Grants Awarded

Athletes Committed to Educations grant support by the Marston Headley & Dorothy Stone Fund and Grace Whittier Fund.

Clean Water Film Festival and River Clean Up, funded by the Nutting Beatification Fund.

Clean River Partners, founded in 1990, is an environmental non-profit based in Northfield, MN.  The organization is dedicated to inspiring people and organizations to value, protect, and improve the Cannon River Watershed’s land and water, with a focus on three core values: resilience, equity, and engagement.

In 2022 Northfield Shares awarded grant funds from the Nutting Beautification Fund to support two programs run by Clean River Partners, the Downstream Film Festival and the Cannon River CleanUP.  “Funding from Northfield Shares demonstrates how the community supports us, and how we support the community”, says Executive Director Jennifer Tonko.  “This is an important example of reciprocity.  Having an organization like Northfield Shares lets us demonstrate our values, and what we care about collectively.”

This year’s Downstream Film Festival will take place on May 23^rd at Imminent Brewing in Northfield from 5:30-8:00 pm.  The film festival features short films focusing on the topic of water, highlighting clean water, outdoor adventure, and environmental equity themes.  A committee will screen 100+ entries submitted by filmmakers, both local and international.  Downstream Film Festival is celebrating its fifth year, and for the first time will take place in four communities around the region.  Organizers are excited to take Downstream “on the road”.

The annual Cannon River CleanUP has been scheduled for September 16, 2023 from 9:00 am-12:00 pm.  This initiative will result in the removal of around 2,000 pounds of litter from riverside parks and the entire Cannon River Watershed.  This is the largest one-day clean-up event in the state of Minnesota, comprised of over 200 volunteers working in 8 locations across the watershed.  This massive effort promotes clean water in Southeastern Minnesota.

To learn more about Clean River Partners, visit https://cleanriverpartners.org or contact Community Engagement Coordinator Kevin Strauss at kevin@cleanriverpartners.org.

Farm to Food Shelf, funded by the Human Services Assistance Fund.

Youth Programs, the Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen Charitable Fund.

Igniting surprise and wonder in young women through sport and adventure funded by the empowHER Fund.

Funded by Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen Charitable Fund.

From the Engeseth-Rinde Restoration Fund.

Expanding Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Services, funded by the Nutting Family Fund.

Healthy Ways, funded by the Grace Whittier Fund.

TORCH, funded by the Marston Headley & Dorothy Stone Family Fund.

YouthBank, funded by the Street Family, Bill Clifford Family Legacy and Nutting Family Funds.

The vast majority of Northfield youth hold the perception that the community does not value them, their opinions, or their decision-making capabilities.  YouthBank flips this narrative and this perception by allowing youth to be the decision makers about projects that affect them.

For eight years now the Northfield YouthBank, has been making grants to youth led projects here in Northfield.  Northfield YouthBank is a youth-led grant-making initiative which channels money into projects that will improve the quality of life for young people in our community.  It is a process and way of working with young grant-makers that encourages and trains them as they develop essential life and job skills.

YouthBanks are run by young people, for young people in their community.  It is unique in that it puts money directly into the hands of young people who will decide on how it is spent.

“YouthBank is a very exciting, youth-led, program,” says Meleah Follen, director of YouthBank.  “Participants get training and then solicit applications from other youth in the community.  They want to find out what youth think is important and fund those projects.”

YouthBank is an international organization, and Northfield was one of the first chapters to be established in Minnesota.

Recent examples of YouthBank funding include Students Supporting Students (SSS) at the High School who in turn used the funding to create care packages to send home with students during Covid.

More recently, YouthBank granted dollars to the Key to purchase a washer and dryer because participants found out some kids couldn’t wash clothes at home.

Creating Community Club funded by the Nutting Family Fund.

Children’s Pollinator Garden Kiosk, Nutting Beautification Fund.

For a student pursing a teaching degree scholarship from the Eleanor A. Salisbury Teaching Scholarship Fund.

Named scholarships from Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen.

Support from the Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen Charitable Fund.

Our Cup Runneth Over, funded by the Bill Clifford Family Legacy Fund.

Housing and Supporting Viking Terrace, funded by the Don and Marjorie Tarr Community Fund, Nutting Family Fund and Marston Headley & Dorothy Stone Family Fund.

Community Connectors: Mobilizing Neighborhoods Towards Food Security, funded by Marston Headley & Dorothy Stone Family Fund.

The Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen Charitable Fund.

The Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen Charitable Fund.

Youth Scholarships support from the Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen Charitable Fund.

Supporting the WINGS mission, provided by the Pat Lamb and Ele Hansen Charitable Fund.