The Otto Bremer Trust in St. Paul has announced grants and a program-related investment totaling more than $8.8 million to nonprofits in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Grants awarded to organizations in Minnesota include $22,317 to the Care and Share Center in support of its efforts to increase security measures and ensure a safe environment for shelter clients in the Crookston area; $100,000 to Avivo, which will use the funds to help individuals and families facing barriers to success such as poverty, homelessness, and unemployment; and $55,000 to Kindred Family Focus to help expand the number of foster/adoptive homes in central Minnesota.

Recipients of grants in North Dakota include Minot-based Full STEAM Ahead, which was awarded $100,000 in support of its youth-development activities in the Bismarck area; the Native American Development Center, which received $60,000 to implement a culturally competent mentoring program for adults focused on reducing jail and prison recidivism for Native American inmates transitioning into communities in the Bismarck metro area; and Safe Alternatives for Abused Families, which was awarded $20,000 to provide a safe environment for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Devil Lakes area.

Grants to organizations in Wisconsin include $30,000 to the United Way of Dunn County in support of a program that offers basic household resources to those in need during crisis situations; $45,000 to the Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council in support of Eau Claire Fresh Start, which works to develop employment and education skills for at-risk youth and young adults; and $20,000 in general operating support to the La Crosse Area Veterans Mentor Program.

"These investments continue our ongoing support of communities and organizations in the upper Midwest," said Otto Bremer Trust co-CEO Brian Lipschultz.

(Photo credit: Native American Development Center)