by Dennis Dalman
Several organizations in the greater St. Cloud area have received grants from the Otto Bremer Trust foundation. The grants were announced on April 12.
They include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota, based in St. Cloud. The $65,000 grant was given for general operations to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships.
A grant of $25,000 was awarded to the St. Cloud-based Feeding Area Children Together, which provides meal support to students throughout Minnesota.
Yet another St. Cloud agency, Reach Up Inc. was given a grant of $75,000 for general operations to provide childhood education and support to low-income families.
The Tri-County Action Partnership Inc. in Waite Park was granted $60,000 to provide affordable transportation solutions and financial education to low-income families.
Those four recipients were among those that received 225 grants worth $17.9 million in Otto Bremer grants during its latest grant cycle.
The grants were given to programs that help people throughout Minnesota, as well as in North Dakota, Wisconsin and Montana.
Otto Bremer was a German-American banker who lived in St. Paul and who specifically structured a charitable trust to fulfill his philanthropic vision. He appointed trustees to manage funds and distribute grants. OBT has been doing that philanthropic charitable funding for the past 75 years.
“Otto Bremer Trust investments help meet basic needs, create economic opportunities, and fund programs and services that support health and wellness,” said Charlotte S. Johnson, co-CEO and trustee, OBT. “We’re pleased to assist the many organizations across the four-state region engaged in this important work.”
Based in St. Paul, the OBT is a private charitable trust. Created in 1944 by business and community leader Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting a better quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Since its founding, OBT has invested more than $1 billion in people, places and opportunities in its region.
In 2022, OBT distributed $55,364,460 in grant funding to 557 agencies and program-related investments in Minnesota alone.
