REGIONAL—Grants up to $50,000 each are being made available to businesses located in counties bordering Canada. For-profit businesses that lost 10 percent or more in revenues during the closure of the Canadian border since 2020 and/or the 2021 closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will be eligible.
The Northland Foundation will help manage the process to award funding of more than $2.5 million. The funding and eligibility guidelines were established in law during the last legislative session.
Businesses located in counties bordering Canada, including the tribal nations of Bois Forte, Grand Portage, Fond du Lac and Red Lake, can apply.
A portion of the state funds are set aside for businesses that are majority owned (at least 51 percent) by enrolled member(s) of a Minnesota-based tribe and tribal government-owned businesses located within a county that borders Canada.
Businesses that apply must have experienced at least a 10 percent drop in gross receipts between 2019 and 2021, which they can show by providing copies of tax returns from those years.
Grant dollars must be used for business purposes, for example, to support payroll expenses, rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, equipment, and other similar expenses that occur in the regular course of business.
Applications will be accepted electronically until 5:00 p.m. on January 12, 2024. More information, along with the link to apply, can be found on the Northland Foundation’s website at https://northlandfdn.org/grants/special-grants.php.
Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.