By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation As summer days turn into evening, many parents pull out a book or two to read to their kids at bedtime. This is important because studies consistently show that reading at a young age drastically improves a child’s educational trajectory. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we know it is … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation As any farming family can attest, every farm has its own special history. The small farm that I was raised on outside of Kiester is no exception. Our lives were rooted in the connection between land and community. Because of these important ties to the land, it concerns me that the average farmer is close to retirement … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), our tagline is “Collaborating for Regional Vitality.” Whether we are working with partners in early childhood, economic development or community vitality, we do our best to complement what others are doing in those arenas so that collectively we can have … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation One of my proudest moments as a congressman was voting to support the creation of the national AmeriCorps program 27 years ago. Little did I know at the time how central this program would become to our culture of volunteerism and giving back to our communities. Even more surprising, and delightful, to me is the fact … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation On the heels of celebrating National Entrepreneurship Week, I am taking some time to reflect on what it means to be welcoming to entrepreneurs in our local economies. Entrepreneurship comes in many forms – from tech companies to home-based businesses. The spark of entrepreneurship also comes from many … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation It is no secret that our child care system is strained. Even before the pandemic, rural Minnesota was struggling with a child care shortage. For parents, this has made it challenging to enter or stay in the workforce. For communities, the challenge is attracting and retaining residents if they do not have enough care … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation With the new year just days away, I have been taking some time to reflect on this past year. It was a year that, although challenging for many, filled me with hope and inspiration for the future of southern Minnesota. It was also a year during which we celebrated an important milestone here at Southern Minnesota … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation ‘Tis the season of giving, which I find to be one of the most inspirational times of year. I am always overwhelmed by the generous contributions that donors make to Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) or to SMIF’s 30 Community Foundations. To me, this sends a clear message that keeping dollars … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), one of the three program areas we focus on is Economic Development. Since our founding in 1986, we have worked to catalyze entrepreneurial activity in our 20-county region by providing early-stage investments, traditional loans, microloans, technical … [Read more...]

Many of us who grew up in, or currently live in, rural Minnesota know that there is something about our communities that fosters a sense of belonging. It might be that the nature of small towns makes it easier to get to know people, or that festivals, historic downtowns and beautiful natural landscape provide a way to feel connected to a place. However, everyone has had moments … [Read more...]