On behalf of our 19 partners in the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities coalition, we are very pleased to share the news our $4.7 million grant request has been approved by NTIA. Senator Klobuchar (MN) just made the announcement on Thursday!

Through this BTOP grant, over the next two years the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) coalition, led by the Blandin Foundation, will bring a network of resources and support to rural Minnesota individuals and communities-especially those unemployed and seeking employment, small businesses, coalitions of government entities and local leaders.

You also can expect to learn a lot about the 11 communities committed, through the initiative, to demonstrate new ideas through this grant and to share with others what they learn.

Vital communities are connected communities. And together, through our connections, we feel we can accomplish great things.

You can learn more about the MIRC program on the Blandin web site, our recent press release, the recent announcement from Secretary Locke or through the slides we presented at a TISP meeting last fall. We are planning to continue regular communication through the blog and other channels.