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Greetings!
Fall is upon us! After the bouts of 90-degree weather through much of the season, the leaves are finally turning, framing our farm landscapes and drawing our eye to the hardworking farmers bringing in this year's harvest. My family is certainly in the thick of it — particularly my cousin, who returned to the farm several years ago from Boston and now nurses her six-month-old in between hours driving the combine through the night.
I've had my own hand at harvest, too. I spent last week out in Winona with over fifty Winona State and Carleton students, community members and Dakota students and elders from the Prairie Island Indian Community learning how to harvest psin cinca, otherwise known as "Wapato" or "Rat Potato" along the wetlands of the Mississippi. Linda Black Elk taught us how to wade into the water waist-deep, dance around until our feet felt a bulb and coax them out of the ground with our toes. We ended the afternoon pulling seeds out of lotus heads that have completed their summer blooms. These seeds would be boiled and used for breakfast at camp the next morning.
These themes of harvest — of bearing fruit from the seeds planted before us — is core to SMIF's mission and the work of a community foundation as well. This past quarter we made our latest round of Small Town Grants, providing fuel to the local efforts that bind neighbors together through tending to community needs. Our next round for Early Care and Education Grants is now open, ensuring that the seeds of our next generation are planted in healthy, supportive soils. And on November 1, the harvest metaphor comes into full circle in the literal sense as over 100 local producers will descend upon the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester to share their local food products in our annual FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, which we host in partnership with Renewing the Countryside.
Of course, we cannot get to harvest season without the foresight and care that goes into planting season. As we head into year's end, this is also SMIF's most focused solicitation season — securing the seeds of financial generosity that help us fund and sustain the bountiful harvests of southern Minnesota for generations to come.
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Benya Kraus
President and CEO
| | Montgomery creates walking tour with grant | | |
In 2024, the Montgomery Arts and Heritage Center was awarded a $10,000 Small Town Grant to create a walking tour along their main street.
"The MMIS project is designed to foster a more welcoming community and enhance the sense of belonging for all residents and visitors," shared Maureen Gunderson, chairman of the Montgomery Arts and Heritage Center. "While the main focus of the walking tour is on the buildings, we are committed to highlighting the stories of underrepresented groups.
"By doing so, we aim to honor and recognize the contributions of all residents, past and present, and provide a more complete and accurate portrayal of Montgomery’s history. The project serves as a reminder that our differences enrich our community and that we all have a place in Montgomery’s story. This shared sense of identity and history can strengthen community bonds and inspire further initiatives aimed at preserving and celebrating our town."
| | Faribault readies kids for kindergarten | | |
In 2023, Faribault Public Schools utilized an Early Care and Education Grant to fund ECFE on the Go, a program to ready Faribault children for kindergarten and support child care providers.
Olivia Sage, early learning coordinator, and Zach Pruitt, community education and engagement director, shared the impact of the program:
"Our visits are planned around the ages and development needs of the children. They are actively led in circle time with books and songs to foster language development. Wendoli, the ECFE on the Go leader, focuses her time on supporting skills like language, math, fine motor development and approaches to learning that align with the early learning indicators of progress. Caregivers ask questions and follow up on suggestions for activities to do with the children. The visits also incorporate a variety of hands-on activities by theme, such as sorting leaves by size, practicing counting or creating art projects. These activities are done to support cognitive skills but also stimulate curiosity and creativity in early childhood."
| | Staff spotlight: Mary Athey | | |
This summer, SMIF welcomed Mary Athey as the new vice president of entrepreneurship. She shared with us her connection to the region and her hopes for SMIF’s impact.
"I was raised in Martin County and now live in Faribault County, so southern Minnesota has always been home to me," shared Mary. "I’ve spent several years working directly with communities in the region, supporting economic development initiatives, small businesses and local entrepreneurs. Through these experiences, I’ve developed strong relationships with regional stakeholders and a deep understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges that our communities face.
"At SMIF, I want to focus on helping communities build systems that really support their entrepreneurs. That means looking at the strengths and opportunities in a town, connecting people and resources and creating an environment where businesses can thrive."
| | Rural Voice invites conversation around health care challenges in rural Minnesota | Photo curtsey of Minnesota Public Radio | |
"On September 29, over 150 people gathered for a town hall we hosted in partnership with MPR's Kerri Miller as part of their Rural Voice series," shared Benya. "The topic of conversation was around rural health care and mental health. We heard many voices from health care providers to youth and veteran serving nonprofits to education programs building the bench of rural doctors and mental health therapists. And very meaningfully, we also heard from people who were generous enough to share their own experiences battling with mental health challenges, caring for sick family members or even losing a loved one to addiction or suicide.
