Community

Vibrant arts and culture contribute to community wellbeing. We invest in the arts to create spaces for community members to come together, help drive economic growth, and attract creativity and talent. Through Granite Partners Foundation, grants have been distributed to several organizations, including Great River Educational Arts Theatre, Paramount Arts Resource Trust, Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota, and Great River Children’s Museum.

We invest in and encourage team members from Granite Partners and the Granite Companies to volunteer and support community development initiatives such as the United Way Day of Caring, United Way campaigns, and Granite Build Days with Habitat for Humanity. Through Granite Partners Foundation, grants have been distributed to these and many other community development organizations, including CommunityGiving, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army.

Economic development includes targeted programs that improve quality of life. In partnership with the Minnesota Initiative Foundations and the Bush Foundation, Granite Partners is a founding and major funder of the Initiators Fellowship, a program that provides financial support, training, and mentoring to entrepreneurs developing businesses and non-profit organizations. Through Granite Partners Foundation, grants have been distributed to several organizations, including Greater St. Cloud development corporation, Minnesota Chamber Foundation, and the St. Cloud Downtown Alliance.

Education is fundamental to opportunity and growth. Anderson Center delivers management and leadership development forums and is a valuable partner to Granite Partners and the Granite Companies. Through the Granite Partners Foundation, grants have been distributed to many organizations, including St. Cloud Technical & Community College Foundation, St. Cloud State University Foundation, College of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s University, and the University of Minnesota Medical School’s CentraCare Regional Campus St. Cloud. Additionally, Granite Partners established the Granite Scholarship Fund in 2022 to award scholarships to children and grandchildren of Granite Company team members.

Stewardship of the environment supports the Granite objective of 100-year sustainability. Through the Granite Partners Foundation, grants have been distributed to environmental stewardship organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and Great River Greening. In addition, Granite Partners established the Granite Environmental Fund in 2024 to award grants to non-profit organizations that advance environmental stewardship and support the volunteerism of team members across the Granite Companies.

The Granite vision is world-class wellbeing, and we support health and wellbeing broadly for all team members. Through Granite Partners Foundation, grants have been distributed to many organizations, including CentraCare Health Foundation and the American Cancer Society. Granite Partners is the foundational sponsor of Active Central MN. In addition, Granite Partners established the Granite Assistance Fund in 2020 to award grants to vendors on behalf of eligible Granite Company team members during times of hardship.

Investing in youth development is an important contribution to a collective sustainable future. Through Granite Partners Foundation, many grants have been distributed to youth development organizations. Some examples include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota and Boys & Girls Club of Central Minnesota. Additionally, Granite Partners is a proud sponsor of the Minnesota State Championship of VEX Robotics; VEX Robotics is a global competitive robotics program for elementary, middle, and high school students.