SMIF awards $300,000 in Taylor Grants

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) recently approved 17 grants totaling $300,000 to support rural improvements and child care needs in small towns of 10,000 or less in SMIF’s 20-county region. The Taylor Grants are supported by a generous donation from Glen A. Taylor through the Taylor Family Farms Foundation.
The Taylor Grants are focused on capital projects that can make a big impact in our smallest communities. Glen A. Taylor has a long history of funding philanthropic initiatives related to rural community revitalization. The gift will create a financial framework to support these and other causes for future generations in the area Taylor still calls home.
As 2024 was the pilot year for the grant programs, participation was limited to a small applicant pool.
The 2024 Taylor Rural Child Care Grant awards are:
$20,000 to City of Adams to support the Adams Childcare Initiative Activation Project which aims to establish new family child care spaces within the community.
$20,000 to City of Mapleton for updates at Eagles Nest Child Care Center including outside play area improvements, indoor classroom improvements and an appreciation event to honor and celebrate all local child care providers.
$20,000 to City of Springfield for funds to support child care providers with equipment to start their business.
$10,000 to Gibbon-Winthrop-Fairfax School District for a mobile resource bus program for families with income below the federal poverty threshold designed to deliver essential resources, like educational materials, healthcare services, food assistance, clothing and daily hygiene products, and support to the families in their community that may lack access to them.
$20,000 to Leo Augusta Children’s Academy in Blooming Prairie to update their outdated HVAC systems and install a water softener for the facility.
$8,000 to Little Blue Jays Daycare in Caledonia to supplement their PreK Breakfast and Lunch program.
$12,000 to St. John’s Grandkids Daycare in Springfield to help maintain their equipment and facility with the upgrades that are needed for licensing requirements as well as to update equipment that is old or worn out.
$20,000 to Three Rivers Community Action Inc. on equipment, curriculum materials and office technology for a startup classroom that will be leased by a family child care provider in a commercial building in Wabasha.
$20,000 to Waseca Public Schools Community Education and Recreation to renovate two rooms to meet state licensing requirements in order to expand their child care offering to younger infants and toddlers.
 
The 2024 Taylor Rural Improvements Grant awards are:
$16,200 to City of Elmore to enhance the basketball court area to make it more inclusive and inviting for a larger portion of the community with new basketball hoops, disc golf baskets, a pickleball net, seating and shade structures.
$25,000 to the City of Gibbon to replace the outhouse that was vandalized by fire with a modern vault toilet at the Clear Lake County Park.
$25,000 to the City of Goodview to remove two feet of murky sand out of the swimming beach area and replace it with one foot of dredged river sand.
$15,600 to the City of Lake Crystal to upgrade and remodel space in a historic downtown building to be used as a museum that would provide an interactive historical experience to the public and a collections storage area for research.
$25,000 to the City of Preston to support elements of the Troute Route, an art-filled pathway through Preston, using themed signage and trout-inspired art installations as visual guides.
$13,200 to the City of Rushford Village to replace the old, and unsafe, merry-go-round with a new, ADA compliant merry-go-round.
$25,000 to the City of Sherburn to revitalize two city parks by replacing old, degraded equipment with new, accessible equipment suitable to the needs of children in the community.
$5,000 to Come Charge with Us in Wabasha to install an EV Charger downtown, benefiting visitors and local businesses.
“At SMIF, we are deeply grateful to Glen A. Taylor and the Taylor Family Farms Foundation for their vision and generosity in funding these grants,” said Tim Penny, president and CEO of SMIF. “This remarkable support of $300,000 for rural capital projects has allowed us to address vital improvements and child care needs in our smallest communities. Thanks to the Taylor family’s commitment, we’re creating meaningful, lasting impact in towns across our region. This pilot year has shown just how powerful this kind of focused investment can be for southern Minnesota’s future.”
“We are thrilled to support the Taylor Grants, which represent a transformative opportunity for our small towns,” said Kristin Weeks Duncanson, chair of the Taylor Family Farm Foundation. “With Glen A. Taylor’s unwavering commitment to rural revitalization, these grants will empower communities to enhance their child care resources and improve local infrastructure, ensuring sustainable communities for generations to come.”
For more information about SMIF’s grantmaking visit smifoundation.org/grants.
 
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a donor-supported foundation, invests for economic growth in south central and southeastern Minnesota, serving a region that includes 20 counties, 175 communities and one Native nation. The Foundation has provided more than $170 million in grants, loans and programming within the region during the past 38 years. SMIF’s key interests include entrepreneurship, early childhood development and community vitality. To learn more about our work and mission, visit www.smifoundation.org.