Dear Friends,

My skating skills were never good enough to make me a hockey player. But I sure enjoy watching the sport—especially the bright lights, cool air, and distinctive sounds of attending in person.

So, I was especially excited last fall to attend a corporate sponsors breakfast for the Initiative Foundation’s longest-standing Partner Fund, the Three Rivers Community Foundation (TRCF), which serves the Elk River-Rodgers area. This annual event takes place at Elk River’s Furniture and Things Community Event Center, home to two National Hockey League-sized ice rinks.

In my remarks I told the generous businesses in attendance how the Initiative Foundation supports TRCF’s direct operations and grantmaking AND provides additional services that we believe make us a uniquely impactful place to create a Partner Fund. Namely, we provide lending capital as well as capacity-building programs for businesses and nonprofits. That work is fortified by other, complementary grantmaking such as the millions of dollars in COVID relief grants distributed during the peak of the pandemic. Last but not least, we LOVE to make connections between our partners.

That’s why I couldn’t have been happier to hear the story of another speaker that day, Julie Schultz, who leads Main Street Family Services in Elk River (mainstreetfamilyservices.org). She and her staff of 15 are deeply enmeshed in the work of reuniting and healing families facing hardship.

When demand spiked during the peak of the pandemic, as Julie saw Main Street’s available resources dwindle, she reached out the Initiative Foundation for ideas. In short order she was on a call with colleagues Don Hickman and Zach Tabatt. They talked through an array of solutions and ultimately connected Julie to TRCF and a $4,000 grant. Julie and her team have since accessed other Initiative Foundation grants and programming and have gained a host of new community connections.

In fact, this edition of IQ Magazine, and every edition, is about connections—from our feature stories about affordable housing (page 40) and local food access (page 34) to our cover story about longtime loan clients and the community-based jobs they create (page 14). You’ll also read about the generosity of others and how their donoradvised funds with the Initiative Foundation (page 22) are delivering grants that make a difference in myriad ways for children and families.

Thanks for reading!

Matt Varilek, PRESIDENT

VOLUME 37, SPRING 2023

Initiative Foundation

President | Matt Varilek

Marketing & Communications

Director | Bob McClintick

Marketing & Communications

Specialist | Allison Norgren

Editorial

Managing Editor | Betsy Johnson

Writer | Laura Billings Coleman

Writer | Lisa Meyers McClintick

Writer | Elizabeth Foy Larsen

Writer | Gene Rebeck

Writer | Maria Surma Manka

Writer | Sarah Kocher

Writer | Sara Mohs

Writer | Betsy Johnson

Art

Art Director | Dan MacLaughlin

Photographer | John Linn

Advertising

Advertising Director | Brian Lehman

Advertising Manager | Sonja Gidlow

Advertiser Services | Julie Engelmeyer

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