By Julie Drechsler

The St. Anthony Park Community Foundation’s annual grant program provides vital funding for local schools and community groups, and also helps support local events and activities in the neighborhood.

This year’s grants will again support a range of activities and initiatives, allocating $48,500 across 16 organizations. Funding categories include the arts, environment, physical activity and participation, education, community engagement, aging in place and positive youth development.

Being able to provide small grants to local community organizations remains a key function of the foundation.

In 1999, when the foundation began the annual grant program, it awarded a combined total of $8,000 to five local organizations. Since then, the foundation has awarded more than $1.1 million in community grants.

Cornerstone grants a new category

This year, the foundation has introduced a new category of grants, a pilot program for key community organizations. We are calling them SAP Cornerstone Grants, which are three-year operational grants.

We wanted to ease the burden of grant writing for some of our key community organizations that we traditionally support each year. We have chosen the Park Bugle, Saint Anthony Park Community Foundation, Creative Enterprise Zone and SAP Area Seniors for this funding.

All four organizations provide essential services and benefits to our community and we are thrilled to provide guaranteed operational funding of $2,500 for the next three years.

Programs and initiatives that we funded this year include:

Community grant winners:

• The Schubert Club: Julie Himmelstrup Music in the Park concert series.

• Como Park High School: Future Medical Professionals Association Club uniforms and medical equipment.

• International Institute of Minnesota: English for Work program.

• Avalon School: The production of two school plays.

• Minnesota Urban Debate League: Debating programs in Central High School, Como Park Senior High School and Murray Middle School.

• Creative Enterprise Zone: 2025 Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival.

• SAP School Association: Fourth-grade puppetry residency and fifth-grade Wolf Ridge trip.

• Urban Boat Builders: General operating expenditure.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities: Community-based mentoring program.

• Murray Middle School: School theater program and E2 Program.

• St. Paul Urban Tennis Program: Summer tennis and life skills programming at College Park and Langford Park.

• Children’s Dental Services: Dental care and education, including nutrition education and food assistance referrals.

• St. Anthony Park Community Council: Community Garden expansion.

Cornerstone Grantees: (Operational funds)

• The Park Bugle

• St. Anthony Park Community Council

• Creative Enterprise Zone

• SAP Area Seniors

Michael Brasel Fund for Youth Grantee:

• The Sanneh Foundation

Unfortunately, we always receive more requests than we can accommodate. There is so much valuable and inspiring work happening in St. Anthony Park—we would like to support all the requests, but we assess each submission against the funding criteria, alignment with the foundation’s mission and impact of the program.

Funding for the grants come from the foundation’s four endowed funds, the Gerald R. McKay Family Music Fund, The Environmental Education Fund, the Andy Boss Fund and the newest fund established in 2023, the Michael Brasel Fund for Youth.

Interested community members can donate to the St. Anthony Community Foundation through the GiveMN page, the website or through the annual giving campaign. 

Julie Drechsler is executive director of the St. Anthony Park Community Foundation.