Myra Foundation announces second-largest annual grant funding to area nonprofit organizations

Posted 12/22/22 (Thu)

By Pamela Knudson

December 21, 2022 02:19 PM

GRAND FORKS – The Myra Foundation will award $730,878 in grant funds to 77 area charitable organizations by the end of the 2022 calendar year, John Botsford, the foundation president, has announced.

This will be the foundation’s second-highest yearly giving total in its 81-year history, Botsford said in a news release. With this round of funding, the foundation has awarded more than $12 million to nonprofit organizations. In 2021, the foundation awarded its highest total, $820,110 to 74 Grand Forks County nonprofit organizations.

This year, the organizations that applied for and will receive funds include schools, health care organizations, rural development groups, social assistance organizations, arts groups and many more.

The 2022 calendar year also brought a record number of requests from a record number of local applicants, indicating that local needs continue to grow, Botsford said.

The Myra Foundation remains committed to funding causes in Grand Forks County according to the wishes of the late John E. Myra, who founded the foundation in 1941, he said. The Myra Foundation was the first private charitable foundation of its kind in North Dakota.

The grant awards given this year went to many organizations based in the city of Grand Forks, as well as rural communities such as Larimore, Emerado, Gilby, Thompson, Manvel, Northwood and others.

The three largest individual grants were awarded for a scholarship program for Grand Forks County graduating seniors planning to attend UND; the proposed Grand Forks Center for Exploration, also known as the children’s museum; and a “Tree House” project that will be part of the children’s department renovation on the second floor of the Grand Forks Public Library.

“The Myra Foundation is so fortunate to be in a strong position to fund a wide spectrum of worthy charitable organizations in our region,” Botsford said.

The foundation is administered by a board of three trustees, he said. “This year we welcomed Tracy Kennedy to our board.”

Kennedy, an attorney with the Zimney Foster law firm, Grand Forks, serves along with Emily Montgomery. Kennedy took over the position that was held by Kent Cronquist, who retired from the board.

For more information about the Myra Foundation, visit www.myrafoundation.org .

Following is a list of the 2022 Myra Foundation grant recipients:

Altru Family YMCA

Altru Health Foundation for Safe Kids Grand Forks

Art Matters

ArtWise

BIO Girls

Circle of Friends Animal Shelter/Humane Society of Grand Forks

City of Gilby, ND

Community Violence Intervention Center

Dakota Science Center

Downtown Development Association

Emerado Cemetery

Emerado Rural Volunteer Fire Department

Empire Arts Center

Girl Scouts - Dakota Horizons

Global Friends Coalition

Grand Cities Children's Choir

Grand Forks Children's Museum, Inc Displays

Grand Forks Children's Museum, Inc Naming Rights

Grand Forks Chorales, Inc.

Grand Forks County 4-H Organization

Grand Forks County Historical Society

Grand Forks Foundation for Education, Inc. – Big Red Reading Bus

Grand Forks Girls Fastpitch

Grand Forks Parks & Recreation Foundation

Grand Forks Public Library

Grand Forks Public Schools

Grand Forks Salvation Army

Grand Forks School District 1-Junior Achievement Program

Grand Forks Senior Center

Greater Grand Forks Community Corrections Advisory Board

Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre

Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra

HC Community Care Center & Food Pantry

Holy Family School

Larimore Football

Larimore Park Board

LHS Trap Team

Lions Foundation of North Dakota , South Forks Lions

LISTEN CENTER INC

Manvel Community Center Incorporated

Manvel Museum (Manvel Heritage Center)

Manvel Park Board

Manvel Public Schools

Mini Monarchs Child Care

Muddy Waters Clay Center

MyAlly Health

ND Ballet Company

NDSU Extension Grand Forks County

North Dakota Museum of Art

Northern Lights Council of Boy Scouts of America Inc.

Northern Valley Youth Orchestras

Northlands Rescue Mission Inc

Northwood Deaconess Health Center

Northwood Park District

Prairie Harvest Mental Health

Public Art Commission

Red River Valley Athletics.org

Red River Valley Community Action

River Forks Watercolor Society

Santa Claus Girls

Share House, Inc

Sox For Kids

St. Joseph's Social Care

The Arc Upper Valley

the Empty State Theatre

The Summer Performing Arts Company

The Village Family Service Center

Third Street Clinic

Thompson Public School

Thompson Youth independent Baseball Program

United Day Nursery Inc.

United Way of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Area

University of North Dakota Foundation

USpireND

Valley Senior Living Foundation

Youth Works Day Report Program

Youth Works Divert Program