FAIRMONT – The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) recapped their 2024 and discussed their benefits for Martin County in 2025 during the Martin County EDA meeting Monday.

SMIF VP of Philanthropy and Community Vitality Alissa Oeltjenbruns said Martin County and SMIF have been able to support one another over the years. She said she was there to give an update on what 2024 looked like for SMIF in Martin County and what they were looking to do for 2025.

Oeltjenbruns said their largest area of focus in Martin County is fostering entrepreneurship.

“We have actually impacted over 41 entrepreneurs in Martin County in the past year through our programming,” she said. “The largest [boost] to this area is our lending program for our guest lenders who want to partner with other financial institutions.”

Through their programs, Oeltjenbruns said they have greatly increased the success rates for new businesses in Martin County.

“The national average is eight out of 10 businesses die in their first two years,” she said. “We’re excited to say that when we’re part of the package, nine out of 10 are succeeding. We think that’s because we found the importance of technical assistance and one-on-one mentoring.”

Child care is an area Oeltjenbruns said she would like to see more participation from current providers, given the services SMIF provides.

“We have taken the stance of educating and providing education for current child care providers,” she said. “We offer free trainings, virtual and in person. We’re in the middle of a winter series right now, which is all virtual, and we are able to assist about 1,000 providers throughout our region in this way throughout the calendar year. It’s free of charge.”

In addition to training programs, Oeltjenbruns said they are also beginning a rural childcare funding program.

“It could be as simple as ‘We need a new door, this is not secure for our facility,'” she said. “Those and outdoor play space applications are very popular.”

The program will have $300,000 in grant funding each year, with potential room for growth as it is in the pilot stage. Board Member Richard Koons asked if Lakeview Methodist had reached out about funding regarding their Building Blocks Child Care Expansion project. Oeltjenbruns said she did not have that information on hand but would attempt to reach out to them.

Overall, Oeltjenbruns said every dollar donated by Martin County to SMIF accounts for nine dollars invested in area projects. Through 26 loans, 229 grants and various programs through the years, SMIF has been able to invest $4.6 million into Martin County.