little falls/morrison county initiative

THE LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND wants to help the citizens of Little Falls and Morrison County continue to develop and maintain strong, vibrant, and healthy communities. Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to: Arts, Children, Education, and Music

organizations must demonstrate . . .

That they are working to increase the community’s access to their services through scholarships, hands-on activities, community venues, workshops, discounts, or other innovations

That they are working in measurable ways to increase their sustainability

Their capacity to engage their community in their services

Support from their community (through volunteerism, membership, in-kind, or other types of support)

limits of geography. . .

Organizations must be located in MORRISON COUNTY, MN

funds will be available for . . .

Musser Fund grants in this area are available through two distinct programs – the General Operating Support Program and the Small Grants Program.  An organization may not apply to both grant programs in one year.

GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT PROGRAM Organizations with annual expenses of $1 million or less may apply for General Operating Support in this area. Grants in this program may be up to $10,000 per year for up to three consecutive years. Grants are provided in order to help increase sustainable, organizational strength and the ability of organizations to meet the needs of their communities.

Applications are accepted for one year of funding at a time. It is possible for organizations to apply for and receive funding for up to three consecutive years. After three consecutive years of funding, grantees are not eligible for further Musser Fund support for at least a one year period. All types of Laura Jane Musser Fund grants count towards this three-year limit. 

Grantees that request second and third years of operating support will be asked to report on their progress toward the goals they articulated in their previous year’s application, especially in the following areas:

  • Increasing access to their services
  • Increasing their organizational sustainability
  • Increasing support from their community 

SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM There is no organizational budget size limit in this granting area. These grants, up to $10,000, are available to support one-time small projects.

In addition to the priorities outlined above, priority is placed on organizations that: 

  • Demonstrate a clear plan and a clear need for the project or equipment
  • Demonstrate how the project or equipment will: Help to increase the community’s access to their services, and/or Help to build organizational sustainability

who can apply ?

  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations located in Morrison County, MN (organizations with fiscal sponsors are not eligible)
  • Local units of Government

what will not be funded

  • Capital campaigns
  • Festivals and Conferences
  • Advocacy
  • Funds that will be re-granted

HOW TO APPLY

The online application will be available February 13 – March 13, 2025. Funding decisions will be announced in July of 2025.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund requires all of its grantees to provide evidence, through current policies or acknowledgement, of their anti-discrimination policies or practices.

Please carefully construct your application with the following information and attachments (see below for descriptions of the online narrative section and required attachments). We suggest you read through the descriptions below PRIOR to beginning your online application.1

APPLY

proposal questions

  • BACKGROUND Summarize your organizational background and its history in your community.
  • GOALS AND ACTIVITIES Describe the goals of the organization and the activities planned during the grant period
  • PARTICIPANTS Describe, using qualitative and quantitative descriptions, the community members you reach with your programming.
  • COMMUNITY ACCESS Describe the ways that your organization works to increase the community’s access to your programming.
  • SUSTAINABILITY Describe the activities planned to increase your organization’s sustainability.
  • COMMUNITY SUPPORT Describe specifically, the ways the community supports your organization.
  • OUTCOMES Describe specifically, the outcomes expected for activities planned during the grant period.
  • ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY Indicate whether your organization has anti-discrimination practices or policies and provide a description of any diversity component of your organization’s work
  • PREVIOUS GRANT UPDATE If you have received a Musser Fund grant in the past two years: Please list the goals you identified for that grant period and provide a brief summary of your progress toward those goals, especially in the following areas: increasing access to your services, increasing your organizational sustainability, and increasing support from your community.

Additional questions for Small Grants Program applicants . . .

  • Please identify and explain the reason for the request of small grant funding.
  • Describe the overall goal(s) of the project.
  • Describe the specific activities planned to reach your goals. Provide the timeline for the project activities that includes the schedule and completion date for the project.

attachments

personnel lists

  • STAFF Please include a staff list identifying the organization’s leaders and the experience they bring to the organization.
  • BOARD OF DIRECTORS  Please include a list of the Board of Directors, their affiliations and their terms.  

LETTERS OF SUPPORT

Please include letters of support from 2-4 key community members (independent individuals and/or representatives of entities in your community) that support your organization’s work in your community. These letters should not be from individuals who are paid or unpaid staff, contractors, or Board members of the organization. Letters can come from people who benefit from your organization. Unique and impactful stories are valued by the Board in its decision-making process.

Please make sure the letters are signed and, when appropriate, on letterhead. Letters of support must include the writer’s name, phone number, email address, and organizational affiliation or relationship to the applicant organization or project.  All letters of support must be dated within 6 months of the application. The Fund is only able to consider letters that are part of the online proposal when it is submitted.

ANTI-DESCRIMINATION POLICY

If your organization has a written anti-discrimination policy, please provide it.

other

If there is other information you feel would be helpful in reviewing your proposal, you may enter or upload it in the proposal. If you submit a supporting document, please explain why you have chosen to include it in your application.

BUDGETS

Budget attachments must be submitted as pdfs:

  • ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGETS Please upload your organization’s projected budget for the current year. Include expenses and revenue detail, revenue sources, amounts, and what is secured and what is pending. Please upload a final budget (or profit and loss statement) for the most recently completed year. Include budget vs. actual, revenue, expense and source detail.
  • PROJECT BUDGET If you are applying for support through the Small Grants Program, please provide a project budget. Please include expense and revenue detail, revenue sources, amounts, and what is secured and what is pending.
  • BALANCE SHEET Please upload your organization’s balance sheet from the most recent completed year.  If your organization does not create a balance sheet, please upload your organization’s most recent 990 tax form.

IRS Status

Please include a copy of your 501(c)(3) letter from the IRS

Little Falls initiative granting history

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final report requirements

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