This "Year in Review" reflects a few of the key activities and achievements of the Southwest Minnesota Foundation during Fiscal Year 2004, which began July 1, 2003 and ended June 30, 2004.

New Trustee

Welcomed J. Terry Anderson back to the Board of Trustees. Terry is the president of Anderson Chemical Company in Litchfield, MN.

 

Building Plans

Plans for the Foundation's new office proceeded with the hiring of Rafferty, Rafferty, and Tollefson Architects. Groundbreaking is scheduled for Spring 2005.

 

 

Loans Awarded

Awarded 28 loans, including conventional and Micro Enterprise loans, totaling over $1.31 million in Fiscal Year 2004. These loans helped create or sustain nearly 107 jobs.

In addition, the Foundation awarded its first loan to a Somalian entrepreneur, Mohammed Biji, to open Biji's Shop of African foods in Willmar, MN.

 

 

New Component Funds

Seven new component funds were established through the Southwest Minnesota Foundation, including:

  • Brad Behrends Memorial Fund
  • Business, Arts, & Recreation Center (BARC) of Windom Endowment Fund
  • Jackson County Central School Foundation
  • Mountain Lake Healthcare Fund
  • Dawson/Boyd Alumni Association Endowment Fund
  • Sneer Family Fund
  • Steve & Judy Harder Family Fund

 

Southwest Minnesota Blandin Alumni Community Leadership Award

The partnership of the SWMF and the Blandin Community Leadership Program presented its sixth annual Southwest Minnesota Blandin Alumni Community Leadership Award to Gustavo Estrada of Marshall.

 

 

New Staff

The Foundation welcomed two new staff members in Fiscal Year 2004 -- Liz Frisbie, Development Specialist; and Jackie Turner-Lovsness, Micro Enterprise Program Specialist.

 

 

Latino Business Training

The Southwest Minnesota Foundation partnered with the Latino Economic Development Center of St. Paul and the Small Business Development Center at Southwest Minnesota State University to offer Hispanic business training classes and individualized consulting services for business owners and entrepreneurs in southwest Minnesota.

 

Life Connections

Co-sponsored the Life Connections event in Willmar for the fourth year.  The event is held to help adults explore lifestyle and resource options for a positive future.

 

 

Inclusive Communities

In January of 2004, the Otto Bremer Foundation awarded the Southwest Minnesota Foundation a $100,000 grant to increase cultural competency in southwest Minnesota. The SWMF matched these dollars and provided in-kind staff support to promote the initiative.

 

Regional Impact Grants

The Southwest Minnesota Foundation sets aside grant funds to support regional projects that do not fit current grant priorities, but that do exemplify the Foundation's mission. In Fiscal Year 2004, the Foundation awarded Regional Impact Grants to three projects, including:

  • Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), Marshall, to host a national rural writers' festival to promote literacy and uplift and celebrate rural heritage.  
  • Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center, rural Spicer, to support the barn renovation that will provide an all-weather gathering space for large groups.
  • Pioneer Public Television, Appleton, to support the digital broadcasting conversion that will open new delivery and programming opportunities.  

 

 

Grantwriting Seminars

Held grantwriting seminars in Redwood Falls, Marshall, and Montevideo.

Grants Awarded

Awarded 140 grants totaling over $1.3 million in Fiscal Year 2004.

 

Renewable Energy Summit

Over 120 community and business leaders from throughout southwest Minnesota gathered at Prairie's Edge Convention Center in Granite Falls for the Southwest Minnesota Foundation's Summit on Renewable Energy March 25-26, 2004.

 

Partnership with Prairieland EDC

The Southwest Minnesota Foundation expanded its partnership with Prairieland Economic Development Corporation to assist in administering the SWMF's loan programs, with the exception of the Micro Enterprise Loan Program. This new partnership, called the "Capital Partnership Approach," is providing small businesses with an expanded pool of loan dollars and services.

 

Milan Community Foundation

The Milan Community Foundation became the 11th community foundation to become established through the Southwest Minnesota Foundation's community foundation program.

 

2004 Annual Banquet

The Foundation held its 2004 Annual Banquet at Jackpot Junction Hotel and Conference Center on April 15, 2004, with nearly 300 people in attendance. "The Classics" from the Willmar area "wowed" the audience with a Las Vegas style show featuring selections from the Sinatra-era.

 

 

Southwest Minnesota Foundation Award

Presented the fifth annual Southwest Minnesota Foundation Award to Connie Burchill of Worthington. The award recognizes an organization or individual who exemplifies the mission and values of the SWMF, which include collaboration, leadership, innovation and philanthropy.

 

 

Early Childhood Initiative

Six southwest Minnesota communities were selected to participate in the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative, a campaign to ensure that young children have the kind of care and education that leads to success in school and in later life. The communities include:

  • Murray County
  • Marshall
  • Willmar
  • Montevideo
  • Redwood Falls
  • Worthington

 

 

Valspar Grants

The Southwest Minnesota Foundation and Valspar partnered for the seventh year to bring the Minnesota Beautiful program, which provides paint and coatings for community improvement projects, to southwest Minnesota.   Twelve restoration projects were awarded grants of paint and coatings in 2004.

 

Nonprofit Management Institute

The Southwest Minnesota Foundation held its Nonprofit Management Institute twice in Fiscal Year 2004. Twenty-four non-profit organizations and 74 individuals participated in the Institutes. In addition, 13 organizations and 29 individuals participated in a follow-up networking and educational event held on May 19th.

 

 

Economic Advancement

The Southwest Minnesota Foundation created a strategic framework for its economic advancement initiative. The Foundation seeks to link the private, public, and non-profit sectors to nurture local entrepreneurship at the community level and to expand the base of knowledgeable, focused leaders who understand the significant potential of the region's assets for advancing the quality of life for area residents. Current efforts focus on advancing renewable energy as a regional economic asset.