Eight Organizations Named Winners of 2015 Bush Prize for Community Innovation

The Bush Foundation today awarded the 2015 Bush Prize for Community Innovation to eight organizations with a track record of making great ideas happen.

The eight organizations were chosen for demonstrating a pattern of inclusive, collaborative and resourceful processes that result in innovative solutions to community challenges. These breakthrough solutions are more effective, equitable or sustainable than existing approaches.

The 2015 Bush Prize winners are:

Minnesota

Hope Community, Minneapolis

Lakewood Health System, Staples

Minnesota Valley Action Council, Mankato

South Dakota

Cheyenne River Youth Project, Eagle Butte

GROW South Dakota, Sisseton

Partnership Rapid City - Teen Up, Rapid City

North Dakota

Grand Forks Housing Authority, Grand Forks

Impact Foundation, Fargo

"Innovation can be difficult to define in words, but the track record of these eight organizations paints a clear picture of the concept," said Bush President Jennifer Ford Reedy. "They all think outside the box, and are open, resourceful and completely invested in finding solutions for the region."

Bush Prize winners receive a package that includes promotional support and materials, and an unrestricted grant equal to 25 percent of the organization's prior fiscal year budget, up to $500,000.

The Foundation received 110 applications for the 2015 Bush Prize. Panels of community members within each of the three states chose the winners from their respective state.

"The Bush Prize is an investment in the future of organizations that know how to think bigger and think differently," said Mandy Ellerton, Community Innovation Director. "We want to take some daily pressure off these extraordinary organizations to give them the time and space to think creatively about their next steps and new challenges."

Learn more about the Foundation's work in this area at: BushFoundation.org/CommunityInnovation.

About the Bush Foundation

The Bush Foundation invests in great ideas and the people who power them. The Foundation was established in 1953 by 3M executive Archibald Bush and his wife, Edyth, and today works in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geographic area. More information is available at BushFoundation.org.

About the 2015 Bush Prize Winners

Cheyenne River Youth Project - Eagle Butte, SD

Born from a desire to transform a notorious main street bar into a drug- and alcohol-free space for the community's youth, the Cheyenne River Sioux Youth Project has become an essential part of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, providing safe places for teens to gather and to learn valuable employment and life skills.

Grand Forks Housing Authority - Grand Forks, ND

In an era of ever-present budget cuts, the Grand Forks Housing Authority fosters new opportunities to expand availability and improve the quality of the area's affordable housing stock. Grand Forks Housing Authority's innovations range from employing YouTube to improve turnaround time for distributing housing vouchers to pairing its long-term housing assistance strategy with emergency relief resources provided by other agencies.

Hope Community - Minneapolis, MN

Hope Community is based in the racially diverse, low- and moderate-income Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis. Hope works with community members and is known for its groundbreaking model of continuous engagement. Over 1,000 youth and adults work with Hope Community each year to build stronger lives and more power for their families and communities.

Impact Foundation - Fargo, ND

Over the next four decades, an estimated $308 billion of wealth will transfer between generations in North Dakota. Impact Foundation is working to make sure that nonprofit organizations across the region have the capacity to tap into this generational wealth transfer phenomenon-and that philanthropic giving in North Dakota reaches its full potential.

Lakewood Health System - Staples, MN

Lakewood Health System harnesses its size and agility to inspire innovations that lead to a healthier, economically stronger region. With an emphasis on investing in mission rather than financial gain, Lakewood Health System encourages all levels of staff to share ideas to improve the health and well-being of patients and the community.

Minnesota Valley Action Council - Mankato, MN

The Minnesota Valley Action Council is a regional leader in the fight against poverty. It develops a portfolio of self-sustaining social enterprises that meet the new and changing needs of its clients while creating reliable revenue streams in a time of decreased government funding.

GROW South Dakota - Sisseton, SD

Understanding that small communities often struggle to invest in economic development, GROW South Dakota offers an innovative program of financial and technical assistance. Its efforts have sparked growth in 14 rural communities and developed a thriving network that actively shares best practices for housing, community and economic development.

Partnership Rapid City - Teen Up - Rapid City, SD

Partnership Rapid City - Teen Up is a group of youth from a wide range of backgrounds and achievements who collaborate with each other and community partners to address issues they deem important. Since the creation of this collaboration, youth participation in the community has nearly doubled.