The Otto Bremer Trust awarded $14,320,144 in grants and program-related investments in December 2023 and January 2024. The trust also distributes more than $16.6 million to six local intermediary partners as part of its new Community Responsive Fund pilot program. Grants that affect our area include the following: The Center for Victims of Torture, St. Paul, $55,000 to serve Somali families in St. Cloud through culturally specific outreach, parenting classes and mentoring; Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity, St. Cloud, $50,000 for general operations to develop and preserve affordable housing in central Minnesota; Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines, Waite Park, $55,000 for general operations to provide youth development opportunities and programs for girls residing in Greater Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin; Initiative Foundation, Little Falls, $100,000 to build organizational capacity by providing training, consulting, and coaching for nonprofit organizations in central Minnesota; Minnesota Head Start Association Inc., Sauk Rapids, $37,000 for general operations to support low-income families and ensure high standards of service for young children through a statewide network of Minnesota Head Start providers; Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, St. Paul, $10,000 to promote systems improvements in Minnesota’s emergency housing sector, leading to the elimination of homelessness; Hearth Connection, St. Paul, $150,000 for general operations to provide technical assistance and solution creation to improve housing outcomes for chronically homeless Minnesotans through a statewide network of direct service providers, government partners and community stakeholders; Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, Minneapolis, $36,000 for general operations to elevate the capacity of programs, systems and policies to strengthen youth-mentoring relationships in Minnesota and the region; and WomenVenture, St. Paul, $60,000 for general operations to equip women entrepreneurs with the skills and resources to create and grow profitable and sustainable businesses.
The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University have been honored with a prestigious 2023 Council on Undergraduate Research Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments. This national award recognizes institutions with exemplary programs that provide high-quality research experiences for undergraduates. A celebration of these awardees will take place virtually on June 11.
Alaina Botz of St. Joseph was recently named to the fall dean’s list at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas.
Seven St. Joseph students were recently named to the fall dean’s list at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. They are the following: Lance Anderson, Lydia Anderson, Jackson Gerads, Alex Hausmann, Clare Kutzman, Nicholas Ramberg and Katelyn Schoenborn. Students must earn a minimum 3.66 grade-point average to qualify for this honor.
