MINNEAPOLIS — Two Northern Minnesota organizations were selected to partner with the University of Minnesota through its Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program.
The Arrowhead Regional Development Organization and White Earth Land Recovery Project are two of the seven "Tactical Action" partnerships announced in the program’s second round in July that will help the organizations address community infrastructure needs.
The Arrowhead Regional Development Organization serves Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Koochiching, Itasca, Lake, St. Louis and Pine counties. It will research and report on the socioeconomic impact of transportation gaps to accessing health care in the region. That data will be used to guide policy changes to address shortfalls in non-emergency medical services.
The White Earth Land Recovery Project is a nonprofit focused on land recovery and community and cultural development.
It plans to renovate and revitalize its building, equipment and satellite sites, including community gardens and the radio tower for KKWE, Niijii Radio, White Earth’s public radio station. The project will use a locally driven resilience planning process and incorporate the community’s social, ecological and technical needs.
The Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program was created by the Legislature in 2023 and was renewed through 2027 with an additional $4 million in funding.
“The Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program has been a huge success — we’ve already completed dozens of projects with local partners in small cities and towns,” stated Kyle Shelton, director of the Center for Transportation Studies, in a news release.
“Our partnerships have helped communities pursue additional state and federal funding opportunities using well-developed project ideas. We’re honored as the state’s land grant university to continue these partnerships to address the challenges and unique opportunities in smaller Minnesota communities.”
Communities with fewer than 15,000 people are eligible for the program. In addition to Tactical Action projects, the program funds “Community Futures” partnerships that identifies existing assets and incorporates them with the community’s vision for growth.
Badger, Baudette, Crookston, Crystal Bay Township/Finland, Embarrass, Mountain Iron/Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and Warroad were among the first round of Community Futures projects. First-round Tactical Actions included Knife River, Mahnomen and Two Harbors, and short-term projects included the Region 5 Development Commission and a consortium of Two Harbors, Silver Creek Township, Silver Bay, Crystal Bay Township, Schroeder, Lutsen, Grand Marais and Grand Portage.
Applications for future projects will open in the coming months, the U of M said. The Empowering Small Minnesota Communities mailing list will provide updates.
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