In Minnesota, the Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corp. received $175,000 to support and promote affordable housing and neighborhood development in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Also, the Community Reinvestment Fund received $75,000 to help rebuild commercial corridors in St. Paul by helping minority or immigrant-owned small businesses. And, finally, the East Side Neighborhood Development Co. received $35,000 for ongoing operating support to provide housing, economic and community development in the Payne Avenue--Phalen Lake neighborhood.

Nationally, Habitat for Humanity International of Americus, GA, received a $200,000 grant from St. Paul Travelers Foundation in support of its ongoing efforts to build affordable housing in Minneapolis-St. Paul and in communities nationwide where St. Paul Travelers has a presence.

While the grants will help spur renovation and construction, they were also aimed at bolstering the efforts of neighborhood leaders, says Mary Pickard, president of St. Paul Travelers Foundation. "Revitalizing communities is about more than bricks and mortar," Pickford says.