News Release: McKnight approves $57.8 million in grants in fourth quarter of 2009, including $1.6 million to protect and restore the Mississippi
January 6, 2010 - McKnight's fourth-quarter 2009 approved grants.
The McKnight Foundation awarded 144 grants totaling $57,872,000 in its fourth-quarter 2009 grantmaking. Grant totals and representative grants are listed by program below.
Of the $57.8 million total approved, $1.6 million went to organizations working to protect and restore the Mississippi River. Among these, Montevideo's Clean Up the River Environment received a two-year grant of $90,000 to restore the Upper Minnesota River watershed. Environmental Defense Fund, based in New York, received $120,000 over two years for its ongoing work to restore coastal wetlands in Louisiana. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis was awarded $50,000 over two years to promote policies to restore the Mississippi River. Prairie Rivers Network of Champaign, Illinois, received $25,000 to establish a waterkeeper program designed to monitor and protect sections of both the Mississippi and Rock rivers. And Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development Council, based in Mascoutah, Illinois, received a two-year grant of $90,000 for its conservation efforts along the "Middle Mississippi," stretching from St. Louis to the confluence with the Ohio River.
"The Mississippi River is a powerful yet fragile natural resource, both influencing and affected by endeavors ranging from energy and commerce to agriculture and recreation," says Robert J. Struyk, McKnight's board chair. "The work of these and other organizations to restore the water quality and resilience of the Mississippi is of vital importance to all the communities who rely on it for their health and their livelihoods."
ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION
The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through grantmaking, coalition-building, and encouragement of strategic policy reform. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based Foundation had assets of approximately $1.6 billion and granted about $99 million in 2008.
Contact
Tim Hanrahan, Communications Director, 612-333-4220