Three Yankton Area Nonprofits are CIG Award Recipients
July 26, 2021 // Community Innovation Grants
The Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Plains, Inc. and Missouri Sedimentation Action Coalition, both located in Yankton, along with the Center for Rural Affairs were each successful applicants that received Round 1, 2021 Community Innovation Grant awards from the South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF). Community Innovation Grants are offered in partnership with the Bush Foundation and focus specifically on supporting community problem-solving projects. Sixty-three applications were submitted in Round 1 and fourteen resulted in securing funding.
The South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) is proud to partner with these three organizations and provide support for their projects:
- Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains, Inc. (Yankton): $10,000
The Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Plains, Inc. is an umbrella organization with five different Boys & Girls Clubs serving youth in different areas including the Boys & Girls Club of Yankton. They successfully began the process of developing a diversion program for juvenile felons in Brookings. This work will continue focusing on the goal of improving diversion programming for youth within Yankton County. Partners in this effort will include the State’s Attorney’s office, local businesses, mental health agencies, youth and families and probation officers.
“The South Dakota Community Foundation funding will support our efforts and further develop diversion programs for youth in the Yankton community allowing us to bring the community together to collectively solve a problem. We will be able to provide impactful programs for youth who have committed crimes to help them stay in the Yankton community rather than going to a JDC and better their lives on their way to becoming productive, responsible, and caring citizens.”
Caitlyn Christy, Chief Development Officer, Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Plains, Inc.
- Missouri Sedimentation Action Coalition: $8,000
With US Army Corps of Engineers input, the Missouri Sedimentation Action Coalition began developing a sediment management plan. Phase 1 began July 1, 2019 and laid out tasks and costs associated with Phase 2. Phase 2 focuses on tasks such as a Solutions Workshop, which will bring subject matter experts together in Yankton and includes an economic analysis using different dredging scenarios.
“This project is truly a large community effort with many entities contributing to build a sediment management plan for the Lewis and Clark Lake region. Not only will this area benefit from the process underway with the US Army Corps of Engineers, but we hope it plants a seed for everyone living next to the Missouri River and our future generations”
Sandra Stockholm, Executive Director, Missouri Sedimentation Action Coalition
- Center for Rural Affairs: $15,000
Many South Dakotans still lack broadband access, despite it being a critical component of modern-day life. Targeted engagement to underserved, rural communities is the prime focus of this project. Expansion of grassroots outreach, engagement with economic and community development groups, identification of tools and training to improve digital literacy and capabilities are all key objectives included in this process.
“The Center for Rural Affairs is honored to receive the South Dakota Community Foundation’s Community Innovation Grant. This funding will allow us to engage rural communities who are facing challenges due to a lack of broadband access. Currently 1 in 6 South Dakotans lack adequate broadband. Through our work we will collaborate with impacted communities, working to identify and highlight their needs. Our focus is ensuring rural residents have equitable access to technology as well as the digital literacy skills to maximize utilization of that technology. We are thrilled that the South Dakota Community Foundation is helping us tackle this important issue.”
Heidi Kolbeck-Urlacher, South Dakota Policy Associate
Round 2, 2021 of the Community Innovation Grants application process opened July 1 and closes July 30, 2021. To learn more about funding opportunities offered by the SDCF, please visit our website at https://www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/ .
About the SDCF
SDCF is a public non-profit organization established in 1987. SDCF, with offices in Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Aberdeen administers over 1050 funds benefiting hundreds of charitable organizations annually. The Foundation distributed nearly $18 million in grants in 2020 which made a tremendous difference in communities statewide. This would not have been possible without the generosity of our donors. If you have a specific cause you would like to support or would prefer to give for the general good of our state, please visit https://sdcommunityfoundation.org/giving to learn more or call 1-800-888-1842.
About the Bush Foundation
The Bush Foundation invests in great ideas and the people who power them. Established in 1953 by 3M Executive Archibald Bush and his wife Edyth, the Foundation encourages individuals and organizations to think bigger and think differently about what is possible in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geographic area.