Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation awards $400,000 in essential services grants

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) recently approved $300,000 to support 14 capital projects in small towns under 10,000 through the Taylor Rural Improvements Grant. Each project provides essential services to underserved populations in the community. This grant round considered projects involving food, clothing, shelter, transportation and internet accessibility. An additional $100,000 was dispersed for food and direct assistance through a Good Neighbor Grant from The McKnight Foundation.

The Taylor Rural Improvements Grant is supported by a generous donation from Glen A. Taylor through the Taylor Family Farms Foundation. Taylor has a long history of funding philanthropic initiatives related to rural community revitalization. The gift will create a financial framework to support these and other causes for future generations in the area Glen Taylor still calls home.

The 2025 Taylor Rural Improvements Grant award recipients are:

• $29,579 to Bethlehem Inn of Waseca to add a new furnace, replace moldy carpet in the family/playroom with vinyl flooring and install a dehumidifier to prevent future molding.
• $10,200 to City of Blue Earth to provide secure, reliable internet access to the public through secure charging device lockers in the library, update staff computers, relocate public computer stations and update furniture for safety, accessibility and privacy.
• $5,000 to City of Kilkenny to purchase computers and internet access at the community center/public library to make internet services accessible to the public, especially for completing homework assignments.
• $7,500 to Friends of the Hanska Community Library to add HotSpots and service for device and laptop checkouts.
• $23,578 to Front and Center Ministries Inc in Eyota to accommodate expansion, including a portable ramp, outdoor storage building, computers and coolers for collection of rescue foods.
• $30,000 to Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center to purchase a van to help clients access essential mental health services and allow staff to reach individuals in remote areas who lack transportation to care.
• $24,404 to Hometown Resource Center in St. Charles to ensure reliable power, proper lighting and safer access to the building by inspecting and upgrading the food shelf’s electrical system, repairing or replacing faulty outlets, purchasing an additional freezer and new metal shelves for food storage, improving safer access to the center by repairing asphalt and lighting and installing exterior motion lights for safety and security.
• $30,000 to Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools to purchase a new or used school van used primarily for transporting K-12 students on Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans.
• $7,632 to LeRoy Public Library to provide reliable computer services for the public by purchasing a Chromebook, office chairs, monitor privacy screens and a printer.
• $23,404 to Lutheran Social Service of MN for Montgomery Meals siteto purchase a refrigerator and freezer to meet the requirements of the Minnesota Food Code and continue to provide seniors in the community with safe, nutritious meals, as well as repair potholes to allow better access to the facility.
• $30,000 to SEMCAC in Fillmore County to replace two food delivery vehicles to deliver meals to rural clients.
• $23,000 to Spring Valley Ministerial Association to upgrade and replace refrigerators and freezers essential for storing perishable food items, helping provide consistent food resources to residents.
• $26,250 to Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center to upgrade tools in their non-profit thrift store, including cash registers, laptops, wireless phone service and flooring and make the public restroom more accessible.
• $29,451 to Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System to pay for devices, including laptops and tablets paired with hotspots, monitors, public computers, device cases and a printer, and software and apps for digital skills training and tech support.

Additionally, SMIF is pleased to announce that due to a Good Neighbor Grant from The McKnight Foundation, an additional $100,000 was dispersed throughout the region to provide immediate support for food and direct assistance to those in need. SMIF quickly dispersed these funds through the Community Action Agencies in the region and other partner organizations.

“Thanks to Glen A. Taylor and the Taylor Family Farms Foundation, underserved populations in our region are able to access some of the most underfunded needs — capital improvements for essential community services,” shared Benya Kraus, SMIF president and CEO. “This year we are also honored to partner with The McKnight Foundation to provide additional assistance to the region. We are grateful to our partners as well as the awardees who are taking the initiative to invest in the critical infrastructure needs of our small towns.”

For more information about the Taylor Rural Improvements Grant, visit smifoundation.org/taylorruralimprovements or contact Sarah Scheffert, communications and community vitality specialist, at 507-214-7015 or sarahs@smifoundation.org.