Northfield Shares Distributes Nearly $69,000 to Area Nonprofits

Northfield Shares, a community foundation centered on philanthropy, volunteerism and collaborative leadership, has selected 15 area nonprofits to receive grants for 2017.

The organization issued a news release announcing the details and said $68,619 would be the total amount for the grants.

Recipients include Cannon River Watershed Partnership, Community Action Center of Northfield, Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, Greenvale Park Community School, HealthFinders Collaborative, Laura Baker Services Association, Northfield Area Learning Center, Northfield in Bloom, Northfield Booster Club, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (Reading Rockets and YouthBank), Northfield Senior Center, Northfield TORCH, Northfield Union of Youth, Northfield Youth Sports Collaborative and Project Friendship.

The grants will be funded by seven funds inside of the Northfield Shares organization. This is the largest amount that Northfield Shares has granted in the history of Northfield Shares and its predecessor organization, Northfield Area Foundation.

One primary way that Northfield Shares advances its mission is to award grants on a yearly basis to organizations working to enhance the Northfield community. The grants are awarded through an application process that begins in mid-October. Organizations looking for money go through a selection process with a focus on displaying steps to achieving solutions.

This year, 25 grant proposals were submitted to Northfield Shares. The award granting process was conducted by a grant review committee, including members of the Northfield Shares board as well as community volunteers. The grants are funded from community-supported endowments.

Jennifer Sawyer, Northfield Shares board of directors chairwoman, said, “One of our visions at Northfield Shares is to promote collaboration and to create an impact that has community-wide benefits by investing in projects that create long-term solutions and support the well-being of Northfield. We’re able to support our community and enhance its future in valuable, lasting ways by helping to fund grant requests of local nonprofits. By gaining support and continuing to grow, we hope that our community foundation is able to continue providing more local nonprofits with the funding they need to succeed.”

Northfield Shares is the Northfield area’s community foundation founded to advance philanthropy, inspire volunteerism and promote collaborative leadership. The organization was formed when 5th Bridge and Northfield Area Foundation merged. For more information on Northfield Shares, visit northfieldshares.org.