West Central Initiative Serving the West Central Minnesota

West Central Initiative has a mission to improve the west central Minnesota region via a wide range of funding grants, technical assistance, and programs. As a non-profit organization, its vision is to unite the ideas and resources of the communities in and around the region and, in the process, help the people in the area to create a better future.

Its core values reflect the crucial role that it plays in the region, such as building a community, treating everybody with respect, and adopting a responsive approach to inquiries and requests, as well as a maintaining a strong commitment to continuous learning. Such is its commitment to these core values that it has provided stability to the communities it serves by establishing and maintaining a sustainable asset base.

West Central Initiative contributes to the improvement of west central Minnesota by sharing its resources in several ways including:

• Funding grants through partnerships so that resources can be provided to families and communities that need the funds. It focuses on community development, family economic success, and workforce development.
• Business loans particularly gap loans for qualified start-ups and for business expansions.
• Technical assistance in regional planning particularly economic development and transportation (i.e., the organization convenes groups like regional EDA planners, labor force development council, and family economic success groups)
• Donor services that encourage donors to make their contributions to community, family and business development

The organization serves nine counties at present. It does the most good in these communities by finding the most cost-efficient, results-effective ways in using its resources including its funds. Its success lies in its strong partnerships with stakeholders as well as its ability to listen to regional wisdom, gather facts and figures, and combine its resources during the decision-making process.

The result: West Central Initiative is considered as a force for progress and development in Minnesota!