Community Foundations
Small town growth happens through Community Foundations! A Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that exists to improve the future of an entire community. It does this through uniting people and resources to address the community’s most critical or persistent issues and producing significant, widely shared and lasting results. Fundraising, marketing and grant recommendations are completed by a local board with SMIF staff support. SMIF currently administers 35 Community Foundations which have granted out over $7 million to benefit the future of their communities.
For more information, contact:
Alissa Oeltjenbruns, Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Vitality
Phone: 507-214-7023
Email: alissao@smifoundation.org
SMIF’s Community Foundations
The following Community Foundations are supported by Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. Your generous donation to a local Community Foundation will support small town growth and grassroots efforts to make an impact on the lives of those living in our region. Gifts to a community foundation’s endowment fund perpetually provide funding for the foundation now and into the future.
Our Town USA Community Foundation
(USC School District)
Sibley County Community Foundation
Community Foundation Stories
Community Foundation Spotlight: Mapleton Area Foundation
Jeff Annis, president of the Mapleton Area Foundation and mayor of Mapleton, shared how the foundation created in 1992 has impacted the town he grew up in.
Community Foundation Spotlight: Alden Area Community Foundation
The Alden Area Community Foundation was founded in 2017 [...]
Community Foundation Spotlight: Spring Valley Area Community Foundation
The Spring Valley Area Community Foundation was founded in 2011. It has raised and distributed over $70,000 to community projects.
Community Foundation Spotlight: Mapleton Area Foundation
Mapleton Area Foundation has been serving their community since 1992, but SMIF was able to provide help to MAF when they relaunched in 2017.
Unlocking local giving
For the residents of Wabasha and Kellogg, grants from their local Community Foundation have had a big impact on the quality of life in the small towns. From free pool passes to a new library addition, the Wabasha-Kellogg Area Community Foundation has made its mark as a center for local giving.
Voices of our region: Mick and Liz’s story
I have always felt fortunate to have grown up in a rural Minnesota community and to be able to experience all that it has to offer. As we go through life, we start thinking, “Is there something I can do to make this hometown an even better place?”
Supporting local relief efforts
At the onset of the pandemic, SMIF offered a matching grant to the 30 community foundations under our umbrella, essentially giving them the funding they needed to do their own grantmaking to assist those in need.
A network for community growth and vitality
The St. Charles Area Community Foundation (SCACF) was officially established in September of 2015. Having a way to distribute funds for projects created new possibilities for the future of St. Charles.
Moving The Needle On Rural Philanthropy
Learn how Preston, a town of 1,305 in Fillmore County, is moving the needle on rural philanthropy through their community foundation, a SMIF affiliate fund.
Alden Area Community Foundation Invites The Community To Make A Difference
The Alden Area Community Foundation, which is an affiliate fund of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, provides a simple, powerful, highly personal approach to giving.
Harmony: Passing the Leadership Baton
Harmony Area Community Foundation is one of 27 local community foundations under SMIF’s umbrella. “A community foundation is one marker of a healthy community,” said SMIF President and CEO Tim Penny. “It shows that people are willing to invest in the future. It’s also a great way to leverage SMIF funds.” IHACF is leanding the way when it comes to raising the next generation of leaders.
