Home
Focus Areas
About Us
The Early Literacy Grant Program of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation provided grants for more than 21,000 children's books to 46 local groups. This program provides books to kids to boost early literacy initiatives that improve preschoolers' preparedness for school. Brown County Public Health, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Early Childhood, Madelia Early Childhood Family Education, New Ulm ECFE, and Sleepy Eye ECFE were among the local organizations that received Early Literacy Grants because they offer exceptional early literacy opportunities for young children and their families.
Capstone and ABDO, two Mankato-based publishers of children's books and digital goods and services, collaborated on the distribution of the books.
Capstone collaborated with SMIF to establish the BookStart initiative in 2002, distributing thousands of books to kids in the area over a 15-year span.
In order to get even more books into the hands of kids from birth to age eight, SMIF and the two publishers launched the Early Literacy Grant in 2018.
Through funding and programs, SMIF has previously collaborated with both businesses to disperse more than 100,000 books around the area. According to Rae Jean Hansen, vice president of Early Childhood at SMIF, "getting books into the hands of early children fuels their growth with language, reading, and so much more."
Our efforts to provide parents and kids the help they need to be ready for school depend on our long-term collaborations with both Capstone and ABDO, the organization said. The publishing businesses contributed a variety of publications, including bilingual and early childhood books, to the award winners.
Young children will get books to take home and keep from the organizations as part of their activities and programs. Read the Entire Article
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
Quebec City's Mus ? 'e des beaux-arts du Qu'bec museum is getting a major boost from a single man. Michael Audain, chairman of the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation, has pledged $10 million toward...more
Foundation: Ford Motor Company Fund
The Ford Motor Company's philanthropic arm is getting a new name: Ford Philanthropy. The rebranding reflects Ford's 75-year legacy of "driving impact in Ford communities around the world," says...more
Margherita Therese Pappas was a singer and actor who performed in New York City, San Francisco, Amherst, and elsewhere before settling in Maui with her husband of 18 years, Miguel Sobel. Now...more
"I didn't want to acknowledge any life challenges I had along the waywhich left me feeling burnt out from not showing my whole self," says Trish Boes, founder and CEO of UnlimitMe. But now, she...more
Illinois American Waterthe largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the USis making a splash in its home state with a $200,000 donation to help clean up the Ohio River. The utility has...more
A high school FFA chapter in North Carolina is getting $15,000 to add a Horticulture storage facility and potting area to its school greenhouses, the Herald-Sun reports. The North Carolina...more
If you're a teen in Lenawee County, Mich., and you love giving back to your community, you may want to consider becoming a member of the Lenawee YOUTH Council. The council, a program of the...more
Foundation: Whitefish Community Foundation
"But wait. We're not done yet." That was the message from Lois Davis, CEO of the Whitefish Community Foundation, as it handed out $520,300 in grants to 68 nonprofit organizations in the...more
When All Things Right and Relevant closed its doors in Davis, Calif., earlier this year, it left behind a legacy of support for those with mental illness. Now, with $1.3 million from the sale of...more
Foundation: Community Foundation of the Ozarks
Volunteers are needed for a Springfield, Mo., charity that helps kids with disabilities play baseball. Hamra Enterprises, a family-owned company that operates nearly 200 restaurants nationwide,...more
Youth News from...
Ford Motor Company Fund
Whitefish Community Foundation
Community Foundation of the Ozarks
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Sierra Health Foundation
Pew Charitable Trusts
William Penn Foundation
Ball Brothers Foundation
Lancaster County Community Foundation
Citi Foundation
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Social Enterprise: Reaching Out to the Private Sector for Help
John Converse Townsend, a Forbes contributor, shares what can the private sector do for a social enterprise. He encourages social enterprises to reach out to corporations for help to scale up their businesses.
