CMCF Awards $182,000 In Grants to 18 Local Organizations

ST. CLOUD -- Several local organizations in central Minnesota are getting big checks from the Central Minnesota Community Foundation.

The Foundation has awarded a total of $182,000 through the Central Minnesota Arts Initiative, Central Minnesota Difference Maker and Thomas Ritsche Youth Grant to 18 local organizations. The grants range from $5,000 to $30,000.

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Through the Central Minnesota Arts Grant round, five organizations received grants including:

• The Yes Network received $7,500 for its Thinking Skills That I Learned Through Art program.
• GREAT Theatre received $5,000 for its Theatre Residency program.
• WACOSA received $7,000 for its WACOSA Art-Ability Resources program.
• Avon Hills Folk School received $5,500 for its Growing the Youth Hand Camp and Emerging Artists of Color apprenticeship.
• Paramount Center for the Arts received $5,000 for its Arts Underground program.

Seven organizations received a Difference Maker Grant, including:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota received $30,000 for its Boys & Girls Club Youth Mental Health Services Programs.
• Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity received $30,000 for its Central MN Habitat for Humanity - Aging in Place program.
• Central Minnesota Sustainability Project received $10,000 for its Cultivating Understanding: Bridging Cultures through Community Gardens program.
• College of Saint Benedict received $19,400 for its Open Windows Literature Project.
• Too Much Talent received $10,000 for its Debunking the Myth: Promoting Mental Health and Wellness in the Black Community program.
• Recovery Community Network received $12,600 for its Building Social Capital through Recovery program.
• Centra Sota Somali Women received $8,000 for its program that provides education and services to help people adapt to a new culture.

The Thomas Ritsche Youth Grant recipients are as follows:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota received $5,000 for its Eastside, Roosevelt & Southside Boys & Girls Club Programming.
• Friends of Career Solutions received $8,695 for its CareerONE-A Vision For The Future program.
• The Village Family Service Center received $5,000 for its Pride Teens St. Cloud program.
• Junior Achievement North received $5,000 for its Equitable Junior Achievement Program Implementation through a Sequential Delivery Model in ISD 742.
• GREAT Theatre received $4,000 for its Student Matinee Field Trip Performances of Disney’s Descendants The Musical.
• Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity received $5,000 for its Habitat for Humanity Tiger Build project.

Since 1985, The Central Minnesota Community Foundation has awarded over $134.5-million in grants to non-profits.