Funds Benefit Organizations in Fergus Falls, Perham & Dent
FERGUS FALLS, MINN —West Central Initiative awarded grants totaling more than $96,000 to organizations in the Fergus Falls, Perham, and Dent areas through its Endowed Funds program.
Endowed Funds are managed by West Central Initiative on behalf of organizations, families, or individuals as a charitable giving vehicle.
“Endowed Funds—the Deloris Barnack Kenner Fund, Floyd and Harriet Miller Endowment Fund, and Inga M. Johnson Endowment —were established to create lasting impacts by supporting the namesake’s favorite causes and organizations in our region,” says Rebecca Lynn Petersen, West Central Initiative’s Director of Development. “They determined how West Central Initiative would direct the funds by identifying certain giving criteria. West Central Initiative then, in turn, serves the philanthropists by seeking and granting to causes that fit those criteria.”
That’s one way Endowed Funds work. In other cases, philanthropists themselves choose where to award the grants. Both ways of giving have tax benefits and both certainly leave a lasting legacy.
Funds and Benefactors
Deloris Barnack Kenner Fund: Kenner grew up and went to school in the Perham area. She continued her education and enjoyed a 50-year career as a nurse. Her funds benefit Perham-Dent area teachers or education-related projects in the communities. Grantees are:
- 549 Family Foundation, Perham
- BIO Girls, Inc.
- Boys and Girls Club of the Perham Area
- Empowering Kids, Perham
- Perham Area Public Library
- Perham High School
Floyd and Harriet Miller Endowment Fund: Reverend Floyd and Harriet Miller wished to leave a lasting impact in the Fergus Falls community for all the kindness that they received during their lifetimes. Funds benefit nonprofit organizations in the Fergus Falls area along with the St. James Episcopal Church. Grantees are:
- Action Ministries, Inc.
- Fergus Falls Area Family YMCA
- Fergus Falls Public Library
- Fergus Falls Senior Citizens Program
- Fergus Falls Summerfest, Inc.
- Friends of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center
- Human Society of Otter Tail County
- Kaddatz Galleries, LTD, Fergus Falls
- Lake Region Halfway Home
- LB Homes Foundation
- Pedal Fergus Falls
- Someplace Safe, Fergus Falls
- St. James Episcopal Church
- United States Blind Golf Association Midwest Region in Fergus Falls
- Welcome House
Inga M. Johnson Endowment Fund: Johnson was actively involved with her community and was philanthropic throughout her lifetime. It was Inga’s wish that this fund be used to improve the quality of life in and around Fergus Falls with donations that invest in the community’s educational, scientific, literary, and religious needs. Grantees are:
- A Center for the Arts
- A Place to Belong
- City of Fergus Falls NP Park Renovation
- Fergus Falls Area College Foundation
- Fergus Falls Area Family YMCA
- Fergus Falls Area Habitat for Humanity
- Fergus Falls Parks, Recreation & Forestry
- Fergus Falls Public Schools
- Friends of the Fergus Falls Public Library
- Friends of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Fergus Falls
- Hillcrest Lutheran Academy
- JAIL, Inc.
- Kaddatz Galleries, LTD, Fergus Falls
- Oak Grove Cemetery Association, Fergus Falls
- Otter Cove Children’s Museum, Fergus Falls
- Otter Tail County Historical Society
- Otter Tail Nordic Ski Association
- Pedal Fergus Falls
- United Way of Otter Tail and Wadena Counties
- Young Life Otter Tail County
For more information about the benefits of creating an endowed fund, contact Rebecca Petersen at 800-735-2239 or email rebecca@old.wcif.org.
