SAGEFoundation
Ely · Minnesota North College

Every student deserves a reason to stay.

SAGE helps Minnesota North students finish what they started, and feel at home in the Iron Range while they do it.

Donate today See what we do
SStudents
AAchieving
GGoals
EEqually
SAGE students together at a community event
Student studying
SAGE community gathering
Rooted in Ely since 2024
Why we exist

Great programs are not enough when daily life gets in the way.

Minnesota North has terrific staff and programs. What it cannot always do is catch a student when the rest of life starts to slip.

Students of color, out-of-state students, and those without a steady support network finish at much lower rates. Not for lack of ability, but because the everyday hurdles of the Iron Range pile up.

Too many leave with a jaded view of Minnesota North, and of Ely itself. We love this place. We will not let the next generation of leaders write us off.

Unreliable public transport
Long waits for dental and health care
Harsh winters
Limited access to affordable food
Student supported by a mentor
What we do

Real support, for the things that actually derail a degree.

We pair education with the practical and human help students need to keep going.

Rent assistance

A stable place to live so a tough month does not end a degree.

FAFSA & aid guidance

Plain-language help through financial aid so funding is never the wall.

Mentorship

An adult in their corner who knows Ely and answers the phone.

Mental & physical health

Help finding care and covering the gaps that quietly wear students down.

Culture & belonging

Wilderness trips, folk school classes, and Juneteenth, so students feel at home.

Staying enrolled

Wraparound check-ins that keep small problems from becoming dropouts.

Our impact

Small foundation, direct help, every dollar close to the student.

120+students reached through programs and events
100%of donations stay in the Ely community
6core support programs, from rent to mentorship
2024founded by Ely residents who chose to stay
A SAGE student
In their words
“I almost left after my first winter. SAGE helped me cover rent and pointed me to a mentor. I am still here, and now I help the new students find their footing.”
Sample student storyReplace with a real, permissioned quote
Ways to give

Pick a level. Every gift is tax-deductible.

$35

A week of groceries for a student riding out a hard stretch.

Give $35
$150

Helps close a rent gap that would otherwise end someone's semester.

Give $150
Monthly

Become a sustaining donor and back students all year long.

Give monthly

Help the next generation of Northern Minnesotans stay.

Your gift keeps a student enrolled, housed, and connected to the community that made us want to stay.

Donate to SAGE