Countryside By Preston Red Bird Hills 2018 (3)

In 1986, a farming crisis overtook the Midwest. Out of this economic crisis, the Minnesota Initiative Foundations were created to support greater Minnesota and its vitality. As we face another economic struggle in our nation and world, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation is committed to collaborating for regional vitality and rising to the challenge to support the place we call home in any way we can.

Below you will find information on how we are working to help our businesses, child care providers and community foundations in our region. We have also listed additional resources for our partners here and will update this page as information becomes available.

We have already seen people come together in remarkable ways since this crisis began. We know that our southern Minnesota community is resilient and that we will get through this together.

As of March 17, many of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s staff are working from home but are still available via phone and email. Find our staff directory here. Read Tim Penny’s message of hope for southern Minnesota.

Contact Heidi Coulter with any questions on resources at heidic@smifoundation.org.

Funding

  • COVID-19 Public Heath Support Funds for Child Care: Scroll down to the Financial Supports section for information. 
  • Families in need of financial assistance for child care should use Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota’s Bridge to Benefits screening tool to determine financial supports for which they may be eligible. They are also encouraged to apply for Child Care Assistance. Additional support may come through the Parent Support Outreach Program.
  • Paycheck Protection Program Loans (PPP): The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has resumed as of January 11, 2021.
  • County Relief Funding: This temporary program was established to provide economic relief for grants to local businesses and nonprofits adversely impacted by the pandemic. This program will make available $114,800,000 to counties in Minnesota. Each County by law, will receive a pro-rated appropriation from Minnesota Management and Budget. Please contact your county for specific information on their program.
  • COVID-19 information for self-employed people and independent contractors

Other Resources

 

Funding

  • Minnesota Main Street COVID Relief Grants: The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will begin accepting applications for the Main Street COVID Relief Grants Program on September 20. Grant amounts range from $10,000 – $25,000. The portal will close September 29, 2021. Visit the DEED website and their FAQ tab for questions, or contact MSCRG.DEED@state.mn.us.
  • County Relief Funding: This temporary program was established to provide economic relief for grants to local businesses and nonprofits adversely impacted by the pandemic. This program will make available $114,800,000 to counties in Minnesota. Each County by law, will receive a pro-rated appropriation from Minnesota Management and Budget. Please contact your county for specific information on their program.
  • Rural Relief Small Business Grants: Eligible to small businesses located in rural communities (50,000 or less). $18 million available.
  • Save Small Business Fund: a grantmaking initiative administered by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation that offers short-term relief ($5,000) for small employers (3-20 employees) in the United States and its territories. 
  • Facebook’s Small Business Grants Program: Up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in more than 30 countries where we operate will be able to receive the grant out of the $100M fund pool. 
  • SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL): From the U.S. Small Business Administration, this program carries highly advantaged interest rates and terms. It also contains a provision for a rapid advance of $10,000 that may be forgivable. Learn more about the program and how to apply on the SBA website. (en Español)
  • Minnesota DEED Small Business Loan Guarantee Program: Loans through this program, recently created by the Minnesota Legislature, will provide up to an 80 percent guarantee to the lender. Check the Minnesota DEED website for more information.
  • Unemployment Insurance
  • Shared Work – Offered by the MN Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program to help employers avoid a layoff
  • Minnesota DEED has a new guide for MN small businesses who need assistance. This guide helps walk the small businesses through the different programs currently available at the federal and state level.
  • COVID-19 information for self-employed people and independent contractors

Other Resources

Funding

  • County Relief Funding: This temporary program was established to provide economic relief for grants to local businesses and nonprofits adversely impacted by the pandemic. This program will make available $114,800,000 to counties in Minnesota. Each County by law, will receive a pro-rated appropriation from Minnesota Management and Budget. Please contact your county for specific information on their program.
  • SBA Disaster Loan Assistance for Businesses and Nonprofits

