Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement (MAVA) is pleased to announce that the recipients of the Greater Minnesota Volunteerism Grants program have been selected and recipient organizations were notified on May 1. The initial response to the call for proposals for funds ranging from $15,000 to $75,000 was overwhelmingly positive with 49 proposals totaling $1.95 million in requests.
A grant review committee comprised of representatives from across the state applied a rigorous review process informed by the legislated criteria in evaluating all proposals, and recommended the selection of 7 recipient organizations. Total allocations came to $158,590, within the legislated amount to allocate.
The Greater Minnesota Volunteerism Grants are designed to enhance organizational efforts to leverage volunteers to address or minimize disparities in access to these human services, with a focus on those that are at risk of homelessness, hunger, poverty, lack of health care, or deficits in education.
Grants have been awarded to: Mankato Youth Place ($15,750), My Neighbor to Love ($16,000), Pamoja Women ($20,000), Hornets Hive – Cornerstone ($20,640), City of St. Cloud, Greater St. Cloud Area AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP ($22,200), United Way of Central Minnesota ($24,000), and Goodhue County Habitat for Humanity ($40,000). All grantees will receive coaching and support for implementing these landmark projects throughout the grant period.
MAVA remains highly committed to finding ways to supporting organizations that did not receive funding.