The Northland Foundation: A Regional Minnesota Funder That Goes Beyond Grantmaking
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An Ojibwe canoe at GranD Portage National Monument. Photo: melissamn/shutterstock
In some parts of the country, it is common for foundations to serve not only certain counties, but also Native nations that have lived on local lands for many generations. For example, the Northland Foundation is a publicly supported funder that works in Northeast Minnesota and takes an interesting approach to philanthropy.
Here are some details for Minnesota grantseekers to know about the Northland Foundation and how to approach this funder for support.
Beginnings and affiliations
The private, Minnesota-based McKnight Foundation created the Northland Foundation as one of six Minnesota Initiative Foundations in 1986. This was a partnership with the citizens of Minnesota and a strategy to support rural regions via ongoing commitments. The other five initiative foundations are the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, West Central Initiative, the Initiative Foundation, the Southwest Initiative Foundation and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. Since 1986, the Northland Foundation has awarded over $46 million to nonprofits through more than 5,900 grants while also investing in local businesses and offering other resources.
Specific geographic interests
Geographically, the Northland Foundation focuses on several Minnesota counties: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis. The foundation also provides support in five Native nations: Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe (District I) and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (District II).
Strategic focus areas
The Northland Foundation’s programs and initiatives center on three focus areas: children and youth, the economy and jobs, and individual and community wellbeing. Grants for children and youth address emotional health, leadership development, educational success, family stability and civic engagement. The funder offers wellbeing-related funding to help people of all ages find housing, food, jobs, freedom from violence, equality and community involvement. Economy and job support typically comes in the form of business loans to boost employment opportunities and diversity.
Going beyond grants
Something to note about the Northland Foundation is that grantmaking is just one aspect of its work. For instance, the foundation’s KIDS PLUS program addresses wellbeing needs through diverse and community-centered initiatives for all ages. It provides flexible lending and other business services to small and medium-sized local and regional businesses.
The foundation also sponsors trainings, convening events and special initiatives to provide learning opportunities that complement its grants and technical assistance offerings. Examples of Northland’s special initiatives include early learning scholarships for local children ages three to five, the Maada'ookiing Grassroots Grant Program for people with Indigenous roots, and the Integrated Rural Community Aging Program to help local seniors plan for their futures, engage socially and access quality care.
To learn more about this funder and the grants it provides, see IP’s full profile of the Northland Foundation in our Upper Midwest and Plains Funding Guide.
