DULUTH, MN (KDAL) - The Northland Foundation’s Business Finance Program, a local community lender, announced that it has received a capital grant from the Create Jobs for USA Fund, a collaboration between Starbucks and Opportunity Finance Network (OFN). The money will help the Northland Foundation create and sustain jobs in northeastern Minnesota as part of a national campaign to support community businesses in underserved communities. The Northland Foundation is one of the top-tier community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the nation to be awarded a grant from the fund since the program began allocating awards in November of 2011. The Create Jobs for USA Fund pools donations from Starbucks customers, partners/employees, and concerned citizens into a nationwide fund, held and managed by OFN, for community business lending. Donors who contribute $5 or more will receive a red, white, and blue wristband with the message “Indivisible.” The wristbands are individually handmade in the U.S.A. and all component materials are manufactured by U.S. suppliers, so the effort is also helping support American manufacturing jobs. Since November 1 The Create Jobs for USA Fund has been collecting donations at www.CreateJobsforUSA.org and at nearly 7,000 company-operated Starbucks across the country. 100% of the donations will support organizations like the Northland Foundation for job creation and retention across the US.
