Northfield Shares Distributes Grants to Nine Area Nonprofits
Northfield Shares, a community foundation centered on philanthropy and volunteerism, has selected nine area nonprofits to receive grants for 2016. The organizations selected are the Beautify Northfield Coalition, Cannon River Watershed Partnership, Greenvale Park Community School, HealthFinders Collaborative, Northfield in Bloom, Northfield TORCH, Northfield Union of Youth, Northfield Works – Community Action Center of Northfield and Northfield YouthBank. The grants, totaling $39,742, will be funded by five different funds inside of the Northfield Shares organization.
The grants are awarded through an application process that begins in October. Organizations looking for funding go through a selection process with a focus on displaying steps to achieving solutions. This year, 30 grant requests were submitted to Northfield Shares. The process was conducted by a grant review committee including members of the Northfield Shares board as well as community volunteers. All grant funding is taken from community-supported endowments.
Craig Ellingboe, president of the Northfield Shares Board of Directors, said, “We received such a large number of excellent applications this year and that is both exciting and heartbreaking all at once. We are happy that there are so many nonprofits in our community that are working to find the funding they need for their work, but at the same time, we wish that we could award every nonprofit a grant in the amount that they need. Our hope is that the foundation continues to grow and gain support in the Northfield community so that every nonprofit in the community receives the funding they need.”
Candy Taylor, community engagement director of Northfield Shares, said, “The purpose of Northfield Shares is to collaborate as a community to create the largest impact possible. These grants are the perfect example of that mission. By working collaboratively and coming together as a community to support these different organizations, we can help shape the future of Northfield.”
The grants will be awarded during a program at Northfield Shares’ Grants Open House on Thursday, January 21, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Northfield Shares is located at 205 Water Street, Suite 6. All members of the community are invited to attend and hear more information about the nonprofits that are receiving 2016 grants from Northfield Shares.
Taylor said, “We wanted to celebrate the great work that these nonprofits are doing in our community, as well as the community that has given their support to the mission of Northfield Shares. The open house is our way of inviting our community to come together and see all of the great things we can accomplish when we work collaboratively to ensure Northfield’s continuing success.”
Candy Taylor can be reached at 507-403-9755 or by email at northfieldshares@gmail.com.
Northfield Shares is a Northfield-area nonprofit founded to advance philanthropy, inspire volunteerism and promote collaborative leadership. The organization was formed when 5th Bridge and Northfield Area Foundation merged.
