OWATONNA, Minn., July 13, 2026 – The Mitchel Perrizo Jr. Leaders are Readers Fund, a designated fund under Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), recently awarded $45,000 to three school districts in Faribault and Blue Earth Counties to support early literacy initiatives.
In 2021, Mike and Tami Hoffman provided a $1 million grant from the Michael J. and Tamara Rae Hoffman Family Charitable Gift Fund to SMIF for the creation of a designated fund dedicated to early literacy. Three school districts in southern Minnesota are eligible on an annual basis for these grants.
The Mitchel Perrizo Jr. Leaders are Readers Fund supports investments in elementary teachers, primarily Kindergarten through third grade, allowing them to master literacy fundamentals to transform student learning into a lifetime love of reading and literacy success.
The 2026 Mitchel Perrizo Jr. Leaders are Readers Grant award recipients are:
- $15,000 to Blue Earth Area Schools to move to new curriculum, Functional Phonics and Morphology, that aligns with the Science of Reading and new legislation from the state of Minnesota, and provide trainers for staff (grades K-5).
- $15,000 to Maple River Schools to implement a writing program and support a summer tutoring program for reading intervention.
- $15,000 to United South Central Public Schools to purchase phonics book sets for classrooms to complement previously funded curriculum and build on previously purchased Project Read program, further advancing literacy skills.
Mitchel Perrizo Jr. was raised on a farm in Delavan, Minn. He devoted his life to public service as a state legislator at a young age, then through military service during World War II, followed by a career in various military and diplomatic roles. In addition to his professional roles, he was a mentor to many and always emphasized the importance and value of reading. His nephew, Mike Hoffman, and Mike’s wife, Tami Hoffman, both originally from Blue Earth, have generously established this fund in his honor.
