Northland Foundation awards $592,000 in quarterly grants to region

The most practical money in northeastern Minnesota this quarter was not tied to a new building or ribbon-cutting. It went to the programs that keep child care, youth mentorship and after-school services from thinning out in places like Duluth, Ely and southern St. Louis County.

The Northland Foundation announced May 20 that it awarded 17 quarterly grants totaling $592,000 for January 1 through March 31, 2026. A significant share went to work aimed at young children, families and youth development, the kinds of services that usually matter most when local budgets are tight and needs rise faster than public funding.

Michelle Ufford, the foundation’s vice president of grantmaking, said, “Investing in the well-being children and young people is at the heart of what we do.” In practice, that shows up as operating support and program money for groups that serve as part of the region’s safety net.

In Duluth, Mentor North received $45,000 for one-on-one youth mentorship, money that should directly shape the next several months of contact with young people who need steady adult support. Life House received $40,000 for youth services in southern St. Louis County, including mental health, housing and education supports for young people facing significant barriers. Those dollars are likely to affect how many hours of service the organization can keep open, and how quickly it can respond when a young person needs help.

The quarterly round also sent $35,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of the Northland for general operating support and $35,000 to Ely Community Resource for after-school programming. Ely Public Schools received $12,000 for a free Pre-K Skills Program, while A Chance To Grow received $20,000 to continue a learning-readiness program serving child care programs across northeastern Minnesota.

Northland said its Quarterly Grants are awarded four times a year and are generally $10,000 or more. Most grants to nonprofits in the region are general operating support, which means the dollars are often used to pay staff, cover program costs and keep services available rather than fund a visible capital project. The foundation serves seven counties and all or parts of five Native nations across northeastern Minnesota.

The pattern is not new. Northland reported 21 quarterly grants totaling $756,500 in January through March 2025, 23 grants totaling $680,000 in April through June 2025 and 22 grants totaling $687,000 in October through December 2025. The foundation has also said modest grants can have an outsized effect on after-school and summer services in rural and underfunded districts. For St. Louis County, the gap remains in the places that did not receive support this round, where child care, food access, family stability and youth programs still depend on a narrow mix of private grants, public money and donations.