Looking to spark joy and build stronger connections in your community? The Initiative Foundation’s Joy & Connection grant round is here to help!
Donor Name: Initiative Foundation
State: Minnesota
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/20/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Initiative Foundation is offering special one-time grants to support projects that strengthen community joy and connection across Central Minnesota. These grants are designed to support community-led efforts that bring people together, build trust, and create opportunities for belonging, meaning, wellbeing and purpose.
This special funding supports local projects that bring people together, foster belonging, promote healing, and inspire community purpose across Central Minnesota.
They especially welcome applications that focus on communities often left out of traditional funding, including rural residents, elders, veterans, people with disabilities, and those with different beliefs, identities or cultural backgrounds.
Funding Areas
Funding will be awarded for proposals that address needs aligned with the following priorities:
- Foster Social Connection: Support community gatherings, events or creative spaces where people can come together, share stories and build relationships. This could include cultural activities, local celebrations or neighborhood events.
- Support Local Belonging: Create opportunities for people to stay connected and feel part of their community—especially those who may feel left out or isolated. This might include seniors, veterans, youth, people with disabilities, caretakers, or those living in very rural areas.
- Promote Healing and Wellbeing: Offer non-clinical, community-based ways to help people recover from stress or hardship. Examples include peer support, creative expression, storytelling, or programs that promote mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.
- Strengthen Community Purpose: Help people feel called to contribute, volunteer, lead or participate in their communities. Projects might support mentoring, leadership or community improvement efforts that help people feel like they’re making a difference.
Funding Information
With $100,000 available in grants ranging from $1,000 to $7,500.
Eligibility Criteria
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit, school district, or local unit of government based in and serving the Initiative Foundation’s service region. The service region includes Benton, Cass, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Wadena and Wright counties, and the portions of the Native Nations of the Leech Lake and Mille Lacs Bands of Ojibwe which lay within these counties.
- Work, programs or projects within one of the above-described funding areas.
- Past or current Foundation grant recipients are eligible to apply for this grant.
For more information, visit Initiative Foundation.
