Cloquet Public Schools received $3,000 to support planning and activities that strengthen the learning continuum from early childhood to third grade, for school district teams that attended the Northland Foundation’s 2023 Early Childhood Summit.

• The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa received $200,000 to provide social and cultural activities, home modifications, and health and well-being services for Fond du Lac elders. The funds will also support social and cultural activities, home modifications, and health and well-being services for Fond du Lac elders.

• Northland also awarded more than two dozen grants to help increase the availability of licensed child care in northeast Minnesota. The foundation collaborates with local, regional, and statewide partners working to address the region’s critical shortage of child care.