OWATONNA, MN., May, 19 2021 – Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) awarded $22,160 worth of paint from local hardware stores to 16 communities across its 20-county region through its Paint the Town Grant Program. This program is designed to engage volunteers and build collaborative efforts that beautify communities through painting community murals, welcome signs or historic structures. This grant is a partnership between SMIF, Ace Hardware stores and Arrow Hardware & Paint.
A record 16 projects received a total of 554 gallons of paint. The grant is awarded to projects that will have a visual impact, provide a public benefit to the community and involve volunteer participation.
The 2021 Paint the Town Grant award recipients are:
•100 gallons to the City of Winthrop for a mural at a pollinator park that will also serve as a welcome sign for the town.
•15 gallons to the City of Altura to restain and add a mural to the equipment building for Altura Youth Sports.
•11 gallons to Amboy Area Community Club to repaint the Amboy Depot.
•13 gallons to Street Scapes in Caledonia for a 3-D welcome mural in the downtown.
•15 gallons to Cannon Arts Board in Cannon Falls for a downtown mural.
•79 gallons to Goodhue County Fair in Zumbrota to paint an historic exhibit building on the fairgrounds.
•20 gallons to Project 1590 in Fairmont for a mural to highlight the invention and manufacturing of the Fairmont speeder railcar from the early 1900s.
•15 gallons to Hammond Public House to paint an historic building on Main Street.
•10 gallons to Lewiston-Altura Public Schools to paint two track- and baseball-themed murals on school grounds.
•100 gallons to the City of Mapleton for a downtown mural.
•20 gallons to the Rushford Area Historical Society to repaint the historic Grinde School House and Episcopal Church.
•98 gallons to Spring Grove Economic Development Authority to paint the historic buildings which house the gallery, theater and museum on Main Street.
•20 gallons to Wabasha Main Street for a downtown mural depicting vegetables to draw attention to the local Food Share program.
•21 gallons to the Waseca Arts Council for two murals which will be placed on billboards to welcome visitors at the entrance of the community.
•7 gallons to the City of Winnebago for a mural on the local library which will showcase the city motto, “Small town, Big hearts.”
•10 gallons to Winona County 4-H to update a mural on the Winona County Fairgrounds in St. Charles.
“We had an incredible response to the Paint the Town Grant program this year,” said Tim Penny, SMIF President and CEO. “I am not surprised. After such a difficult year, people seem energized by having a community project to look forward to. We are thankful to once again have Ace Hardware and Arrow Hardware & Paint as partners in this program.”
The participating stores are Arrow Hardware & Paint (store locations: Northfield, Owatonna, Rochester Crossroads, Rochester North, St. Peter, Shakopee, St. Cloud), Faribault Ace Hardware, Pellicci Ace Hardware (store locations: Eagan, Farmington, Rosemount, Zumbrota) and St. Charles Ace Hardware.
Since 1997, SMIF has helped distributed more than 10,500 gallons of paint to 293 projects in the region through various programs. The Paint the Town Grant program was officially launched in 2015 with regional Ace Hardware and Arrow Hardware and Paint stores.
For more information on SMIF’s grant programs, contact Jennifer Heien, Grants Coordinator, at (507) 214-7040 or jenniferh@smifoundation.org.
About Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a donor-supported foundation, invests for economic growth in the 20 counties of south central and southeastern Minnesota. The Foundation has provided more than $121 million in grants, loans and programming within the region during the past 35 years. SMIF’s key interests include economic and early childhood development and community vitality. To learn more about our work and mission, visit www.smifoundation.org.