Other resources

  • Minnesota Council on Foundations – COVID-19 Philanthropic response and updates
  • Minnesota Council of Nonprofits – COVID-19: What Nonprofits need to know
  • COVID-19 Information hotline: 651-201-3920 (Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Connector from the State of Minnesota.
  • Minnesota Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Information Hub.
  • Testing locations in our region. 
  • Updates on actions as directed by the Governor of Minnesota: Gov. Walz website
  • Resources from Mayo Clinic
  • Families in need of financial assistance for child care should use Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota’s Bridge to Benefits screening tool to determine financial supports for which they may be eligible. They are also encouraged to apply for Child Care Assistance. Additional support may come through the Parent Support Outreach Program.
  • The COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide – U.S. Department of Agriculture federal resource guide for rural communities, organizations and residents
  • COVID-19 Resources for Minnesota Families and Children – Resource guide created by Minnesota’s Children’s Cabinet. Also available in Hmong, Somali and Spanish.
  • COVID-19 information for self-employed people and independent contractors
  • Make a plan for your family in case of hospitalization

We are committed to collaborating for regional vitality and rising to the challenge to support the place we call home. Our staff has worked quickly to respond to the needs of our region since March and we are grateful to the many partners who have supported this process. Below is a summary of the different ways we have been supporting southern Minnesota through this difficult time. We are grateful to be able to provide this relief, and we thank the many other organizations in our region who are helping during this crisis.

Early Care and Education Wrap Around Grants: In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), SMIF approved 18 grants through this program totaling $180,000. This special grant program helps fund early care and education wrap around services for children birth to age eight from underserved populations impacted by the pandemic. SMIF received funding from MDE on behalf of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund for this program. Read the press release here. Additionally, SMIF awarded 10 of its Early Childhood Initiatives (ECIs) a total of $190,000 to support a range of services including summer programming, online learning programs and social/emotional health supports for children birth to age eight. This funding was also through the GEER Fund.

Small Business Relief Grants: In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), SMIF verified, administered and distributed 1,024 Small Business Relief Grants to southern Minnesota businesses for a total of $10,240,000. The grants were directed to Minnesota-owned and -operated businesses that can demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Small Business Emergency Loans: In partnership with DEED, SMIF dispersed 50 Small Business Emergency Loans for a total of $1.2 million in loans to southern Minnesota businesses. This program provided partially forgivable loans to restaurants, bars, hair salons and other public accommodations impacted by Minnesota Executive Orders 20-04 and 20-08. Read the press release here (this press release was written when SMIF had dispersed $1 million in loans. Since then, an additional $200,000 was dispersed through the program).

Emergency Child Care Grants: At the urging of Governor Walz, the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations, including SMIF, created the Emergency Child Care Grant Program to provide immediate financial support to licensed child care providers in Greater Minnesota in response to the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. SMIF awarded $254,950 in immediate funds to 491 family providers and 34 centers, serving approximately 1,800 children. Funding was launched with $100,000 from the Minnesota Council on Foundations and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation through their Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund for Coronavirus and $50,000 from SMIF. Additional support came through from Blandin Foundation, Compeer Financial, Goodhue County, Granite Equity Partners, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo Foundation and individual donors. Read the press release here.

Community Foundation Relief Grants: We have provided $101,218 in matching grants to 21 of our community foundations to support their relief efforts. By leveraging this opportunity, they were able to provide a total of $121,050 to their communities, impacting more than 56,000 people. Funding was made possible by the Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund for Coronavirus through the Minnesota Council on Foundations and individual donors. Read the blog post here.

Grow a Farmer Assistance Grants: SMIF awarded three organizations $10,000 each through the Grow a Farmer Assistance Fund. The Cannon River Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, Driftless Grown and Renewing the Countryside are working collaboratively to support at least 120 farmers in southern Minnesota whose businesses have been impacted by the current crisis by providing one-on-one coaching and business training. This may include the development and execution of online marketing, branding, website development, or support with business operations and exploring new distribution systems. Farmers interested in receiving assistance should contact these organizations directly. Read the story here.

Small Town Grants: COVID-19 Response: SMIF recently approved 22 grants through its Small Town Grant: COVID-19 Response program totaling $192,500 to support towns of 10,000 or less in SMIF’s 20-county region. This year, thanks to a generous partner donation, the grant program was entirely focused on responding to the needs that have emerged or increased as a result of the pandemic. Funding requests addressed issues including technology needs for equitable distance learning, support for food shelves due to increased demand and programs that assist businesses experiencing financial hardship. Read the press release here.

Making a donation to SMIF supports our COVID-19 response efforts including expenses related to the administration of these emergency funds and other essential response resources.

Total impact: More than $12.3 million