Department of Public Transformation to Strengthen Civic Engagement in Rural Minnesota with $490,000 Blandin Foundation Grant

Grand Rapids, Minn. — April 27, 2026

Blandin Foundation has awarded a $490,000 grant over three years to Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) to support creative strategies that strengthen civic engagement, leadership and community connection in rural Minnesota.

The grant will expand the nonprofit’s Engage Rural program, which equips rural communities with creative and inclusive tools to broaden participation in civic life, build trust in local systems, and strengthen pride in place.

The Engage Rural program builds on lessons from a pilot project offered in 2022 with three southwest Minnesota communities. During the pilot, every $1 of an initial investment in creative civic engagement leveraged an average of at least $2.97 from other funding sources for creative community-engaged projects.