Summer 2026

Alissa Oeltjenbruns

Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Vitality

alissao@smifoundation.org | 507.214.7023



We are incredibly grateful to everyone who celebrated Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF)'s 40 years of impact with us. It is through the connections and compassion of the people around us that we can continue to uplift our region!

Special thank you to everyone who spoke at the event to share the importance of investing in our communities and seeking strength in connections. Check out our 40th video for highlights from our region and words from our current president, Benya Kraus, and Tim Penny, former SMIF president.

Philanthropists can choose however they want to invest their money. What is it about southern Minnesota that made you want to invest in its future?

My husband and I decided to donate to SMIF because we care about southern Minnesota. We were fortunate to grow up here and be educated here. We had an opportunity to live on both coasts and experience life in different regions of the country. And we made a conscious choice to move our family back to southern Minnesota. The quality of life, our financial future, the schools, the opportunity for culture and community and entrepreneurship is unmatched here. My grandpa always used to say we live in paradise. I think he was absolutely right.

You can read the full spotlight here.

Twice a year, SMIF gathers the Community Foundation board members together from across the region to give them a chance to network, learn and socialize. Under SMIF's umbrella, we host 35 Community Foundations, and their boards are made up of community volunteers that work tirelessly to make their unique communities better. When we bring the group together, they get a chance to see what other small towns are doing, share their wins and work through problem areas together.

In May, in conjuction with Growth by Design, the group gathered at Mineral Springs Brewery for a lively afternoon. It was great to see so many community leaders from across the region engaged in discussions around the room. Topics ranged from how to handle fundraising, engage more volunteers, handle board challenges and more and kept the energy high throughout the afternoon.

Spotlight: Goodview makes beach welcoming with grant

In 2024, the City of Goodview was awarded a $25,000 Taylor Rural Improvements Grant to make the beach area more welcoming for swimmers by replacing murky sand with dredged river sand. 

"As a long-time Goodview resident, I have always appreciated our local parks — especially LaCanne Park. With two energetic boys, it's the perfect place for us to spend time together. In recent years, however, we found ourselves visiting the beach less often as it gradually filled in. That's why we were beyond excited when we learned it would be dredged.

"After the dredging was completed, we returned to the beach — and ended up swimming more this past summer than ever before. We also noticed many more families and neighbors enjoying the beach again. Thank you for supporting projects that make such a meaningful difference in the lives of local families like ours." -The Klinger family

Read the full story.



Books encourage early literacy in Rochester

Photo courtesy of Children's Museum of Rochester



In 2024, SMIF awarded 500 children’s books to the Children’s Museum of Rochester for its SPARK Summer Reading Program.

"Literacy at SPARK goes far beyond museum walls and classroom settings, it becomes a shared experience for families. During a recent Community Access Event at SPARK, a mother approached one of our team members while holding a children’s book she had discovered in the Quiet Room. It was a book about Ramadan, one of several generously provided by SMIF to share with our community.

"She asked if she could take the book home to help teach her young children about the holiday. Since the books were gifted for exactly this purpose, the answer was a joyful yes. Beaming, she brought the book over to her husband and children and said, 'This is going to be a fun new book we get to read tonight!' Throughout the evening, she kept looking down at the book, smiling, an unforgettable reminder of how small moments of access can spark meaningful family connections and cultural learning." -Julia Moffit, philanthropy manager at Children’s Museum of Rochester

Read the full story.

In 2025, the City of Henderson was awarded a $6,000 Economic Development Grant to develop Main Street Marketing, a community-wide strategy to encourage more visitors after road closures forced businesses to shut down.

Overall goals of the strategy include: develop a consistent, community-wide message, emphasize the historic downtown district as a great place to open new entrepreneurial efforts and fill vacant downtown buildings with new specialty shops and service-oriented businesses.

"As the road improvement and flood mitigation projects begin to reopen traffic into Henderson, there's a growing hope and optimism that new entrepreneurial efforts will reconsider the historic Main Street business district." -Keith Swenson, mayor of Henderson

Watch for these upcoming SMIF grant opportunities on our website and social media:

• Economic Development Grant: opens June 29, 2026. This grant seeks to support initiatives which enable communities to create more prosperous local economies. SMIF seeks applications that support economic development and entrepreneurship.

• Small Town Grant opens in July 22, 2026. This grant seeks to invest in collaborative initiatives which improve the way your community works together, solves challenges, creates a welcoming community and sense of belonging for all. SMIF seeks proposals from communities under 10,000 which impact the culture, education, economy and/or social aspects of the town. Applicants may apply for up to $10,000.

• Taylor Rural Improvements Grant September 8, 2026. This grant seeks to fund capital projects in communities under 10,000. This year the grant will focus on enhancements to community gathering spaces, and applicants may apply for up to $25k.

• Taylor Rural Child Care Grant opens September 8, 2026. This grant is for communities of 30,000 or fewer. Additionally, this grant prioritizes projects that benefit families facing disproportionate access barriers. This may include low-income families, communities of color, immigrant families, families needing nontraditional hours, children with disabilities/special health needs.

• Early Care and Education Grant opens September 8, 2026. Grant funds can be used to support social, emotional, physical and mental health, training and development to operate and address the needs of young children, or other activities necessary to maintain the services in early care and education.

Leave a lasting legacy with FreeWill

Did you know?

SMIF has four endowment funds that you can contribute to. All of these endowment funds support our annual work and allow us to respond to the needs of our region as they arise.

• Our General Endowment supports and sustains our overall work and provides the financial stability our organization needs to continue addressing the emerging needs of our region. 
• Our Tim Penny Small Towns Fund supports and sustains the region's small towns through grant making and our affiliant fund program which currently hosts 153 funds, including 35 Community Foundations.
• Our Youth Trust Fund supports children and Early Childhood professionals through quality trainings and programming, grant opportunities, early literacy, social and emotional development of children and other initiatives.
• Our Entrepreneur Fund provides technical assistance, training and financing opportunities for entrepreneurs and supports economic development in southern Minnesota communities through programming and grantmaking. 

Donating farmland leaves a lasting legacy

Benya Kraus with her cousin Jason Kraus, a farmer in Waseca County

SMIF's Acres for Good program allows farm families to donate their land as a charitable gift upon retirement or passing. SMIF will retain the land and keep it in production by a rental arrangement, allowing farmers the peace of mind that their land will continue to be farmed.

The net income stream from the land can be used to support southern Minnesota communities well into the future, benefiting either a local Community Foundation, a specific cause or SMIF’s programs which support children, entrepreneurs and community vitality in the region.

If you have any questions or want more information about this program, contact Alissa Oeltjenbruns at alissao@smifoundation.org.