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Honored to join Timothy J Penny at his SMIF entrepreneurship conference today. Great to see the momentum they are building in southern MN #LaunchMN

Thank you, @KateWolford, for your service to Greater Minnesota over the past 13 as the leader of McKnight Foundation.

Visiting #NYC and who should I run in to but Fillmore MN County Commissioner Duane Bakke and his wife! #smallworld

Last night at the RAEDI R.A.V.E awards we were pleased to see SMIF equity and loan clients Geneticure and Clean Plus recognized.

Congrats to Leigh Johnson, founder of Custom Alarm, and SMIF Leadership Circle chair, for being recognized as the Lifetime Achievement Honoree at RAEDI R.A.V.E. event.

I'm proud of the work we are doing at SMIF to address early childhood education and the child care shortage in southern Minnesota!

Our Early Literacy Grant is now open! Apply by April 6 to receive books to enhance school readiness for children birth to age five. bit.ly/2uPILes

The six Minnesota Initiative Foundations (MIFs), including SMIF, have created an Emergency Child Care Grant Program to provide immediate financial support to licensed child care providers in Greater Minnesota in response to the pandemic. bit.ly/3dzWXth

Good news for child care providers! While our emergency grant is currently closed due to overwhelming response, the State of MN approved $30M for grants for providers serving essential workers. Apply directly through Child Care Aware. bit.ly/2WYiUMW

GMNP board member & SMIF President Timothy J Penny testifying in support of SF4881, which would give $5M to the six MIFs to provide grants up to $10,000 to employers with 10 or fewer employees.

This is a challenging time for all, but we are still able to deliver on the programming we promised our region. We owe this stability to our donors and the endowment that they have helped us build over the years. Read more in Timothy J Penny 's op-ed. bit.ly/357ZRlp

Equal justice. Equal opportunity. These principles are at the core of what it means to be an American. But when they are not made real in the lives of all Americans – it should matter to all of us. More in Timothy J Penny 's latest op-ed. bit.ly/30V0WNj

Foundations and other nonprofits can play an important role during crises. At SMIF, our total impact since the onset of the pandemic is nearing $11 million as we work to support our region's entrepreneurs, early childhood professionals and communities. bit.ly/3b2TD99

Our Early Literacy Grant program is open! Organizations working with children birth to age five are encouraged to apply for books to be given to families. Apply by April 9. bit.ly/39BTTwK

Our Paint the Town Grant is open! Communities with populations under 10,000 throughout SMIF's 20-county region are encouraged to apply. Applications are due March 31, 2021. bit.ly/3qyjaOM

I'm looking forward to #GreatSouthernMNTriviaNight on April 22. How would you use $5,000 for your community?

SMIF's first ever online auction is open to preview! Browse 25+ packages now and start thinking about what you want to bid on! Bidding opens tomorrow (April 21) at 8 a.m. bit.ly/3ej1yBf

There is growing evidence that many young people are putting down roots in small towns, drawn to a strong sense of community, the lower cost of living, the proximity to natural areas and, increasingly, the awareness of the ability to work remotely. bit.ly/3gAItgS

This is an amazing opportunity for small town growth.

Join our team at SMIF.