OWATONNA, MN, August 27, 2019 — Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, has awarded 14 grants in the amount of $60,722 to child care centers and family child care for “shovel ready” start-up and expansion projects. Four grants were awarded for the expansion of current child care facilities in … [Read more...]
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation seeking applications for Small Town Grants
OWATONNA, MN, July 1, 2019 – Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) is currently accepting applications for its Small Town Grants Program. Towns with populations of 5,000 or less in SMIF’s 20-county region are eligible to apply. Requests of up to $10,000 will be considered. “The first two years of this program were an enormous success,” said Tim Penny, President and … [Read more...]
Responding to the needs of entrepreneurs
By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), one of the three program areas that 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, micro loans, … [Read more...]
SMIF awards 180 gallons in Ace Hardware paint through Paint the Town Program
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) awarded $7,200 worth of paint from Ace Hardware to eight communities across the region through its Paint the Town Grant Program. This program is a partnership between SMIF and 14 local Ace Hardware stores and is designed to engage volunteers and build collaborative efforts that beautify communities through painting community … [Read more...]
Working together for greater impact
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 more results than we would have separately. This spirit of collaboration … [Read more...]