CROSBY — The trustees of the John & Elaine Andrist Charitable Trust have awarded 14 grants totaling $178,000 to organizations seeking to improve the quality of life in western North Dakota. These grants mark the first funding cycle of community investments to come from the trust in 2021.

The organizations receiving funds are:

– Alkabo Sports Club, $26,000 to repair the roof on the historic Alkabo School building.

– Crosby Blue Line Club, $15,000 to support needed repairs and upgrades for ice operations.

– Crosby Rural Fire Protection District, $35,000 to construct a new joint fire and ambulance service hall.

– Divide County Area Dollars for Scholars, $4,500 for increased promotions and marketing of the scholarship program.

– Divide County Ambulance Service, $15,000 to construct a new joint fire and ambulance service hall.

– Dakota Roots Hockey School, $2,000 to provide scholarships for Divide County youth.

– Family Crisis Shelter, $5,000 to support emergency dental services for local survivors of domestic violence.

– Fortuna Rural Fire Protection District, $22,500 to obtain a new wildland response unit.

– Great Plains Food Bank, $5,000 to support the mobile food pantry in northwest North Dakota.

– International Music Camp, $15,000 to support Divide County youth attendance at “IMC On The Road,” which is mobile music programming, across North Dakota.

– Minot Symphony Association, $5,000 to support free attendance for Divide County residents to the Heartland Marimba Quartet performance.

– Prairie Tumbleweeds, $3,000 to purchase new fitness equipment and air scrubbers.

– State Historical Society, $20,000 to install new playground equipment at Fortuna’s Writing Rock site.

– University of Mary, $10,000 to produce “Voices of the Badlands,” a theatrical production.

The John & Elaine Andrist Charitable Trust’s community investments are administered by the Northwest North Dakota Community Foundation. The next opportunity to request funds from the John & Elaine Andrist Charitable Trust will be in the fall of 2021.