West Central Initiative awards $285K in Resilient Community Grants for west-central MN

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – West Central Initiative awarded more than $285,000 in Resilient Community Grants to 26 different organizations across their nine-county coverage area in west-central Minnesota.

The grants were broken down into two different categories: projects that promote sustainability and projects that promote racial equity.

Celeste Koppe, a rural initiatives strategist for the nonprofit, said the organization also operates on parts of the White Earth Nation and were able to award a grant to help fund a new workforce center near the Pine Point area.

“It was nice to see organizations partnering,” said Koppe. “I know one workforce center in the Pine Point area … they were able to establish a center that will help them fund workers and supplies for crafts. And it’s a really interesting project that falls at the intersection of mental health, racial equity, just economic opportunities building skills.”

She also said she wanted to thank the organizations for being open to community members that wanted to provide input for their projects, which are trying to tackle difficult issues like climate change and racial equity.

“A lot of folks are nervous about, ‘what is this climate change business,’,” she said. “What can we actually do as individuals to work toward sustainability … And they all have that collaboration of how we can work together on issues that feel overwhelming.”

A few of the projects awarded through the Resilient Community Grant program include:

• Otter Tail County expanding access to their organics recycling program.
• Henning Public School will be acquiring a climate action library.
• Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Elementary will be getting a pollinator garden for the school.
• The Bridge Community Pantry will begin providing culturally-specific food bags.
• And, the Pelican Rapids Multi-cultural Committee received a grant for an international friendship festival.

“I would just say thanks to all that were involved,” said Koppe. “Those who have submitted proposals, reviewed proposals, my fellow team members and also our funders.”

To view a complete list of all of the projects awarded as part of West Central Initiative’s Resilient Community Grants program, check out their website at: wcif.org/grants-impact/