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Supporting families and strengthening the economy of west central Minnesota are key to West Central Initiative's mission. WCI seeks to help families fulfill their aspirations by fostering the creation and retention of quality jobs and self-employment opportunities.
Since 1992, the foundation has supported the retraining of more than one-third of the manufacturing workforce in the region through programs like Workforce 2020 and the Quality Employment Initiative. Increased productivity plus well-trained employees mean higher wages paid to employees and improved bottom lines for businesses. Supporting workers, supporting employers, supporting families, supporting youth in west central Minnesota—it's all connected through the foundation.
In the early 1980s, declines in the farming and mining economies were stripping rural communities of people, jobs and hope. Minnesota-based McKnight Foundation helped set up six Minnesota Initiative Foundations (MIFs), including West Central Initiative, to turn around this devastating trend.
Through the encouragement of The McKnight Foundation, an informal, grassroots group from west central Minnesota was formed in 1985 to determine the needs of the region's residents. The group submitted an application to The McKnight Foundation and was awarded a two-year grant in the amount of $2.1 million, to fund and establish what is known today as West Central Initiative.
The McKnight Foundation continues to be a strong supporter of West Central Initiative (WCI). Since WCI's inception in 1986, The McKnight Foundation has committed over $39.7 million in program, operational and endowment support for the region.
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• Business & Employment
Assisting west central Minnesota families and helping them fulfill their aspirations by fostering and supporting the creation and retention of quality jobs and self-employment opportunities.
• Communities and the Region
Assisting communities and the greater region of west central Minnesota in developing the capacities necessary to address priority needs and sustain their economic and social viability.
• Workers and their Families
Assisting workers in west central Minnesota in attaining skills that enable them to earn a livable wage, helping workers and their families overcome barriers to economic success.
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