Minnkota and CoBank are sharing success

A cooperative’s strength is rooted in its community. This year, Minnkota Power Cooperative joined with its longtime financing partner, CoBank, to support organizations across its service area. Square Butte Electric Cooperative, Minnkota’s sister cooperative, also participated with donations in Oliver County, North Dakota. Through CoBank’s Sharing Success program, the three cooperatives contributed a combined $60,000 to six wide-reaching organizations.

“Minnkota and Square Butte are grateful for the opportunity to partner with CoBank to double the impact of our donations,” said Brita Endrud, Minnkota external affairs representative. “These contributions will help provide essential equipment, sustain vital services, and enhance quality of life in the region we are proud to call home."

Minnkota’s roots run deep in the agricultural community. Employees, board members and member-consumers maintain strong ties to farms throughout the service territory. Each year, Minnkota allocates funds to Farm Rescue, whose mission is to assist up to 100 farming families in crisis annually. Minnkota and CoBank donated $10,000 to the organization in 2025.

“Each year direct assistance  expenses increase like lodging, meals and repairs to equipment. Our local support is extremely important to cover a portion of these costs,” said Tim Sullivan, executive director of Farm Rescue. “The funding support through the Minnkota and CoBank Sharing Success program provides annual volunteer expense support.”

The Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks  & Region is working to bring  back a popular literacy program to the area. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides children from birth to age five a free, high-quality book each month, building home libraries of up to 60 books before kindergarten. The foundation received a joint $5,000 donation. “We are deeply grateful to Minnkota and CoBank for recognizing the importance of early literacy and making an investment that will benefit children, families and our community for years to come,” said Becca Baumbach, the foundation’s president and CEO. “Together, Minnkota and CoBank will provide a year of free books for 142 children (that’s 1,704 books!), ensuring that more children can be enrolled and that the program remains sustainable.”

The Grand Forks Children’s Museum is nearing its groundbreaking on a year-round, affordable learning space where children can build confidence and explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities through play. The museum plans to highlight the industries and resources unique to the region. Minnkota and CoBank were proud to donate $15,000 to help this innovative organization get one step closer to its goal.

“These gifts create a year-round, affordable learning space where children build curiosity, confidence, and early STEM identity through play,” said Diane Martinson, fundraising and event coordinator at the museum. “Families gain a welcoming place to learn together; teachers gain field trip and classroom-ready experiences; and employers benefit from earlier exposure to high-demand careers rooted in our local industries.”

On behalf of Square Butte  Electric Cooperative, Minnkota also donated $30,000 to organizations in Center, North Dakota, supporting projects that strengthen the community.

The Oliver County Fair Board was looking to add two new sets of bleachers to its arena space.  The new bleachers include safety features like a back cage and handrails, which allowed the fairgrounds to accommodate more guests at all their community events. They received a total  donation of $10,000 through  the Sharing Success program.

“Donations from Minnkota and CoBank are very much appreciated not for just our board but for other organizations in our community,” said Dawn Alderin, Oliver County Fair board member. “Without these donations a lot of projects would get put on the back burner and in some cases may not happen. With the fair board bleacher project, it will provide families attending events at the fairgrounds a safer option for seating at events for many years to come.”

When the Oliver County Rural Fire Protection District’s budget was reduced this year, Fire Chief Austin Weigel wasn’t sure how they would complete major safety projects. The Sharing Success program provided $15,000 from Minnkota (on behalf of Square Butte) and CoBank to support their operations. “Our department is extremely grateful to receive this donation,” said Weigel. “It helps give us hope that we can keep the department operating to help protect our  community. We are the only fire and rescue department within 20 miles and cover approximately  800 square miles. Our main priority is keeping our doors open for years to come.”

A final $5,000 donation was made to the Oliver County Food Pantry, which supports about 40 families each month. As the county’s only pantry, the organization also provides soap and paper products in its baskets.

In 2025, CoBank and its Sharing Success program matched $6 million in contributions across all 50 states, benefiting more than 1,100 rural communities. To learn more about the program, visit CoBank. com/citizenship.