SMIF Youth Mental Health Grants

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) recently approved five grants totaling $25,000 for projects that support youth mental health in rural Minnesota. 

$5,000 is going to Honoring Dakota Project in Red Wing to support and expand programs, including youth lifeways sessions, paid internships and youth-led community engagement opportunities.

These opportunities will help Indigenous youth build relationships with elders and knowledge keepers, contribute meaningfully to community events and share their voices through cultural expression, storytelling and public engagement. 

SMIF awarded the grants based on ideas shared by southern Minnesota residents during the 2025 Rural Voice conversation, a discussion on mental health in rural communities.

Participants shared their concerns about various mental health topics which helped shape the projects selected for funding.