"There is a health care crisis everywhere in our country, and the impacts are acutely felt in our rural region where mental health providers and beds are hard to find, hospitals operate on shoe string budgets and so many southern Minnesotans live in health care deserts where it takes over an hour to even deliver your baby. I was grateful for the wisdom and vulnerability that our community shared at the town hall — and amidst the gravity of the challenges ahead, I was also reminded of our region's resiliency and the hope we find when we lean on and support one another."
Listen to MPR's recording of the event here.
| | Benya on Rural Ruckus Radio | | |
Benya joined John Monson, Rural Ruckus Radio host, to explore what it means to lead with purpose in rural Minnesota — from investing in local entrepreneurs and community projects to fostering the next generation of changemakers.
She shares her journey into community development, the lessons that have shaped her leadership style and why she believes collaboration is the heartbeat of rural success.
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Mitchel Perrizo Jr. Leaders are Readers Fund: $45,000 to three school districts
Small Town Grant Program: 23 grants totaling $200,000
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Early Care and Education Grant
Applications due Nov. 5
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SMIF is currently accepting applications for its Early Care and Education Grant program. This program will help fund early care and education services for children birth to age five. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, public institutions and units or agencies of local, state, federal and tribal government that provide these services in SMIF’s 20-county region are encouraged to apply. Requests of up to $20,000 will be considered.
Funding from this grant can help cover social, emotional, physical and mental health supports, training and development to operate and address the needs of young children and other activities necessary to maintain the services in early care and education prioritizing the needs of underserved groups. Applicants must serve children birth to age five. Projects are encouraged to support diverse and traditionally underserved populations.
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PROMISE Act Grant
Applications due Nov. 17
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Through a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), SMIF will award $1.3 million in competitive grants to businesses in southern Minnesota to invest in existing operations or planned growth.
Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $50,000 and can be used for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, equipment, and other similar expenses that occur in the regular course of business.
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Exploring Regional Collaboration
Oct. 30 | Rochester & Nov. 6 | Red Wing
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Feast! Local Foods Marketplace
Nov. 1 | Rochester
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The 2025 FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace is coming up fast! Sip, sample and shop hundreds of local foods and craft beverages at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Advance tickets are now available! Tickets are also available at the door.
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Data Center Forum
Nov. 12 | North Mankato
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Join us for a regional Data Center Forum hosted by RNDC and SMIF, and co-sponsored by SMCEC, Great River Energy and Greater Mankato Growth. The forum will provide a space for education and conversations on data center development in our region.
Topics will cover data center technologies and designs, impacts on water and energy usage, current Minnesota legislation and tools communities can use to secure economic and community benefits. Speakers will include experts from multiple sectors and will highlight the perspectives of rural communities who currently host data centers. Elected officials, economic development professionals, utility staff, city attorneys and community members are encouraged to attend.
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Super Saturday with Stacy Boysen
Dec. 6 | St. Peter
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Attention early care professionals! Join us in St. Peter for a day full of learning and leave with six Develop credits! Lunch will be provided.
8 – 10 a.m.: Sudden Unexpected Infant Death/Abusive Head Trauma
- KCF: VII.B. Ensuring Safety, meets the SUID/AHT requirement for family child care
10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Active Supervision: Supporting School-Age Children
- KCF: VII.B. Ensuring Safety, meets the supervision requirement for family child care
Lunch
12:45 – 2:45 p.m.: Adventures In Childhood: How Risky Play Supports Child Development
- KCF: I. Child Development and Learning, meets the requirement for child development and learning/behavior guidance for family child care
Please send questions and dietary restrictions to Heidi Coulter, SMIF Early Childhood project manager, at heidic@smifoundation.org or 507-214-7016.
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Save the date: SMIF's 40th anniversary celebration
April 23, 2026 | Faribault
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Join us for an evening of celebration, featuring a plated dinner, an inspiring program with special guests and opportunities to connect with fellow southern Minnesota partners — all in a vibrant, renovated historic building in downtown Faribault.
Formal invitation to follow!
| | Tim Penny Small Towns Fund | | |
We are only $250,000 away from reaching our goal! With your support we will raise an additional $1 million to invest in our region’s small towns through SMIF’s new fund for community vitality.
In honor of Tim’s lifetime work in southern Minnesota and his longtime passion and deep roots in small towns, we invite you to help us start the Tim Penny Small Towns Fund to honor him. Thanks to investment earnings, your gift will continue to grow and have an even greater impact on the region in years to come.
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