Safe streets. Active and diverse leadership. Learning opportunities at all stages of life. Clean air. Active faith communities. Strong job market. Accessible healthcare. Welcoming spaces. Separate, these are all bright spots in a community. Only together, though, do they give a holistic view of what it means to be a healthy community. Each of these pieces represents …
Rolling hills, towering pines and jagged bluffs – just like the unique and varied landscape of Minnesota, the priorities and concerns of its people are equally diverse. Each region has its own story, its own challenges and its own priorities. Rural Pulse 2016 helps tell that story through a series of special reports focusing on …
“Minnesota has arrived at that proverbial fork in the path,” said Growth & Justice President Dane Smith in Sunday’s Star Tribune. In his article on Minnesota’s “equity agenda,” he talks of a low road, pocked with envy, enmity and suspicion between rural and urban Minnesotans, and a high road, “marked by a rural optimism and …
“The Blandin Foundation’s work is a catalyst of connections — among members of rural communities and between the education and business sectors.” — Gene Rebeck, Twin Cities Business, November 25, 2015 Last week, Twin Cities Business reporter Gene Rebeck penned a piece that gave readers a look into the philosophy behind Blandin Foundation’s work in rural …
Money follows vision. Without a strong voice to carry your vision, though, the money might not find you. This thought hit home for me and many others attending the panel on closing the philanthropic gap at this year’s Rural Assembly. With only 5.5% of large foundation grants going to rural communities, I, alongside three other rural …
This morning, Blandin Foundation president Kathy Annette participated in a Rural Assembly panel entitled, “Closing the Philanthropy Gap. She, along with Justin Maxom of the Mary Reynolds Babock Foundation, Jamie Bennett of ArtPlace America, Heetan Kalan of the New World Foundation, provided their expertise and insight to answer the question: What is the role of …
If you know what it feels like to step into a buzzing small town cafe, bursting with happy chatter and hugs, then you have a taste of what it was like to attend the rural philanthropy gathering at this year’s Council on Foundation’s (COF) annual conference. Coming together like long-lost friends, nearly 30 philanthropic professionals from rural …
Today we welcome Brian Nicklason, chair of the Investment Committee and board member for Blandin Foundation. Brian is president and CEO of Woodland Bank, with offices serving the northern Minnesota communities of Deer River, Cohasset, Hill City, and Grand Rapids. He has been a board member of the Foundation for 11 years. Last month, I, along …
Today we welcome Mike Johnson, chair of the Blandin Foundation board of trustees. Mike recently retired as provost of Itasca Community College and is a lifelong resident of Grand Rapids. He has been a board member of the Foundation for 11 years. Each year, more than $3 billion in grants are awarded to hundreds of …
It’s a different time, said Blandin Foundation president Dr. Kathy Annette during an interview with Ampers‘ Melissa Townsend on work happening in Bemidji around racial disparities. During the interview, Dr. Annette relived her experience walking into the Bemijigamaag Powwow, held at the Bemidji’s Sanford Center, with her 81-year-old aunt. Head in April, this first-of-its-kind event encouraged all community …