The McKnight Foundation has announced  third-quarter grants totaling nearly $26.4 million to sixty-eight organizations.

The grants include more than $1.4 million to twelve organizations working to reduce agricultural pollution in and around the northern half of the Mississippi River, a key component of McKnight's Mississippi River program. Recipients of grants awarded through the program include Ames-based Practical Farmers of Iowa, which will receive $220,000 over two years in support of its efforts to provide farmer-to-farmer education and technical support related to river-friendly farming systems; Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in Washington, D.C., which was awarded $140,000 over two years for a project designed to inform and engage members of the hunting and fishing communities about conservation opportunities embedded in agricultural policy; the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, which will receive $120,000 over two years to apply the  influence of cities and local governments to efforts to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous runoff; Minnesota Public Radio, which was awarded $100,000 over two years to hire a full-time water reporter and expand coverage of river-related issues; and the Meridian Institute in Dillon, Colorado, which will receive $27,000 for an innovative collaboration that explores the use of remote sensing technology to gather water-quality data.

"Agricultural pollution poses a serious threat to the water quality of the Mississippi River," said McKnight board chair Meghan Brown. "McKnight is proud to support organizations like these, working to explore and promote practices that help reduce it."

For a complete list of third-quarter grant recipients, see the McKnight Foundation website.