Image: Mississippi River-May 2022-crop
Resilient. Rural. Community.
Blandin Foundation is all about Minnesotans imagining, leading, and growing resourceful, inclusive communities.
Foundation News
Leech Lake Financial Services helps build credit scores and builds houses to buy
Star Tribune’s Evan Ramstad writes about an innovative approach to add much needed housing for members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and other local residents.
Keep the History, Boost the Accessibility
A grant from Blandin Foundation helps make the Two Harbors Public Library available to all.
Blandin Foundation Invests in Building Community Wealth and Local Journalism to Strengthen the Itasca Area and Rural MN
$2.2 million in new investments fuel rural information access, community capacity and long-term financial resilience.
Itasca Area Grant Opportunity Opens Jan 2
Watch this overview video from our recent grantee gathering.
NOTE: Applications are now closed.
Open Position: Accounting Associate
We’re hiring! Join our team as an Accounting Associate and make an impact at our organization.
In The News: Itasca Life Options
Star-Tribune’s Evan Ramstad features ILO’s approach to supportive day services that builds community and economy.
Blandin Foundation Supports Long-Term Storm Recovery in Northern Minnesota with $100,000 Grant
Recovery efforts will focus on regional coordination, community-driven rebuilding and ensuring vulnerable residents aren’t left behind.
Blandin Foundation Awards Scholarships to 380 Local Students
The total amount awarded for the 2025-26 school year is $1.7 million to students from 11 Itasca-area schools or to students who attend school from home or online.
Blandin Foundation Invests More Than $10 Million to Strengthen the Itasca Area
Blandin Foundation awarded $10.2 million to 48 organizations across Itasca County and rural northern Minnesota.
Free Range Food Co-op Closer to Becoming Reality with Blandin Foundation Grant
“This grant supports a model of economic development that puts ownership and opportunity into the hands of the community,” said Kyle Erickson, Director of Rural Grantmaking. “This is community wealth building in action.”
Spot Us
Blandin Foundation stands with communities as they design and claim their futures. That’s thousands of partnerships in hundreds of communities over more than 75 years.
Latest News
Department of Public Transformation to Strengthen Civic Engagement in Rural Minnesota with $490,000 Blandin Foundation Grant
April 27, 2026
Key Points Blandin Foundation has awarded a $490,000 grant over three years to Department of Public Transformation to expand creative civic engagement programs in rural Minnesota. The grant supports the nonprofit’s Engage Rural initiative, which equips rural leaders with creative strategies to strengthen civic participation and community connection. The effort aligns with Blandin Foundation’s Rural…
GroundWork Blog
Constructing New Spaces Leads to Improved Community Connection
March 5, 2026
A small, rural folk school in Grand Marais has grown into a global resource for community and human connection. When North House Folk School first drew up plans for an expansion, they knew they wanted to utilize local businesses and community members for as much of the work as possible in a way to give back to…
Blandin Foundation is located in the Grand Rapids area to which it has a perpetual and primary responsibility.