NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release, October 17, 2023
Contact information Megan Langley Executive Director
Strengthen ND 701.303.0840 megan@strengthennd.com
Two Organizations Named Bush Prize: North Dakota Winners
Minot, N.D. — Strengthen ND and the Bush Foundation are excited to announce that two organizations have been named winners of the Bush Prize: North Dakota for their track records of successful community problem solving: Ministry on the Margins (Bismarck) and New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (New Rockford).
“Bush Prize winners are doing big things in partnership with their communities,” says Jen Ford Reedy, Bush Foundation president. “I love that the Bush Prize gives flexible funding to organizations that are highly valued by their own communities. One of our operating values is to ‘work beyond ourselves,’ which includes the commitment to both lead and follow. We are following the good counsel of Strengthen ND as we jointly award the Bush Prize to organizations they selected. We congratulate the Bush Prize winners and celebrate their work!”
Bush Prize awards are flexible and can be used to build up reserves or test that next big idea or whatever else would best support the organization’s ongoing good work. The grant amounts are up to 25% of an organization’s most recent fiscal year expenses, with a maximum of $500,000.
“We are inspired by Bush Prize winners and how they think big about what’s possible for their communities,” says Eileen Briggs, grantmaking director at the Bush Foundation. “Bush Prize winners often pursue solutions to problems that haven’t been tried before, they engage community members who are impacted by the issues, as well as people working within the systems they aim to change. This year, our community grant partners worked with their respective communities to inform the Bush Prize program to ensure the Prize is granted to organizations that are most valued and admired in their community. We’re excited for the 2023 winners and finalists and the deep work they are doing to make our region better for everyone.”
Ministry on the Margins and New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation were selected after a rigorous due diligence and deliberation process by a community-based grantmaking committee, which evaluated 46 applicants. Heartview Foundation and Northern Cass School District were selected as finalists for their innovative work, each receiving an unrestricted grant of $10,000 to support continued efforts.
“This year’s Bush Prize: North Dakota winners and finalists are reflective of the wonderful work that is being undertaken every day across our state,” remarked Megan Langley, Executive Director of Strengthen ND. “North Dakotans should be incredibly proud to be represented by the work of Ministry on the Margins and New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation. Both organizations illustrate a bottom-up approach to community problem solving, humility, and the persistence to drive toward better outcomes for all people in their communities.”
To learn more about North Dakota’s Bush Prize and to find more information about Strengthen ND, visit Strengthen ND’s website at www.StrengthenND.com.
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Bush Prize: North Dakota Winners
Ministry on the Margins is committed to supporting those who fall through the cracks during times of transition through inclusive hospitality and a space of welcoming direct service and case management, and resourceful community-based partnerships. The New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation actively promotes community and economic development by bravely tackling issues most relevant to rural and remote communities.
Bush Prize: North Dakota
The Bush Prize: North Dakota celebrates organizations that are highly valued within their communities and have a track record of successful community problem-solving. It’s a recognition of the transformational impact these organizations are having throughout North Dakota and the 5 Native nations that share that same geography. Bush Prize: North Dakota winners have a drive to bring communities together to think bigger and differently about their approach to solving problems in innovative and collaborative ways.
Bush Foundation
The Bush Foundation works to inspire and support creative problem-solving — within and across sectors — to make the region better for everyone. They do this by investing in great ideas and the people who power them in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations that share that geography. The Foundation works through open grantmaking programs to support efforts to: develop, test, and spread great ideas that will make the region better for everyone; and inspire, equip, and connect people to more effectively lead change.
Strengthen ND
Strengthen ND is a dynamic, multi-faceted, and resourceful organization focused on elevating and expanding rural community viability across North Dakota and the Native nations that share its geography. Created in response to the growing disparities being faced by rural communities, Strengthen ND focuses on building nonprofit and rural community capacity, advancing regional issues, and facilitating community solutions to support and accelerate community development throughout rural North Dakota.
