Tim Penny Small Towns Fund
With your support we will raise an additional $1 million to invest in our region’s small towns through SMIF’s new fund for community vitality.
In honor of Tim’s lifetime work in southern Minnesota and his longtime passion and deep roots in small towns, we invite you to help us start the Tim Penny Small Towns Fund to honor him. Thanks to investment earnings, your gift will continue to grow and have an even greater impact on the region in years to come.
Small communities are the fabric of our region, yet they sometimes lack the financial resources to build on the assets and uniqueness of their communities. A key component to creating a vibrant region is to ensure all its communities are strong and successful. The Tim Penny Small Towns Fund lays a foundation for giving these small towns the boost they need to accomplish their goals.
Currently, SMIF supports community vitality efforts in several ways. Through the Affiliate Fund program, SMIF hosts 34 Community Foundations. A Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that exists to improve the future of an entire community by addressing the community’s most critical or persistent issues and producing lasting results.
SMIF also supports small towns through three grants designed specifically for communities with populations under 10,000: the Small Town Grant, the Paint the Town Grant, and the Taylor Rural Improvements Grant. Last year, these grants supported a combined 42 organizations and awarded over $360,000 to our smallest communities across the region, including towns like Pilot Mound (population 353) and Nerstrand (population 276).
An additional $1 million will allow SMIF to extend the work we do in our region’s smallest communities, expanding our reach to impact even more small towns and an estimated 50,000 more community members. Sustaining our small towns is the backbone of what makes southern Minnesota a unique and special place to live.
Questions?
Alissa Oeltjenbruns, Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Vitality
From Tim
