FOUNDATION BLOG
Community Foundation Journal
IMAGINE THE IMPACT
Lisé G. Freking, Eagan Community Foundation, Board of Directors
September 2025
Imagine not knowing where your next meal might come from. Imagine not having a roof over your head. Imagine not having a bed to sleep in every night. Imagine not being safe and secure in your own home. Imagine not having clothes or shoes to wear. Imagine not having mental health or disability support services. Imagine not having access to art or music in your neighborhood. While hard to imagine, this the reality for many individuals and families in our Eagan community.
Now imagine: A healthy breakfast. Ending childhood poverty and empowering families in need. Emergency shelter and housing for veterans, women and children facing homelessness. Art and music resources. Life skills training. Positive self-thought and behavior support.
The Eagan Community Foundation helped to support 30 local organizations with $62,000 in grants their Community Grants and Art Works Legacy Funds awards. Grants were presented at their annual Awards Breakfast on September 18, 2025, at the Emagine Theater in Eagan.
This financial support will make an impact on the multitude of issues facing many Eagan individuals and families ranging from food/nutrition, housing/shelter services, at-risk youth/youth development, low-income services, mental health, disability services, training individuals with disabilities in digital arts, to women’s needs, and more. Imagine the impact that these grants will bring to the selected recipients!
“The Eagan Women of Note (EWON) is honored to be selected as a recipient of the Eagan Community Foundation Art Works Legacy Fund,” said Rachel Dysart, Fundraising and Social Coordinator on the EWON Board of Directors. “As a nonprofit women’s choir, we take pride in bringing quality entertainment to the Eagan community,” she said. “This generous grant willsupport the purchase of new music repertoire, allowing us to refresh our library and continue offering a diverse and engaging selection of songs for our audiences.
Image: Eagan Women of Note singing to residents of the
Minnesota Veterans House. Photo courtesy of EWON.
"With the help of the Eagan Community Foundation grant, we are closer than ever to completing Veteran Village,” stated Sofia Humphries, Senior Director of Community Impact at the Housing First Minnesota Foundation. “Every dollar brings us nearer to the moment we can finally welcome veterans home to the safe, dignified community they deserve.”
Image: Veteran Village housing under construction. Photo courtesy of Housing First Minnesota.
Jeremy Hosterman, Founder/Director of Pluto Noodle, agrees about the impact of the grant award. “The Eagan Community Foundation grant allows us to use technology in new ways to empower individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome to tell their own stories through animation,” Hosterman stated. “With this support, we can expand opportunities for creativity and connection for participants and their families.”
Image: Pluto Noodle animation drawing. Photo courtesy of Pluto Noodle website.
We encourage you to learn below or on our grants page about all the grant partners, and visit their websites to learn more about them. Together let’s continue to unite to make Eagan a better place to live, learn, work, and enjoy for all!
The Foundation couldn’t award these grants to those in need without the generous donations from the broader Eagan community. Many thanks to all who helped fund these grants. Click here to learn about the different ways you can contribute to the Eagan Community Foundation-including sponsorships, scholarships, and donor advised fund options.
As a nonprofit organization, we rely on scholarship donations and financial sponsorship to support our programs. We are a 501(c)(3) entity and contributions are tax deductible.
Interested in applying for a grant next year? Are you imagining what a grant award could do for your organization to help those in need in the Eagan area? You can find more information on the grant application process and deadlines on the Foundation’s Community Grants website page.
We also invite our local community to join us at our Annual Fundraiser on Thursday, November 13, 2025, from 5:30-9 pm, at Lost Spur Golf and Event Center, 2750 Sibley Memorial Hwy., Eagan. This annual International Evening of Eagan highlights culinary delights from over a dozen local restaurants such as Andiamo, Kitchen & Rail, India Bazaar, and LI-SU Thai Kitchen (just to name a few of our culinary sponsors!). Food and activities will be highlighted from the many cultures represented right here in Eagan. There will be entertainment and a silent auction too. Get tickets today and join us to Eat, Explore, and Enjoy!
The dollars raised from this annual fundraiser allow the Foundation to continually invest in Eagan’s future by providing community support, community grants, and educational scholarships. Hope to see you there!
Congratulations to these 2025 Community Grant Award Partners - listed below with the basic purpose of their grant
• 360 Communities: Basic needs for clients
• Amherst H. Wilder Foundation: Housing for youth in transition
• Dakota County Family Child Care Association: Training for in-home daycare providers
• Dakota Woodlands: Trauma-informed care for children experiencing homelessness
• Foster Together MN: Outreach for youth and caregivers
• Girls on the Run Minnesota: Race Registration Discounts (Pay what you can model)
• Housing First Minnesota Foundation: Housing for Veterans - Veteran Village
• Independent School District 191: Food for Weekend Backpack program
• Kaitlyn's Kloset - MN: New technology and equipment for resource center
• Midwest Special Services, Inc. dba MSS: Community engagement programming for people with disabilities
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Dakota County
• Sleep In Heavenly Peace - MN Twin Cities S: Bed building for children without beds
• TreeHouse: Mental health and youth development programming
Congratulations to these 2025 Art Works Legacy Fund Award recipients:
• Ameriikan Poijat (Boys of America Brass Band): Brass Band Concerts in Rice and Dakota County
• Caponi Art Park: General Operation to support staff
• Dakota Center for the Arts: Replace outdated technology and support an artist performance
• Eagan Women of Note (EWON): Purchase of new music
• Lake Pepin Chamber Music: Venue Rental Costs
• Lotus Arts Center: Photo Exhibit
• Midwest Special Services, Inc. DBA MSS: Interactive Music Experience for clients with disabilities
• New Prague Arts Foundation: General Support for Performances
• Pluto Noodle: Animation and storytelling program for people with disabilities
• Straight River Arts: Staff for public art programs
• The Friends of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra: Student trip to Chamber Orchestra
• Twin Cities Bronze: General support for performances
• Universal Music Center: General Operating Support
• Youth Dance Ensemble: Sound equipment and outreach programming