SMIF approves grants to support small towns

By KAALTV

(ABC 6 News) — Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) recently approved 25 grants totaling $200,000 to support small towns of 10,000 or less in SMIF’s 20-county region.

Each grant seeks to impact the culture, education, economy and/or social aspects of a town by investing in collaborative initiatives that help make the community more welcoming.

The Small Town Grant program was launched in 2017 to support smaller communities which can benefit from additional financial resources to help them grow and address challenges.

The recent approval of 25 grants has pushed the total of Small Town Grants awarded to 138 projects since the program began. Through this program, SMIF has surpassed a milestone this year, investing more than $1 million for a total of $1,172,490 in the small towns of our region.

The Small Town Grant program is supported, in part, by a generous donation in memory of Paul O. Johnson who wanted southern Minnesota’s smallest communities to thrive. Paul’s legacy is being continued by his family, Amy De Jong, Paula Rehder and Scott Johnson.

The 2024 Small Town Grant award recipients are:

  • $10,000 to A Great Day Farm Foundation in Dundas to expand adaptive cycling opportunities for adults with disabilities.
  • $10,000 to Adams Town and Country Recreation Pool Corporation to host a Day of Caring where community members will come together to build a pickleball court.
  • $7,835 to the Cannon Falls Area Chamber of Commerce to create videos featuring city attractions and events that will attract people to consider Cannon Falls as a place to live.
  • $4,954 to the City of Emmons to create a more welcoming environment at the city park by building a shade structure with picnic tables and replacing or painting old equipment.
  • $6,925 to the City of Eyota to bring new vendors with multicultural food to the farmers market and to enhance the city website to bring people together.
  • $4,953 to the City of Kilkenny to turn a vacant lot into a community space with benches, lighting, flowers and a band shell.
  • $4,953 to the City of Lanesboro to rehabilitate a softball field and park shelter to be accessible, inclusive and inviting to all residents.
  • $10,000 to the City of Mantorville to beautify their Main Street by reflecting the town’s varied backgrounds and values in its design and improving accessibility for people with disabilities.
  • $10,000 to the City of Oronoco to enhance the city’s brand identity to recruit new businesses, attract new residents and increase commercial and residential development.
  • $10,000 to the City of Saint Charles to implement a new city comprehensive plan that will foster a sense of belonging by prioritizing inclusivity and accessibility in designs for public spaces, amenities and services.
  • $7,125 to the City of Springfield to build a strategic economic and housing development plan for the city through a series of community engagement events that will result in a shared vision of community needs.
  • $10,000 to the Dodge County Environmental Services in Mantorville to create interpretive signage for a more inclusive Restoration Park.
  • $9,685 to the Forward New Prague Foundation to complete landscaping for the Praha Outdoor Performance Stage located in a public park.
  • $2,000 to the Hummingbird Trail Association in Henderson to host a kickoff event for their trail project.
  • $10,000 to the Madelia Community Theatre Inc. to create the Madelia Arts Collaborative, a hub hosting multiple artistic disciplines in the hopes to enrich the cultural fabric of Madelia and provide lifelong learning opportunities for all residents.
  • $10,000 to Mainspring in Caledonia to support an engagement process which will uncover how Mainspring can better support local entrepreneurs and artists in the forthcoming renovation of the building’s lower level, creating a multi-use community space.
  • $10,000 to the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center (Farmamerica) in Waseca to host farm-to-fork events by partnering with local farmers, chefs and organizations like the Hmong American Farmers Association and to develop a hydroponic lab.
  • $10,000 to the Montgomery Arts and Heritage Center to make Montgomery Museum in the Streets, a walking tour to celebrate the diverse stories that make up the community’s history.
  • $10,000 to the National Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Center in Henderson to create exhibits and interactive visual displays for their center.
  • $7,500 to Rushford Area Historical Society to create an all-inclusive community museum with accessibility to displays and a storage facility.
  • $4,000 to the Spring Valley Business Alliance to create ADA accessible pocket parks along the city’s historic downtown.
  • $7,070 to the St. Charles REC Club to brighten Main Street with new streetlight banners designed with input from residents to foster a sense of ownership and inclusion.
  • $10,000 to STEP, Inc. in Fairmont to disperse essentials baskets to help new residents, people with income below the federal poverty threshold and individuals involved in elder services feel a sense of belonging.
  • $10,000 to the Village of Le Roy to construct the Le Roy Main Street Pocket Park, an accessible and inclusive space designed with the input of residents to create a sense of community.
  • $3,000 to Waterville Arts and Recreation Council to purchase metal framing to complete “Summer in Minnesota,” a mural constructed, designed and painted by residents.

“We knew when we started this program that it could have a huge impact on the smallest communities in our region,” said Tim Penny, president and CEO of SMIF via a press release. “Now, 138 projects later, we have invested more than $1 million into southern Minnesota through this grant. This is an investment that will last for generations. We are once again grateful to Paul Johnson’s family for continuing his legacy and giving SMIF an opportunity to leverage additional funding for small town support. Without them, we would not have been able to reach this milestone so soon.”

“We are pleased and honored to be able to continue our father’s legacy by supporting small towns in the region of Minnesota where we were raised,” said Paula Rehder via a press release.

“We are seeing the potential of his gift realized through the amazing projects that these small communities have proposed that will make a difference in the part of the country that was near and dear to our father’s heart,” said Amy De Jong via a press release.

For more information about the Small Town Grant Program, visit smifoundation.org/smalltowngrant or contact Sarah Scheffert, communications and community vitality specialist, at 507-214-7015 or sarahs@smifoundation.org.