Local Grants -- The Foundation has made a commitment that a minimum of 55 percent of its grant making endeavors will be of direct benefit to the Grand Rapids/Itasca County area, which includes the communities of Blackduck, Northome, Hill City, and Remer. 

Rural Minnesota Grants – Funds for rural projects outside the Foundation’s local giving area of Itasca County will be limited to a few, high impact grants that will establish models that can be emulated by other communities.  Rural Minnesota grants are available to individual communities, regional projects that embrace a number of communities, or to organizations that are addressing an issue that impacts rural Minnesota on a statewide basis. 

Preference will be given to communities that have participated in a Blandin Community Leadership Program.  Unsolicited proposals from organizations that have not engaged in a dialogue with Foundation staff regarding the relevance of their ideas are discouraged. Typically, grants will not exceed $250,000; however, in instances of exceptional impact, larger amounts will be considered.

Our mission to strengthen rural communities in Minnesota means that we do not provide grant assistance for projects targeted to metropolitan areas of the state including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud and Moorhead.

Please note that due to the greater availability of grant funding for the Foundation’s local giving area, we are able to fund a significantly broader variety of program types locally than in the rest of Rural Minnesota.  Grants outside the Foundation’s local giving area of Itasca County will be limited to a few, high impact grants in each of the strategic areas that have the potential to establish models that can be emulated by other communities.  Sometimes strong proposals that fit the Foundation’s mission and strategies will be declined simply due to lack of funds.