Communities within the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) service area have a new source of assistance to help advance local broadband projects.

Grant applications to the Blandin Broadband Communities Program are being accepted under a Blandin Foundation and IRRRB partnership.

The program is designed to help communities with broadband planning, facilitation support, and additional sources of funding. 

“The need for better broadband was one theme heard at the Recharge the Range conversation,” said Bernadine Joselyn, Blandin Foundation director of public policy and engagement. “At Blandin Foundation, we see it everywhere in rural, but especially on the Iron Range – entrepreneurs are the engine of the economy. Broadband unleashes the potential and creativity in these people, creating opportunity and vibrancy.”

Rural broadband access and its use is being addressed across the state. 

Blandin Foundation since 2003 has partnered in more than 100 communities across the state to implement hundreds of community-based broadband projects. IRRRB has supported development of several rural broadband projects within its service area. 

Under the Blandin Broadband Communities Program, four communities within the IRRRB service area will be selected through an application process. Each community must form a steering committee that commits to spending time and attention to planning, project development and management.

Applications can be made from an individual city, group of cities, county, tribal government, school districts, a self-defined region or a community of interest.     

A $500,000 IRRRB grant supports the program. 

“We are really gratified to see, for the first time on this scale, the relationship between IRRRB and Blandin Foundation address a critical need for this indispensable infrastructure in communities in the IRRRB service area,” said Joselyn. 

View the program guidelines and application. 

PHOTO: The “students to seniors” tech training class offered by the Lake Superior School District brought together high school students and retirees for learning about the digital landscape - smartphones, Facebook, email, Internet searches and more. A Blandin Broadband Community grant funded the project.

IRRRB's Grants Office implemented a new FLUXX grants management software at the beginning of the month.

All IRRRB grant applications, reimbursement requests, correspondence and reports will be required to be filed electronically through this system. Applicants will find many benefits, including the ability to apply for grants, track grant progress, and request grant reimbursements in a quick, efficient manner.  

A training session for non-profit organizations and other eligible applicants is slated for Thursday, Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the IRRRB administrative building. To RSVP, contact Kimmie Hall at 218-735-3008 or kimmie.hall@state.mn.us.

Earlier this year, the Governor’s Diversity and Inclusion Council issued its 2016 report updating policymakers and Minnesotans on the Council’s efforts to improve diversity in the state’s workforce and business supplier chain, and to more equitably engage diverse people, communities, and businesses in the work of state government. 

One of the top accomplishments of the council was the development of the Office of Equity in Procurement (OEP). 

The OEP helps ensure greater equity in state contracting and construction. It promotes opportunities to do business with the state, and provide assistance to small businesses owned by women, minorities, people with substantial physical disabilities, and veterans as they seek state contracts.

The office also helps state agencies be leaders in equal employment opportunities, equal contracting opportunities, and full participation in civic life for all Minnesotans.

More than 1,000 small businesses are certified as veteran-owned, economically disadvantaged, or targeted group businesses in Minnesota based on the business's ownership by woman, minority, person with a substantial physical disability, or by its location in an economically disadvantaged area.

Learn more about the OEP and doing business with the State of Minnesota.

Here is a glimpse of what's happening this fall at Giants Ridge in Biwabik.

New Restaurant Open: Introducing Burnt Onion Kitchen & Brews, located in the new chalet. Serves lunch and dinner daily. Learn more.

Fall Golf Special: 18 holes of golf. Monday through Thursday, $52. Friday though Sunday, $62. Starts Sept. 5. Call 218-865-8030 to book tee times. Learn more.

Fall Golf Scramble: 2-Person scramble at the Legend, Saturday. Oct. 8. Noon shotgun start. Golf, lunch, prizes. $62 per player. Learn more.

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