Big congrats to Red Wing Ignite! Twin Cities Business Magazine reports…

Red Wing Ignite, a Red Wing economic development organization, was one of 44 organizations chosen to receive a grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2019 i6 Challenge and 2019 Seed Fund Support programs.

On Tuesday, the DOC announced that a total of $23 million will be distributed to the organizations, with other private and public sector sources contributing a total of $26 million in matching funds.

Red Wing Ignite was the only Minnesota organization to be named as a winner this year. Founded in 2013 by community leaders and billed as a project to “Ignite Innovation in Rural Minnesota,” the nonprofit connects entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors through events, collaborative work spaces, and varied programming, resource-sharing, and amenities.

As an i6 Challenge winner, Red Wing Ignite will receive $750,000 from the DOC, along with $940,602 matched by local entities in cash and in-kind support. It’s the most substantial grant in the organization’s history.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for a small town,” says Neela Mollgaard, Red Wing Ignite executive director. “It’s very validating that the work we’ve done over the last six years has been noticed and there’s dollars to continue to enhance and build on what’s been started.”

Blandin has provided some local match…

The non-profit’s capital contributors include the Blandin Foundation, City of Red Wing, Jones Family Foundation, Red Wing Shoe Foundation, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, and Goodhue County. More than a dozen other public and private entities offered letters of support or in-kind commitments.