Broadband keeps me busy enough that sometimes I’m like an ostrich with my head buried in fiber, but I’ve been out and about a bit more in the last few weeks checking in on Blandin Broadband Communities (Leech Lake and Red Wing) and getting a chance to some of Blandin’s newer programs too. I thought it might be fun to share with my broadband-focused friends some of the other work Blandin Foundation is doing, especially in light of their recent award from Minnesota Council of Nonprofits for Responsive Philanthropy.

As a reminder, Blandin’s mission is to connect, fund and advocate for ideas and people to inspire resourcefulness and move rural places forward. Post COVID shut down, they shook things up with Leadership Boost Grants (LBG) program to encourage Minnesotans living in rural and Native communities to be visionary and creative as they move their communities forward to meet the moment’s challenges and support local vision for growth. They cast a wide net in asking local communities for their ideas. They got a lot of them and funded projects in 90 communities.

I mostly hear about the projects that focus on technology, because folks know what I like but technology isn’t an integral part of every project. Some communities still need help getting the technology, others can capitalize on what they have and projects like a recent mural in Red Wing, just don’t include technology. There’s still work to be done to help some communities catch up to technology but there’s also an opportunity to help communities who have access to use all their resources (technology being part of that toolkit) to become more inclusive and find a way to move rural areas forward in a way that brings all rural residents with them.

You can get the insider’s view of what’s happening in the Blandin Foundation video below.