An award named for the late Nancy Latimer will be given Wednesday to the Minnesota Initiative Foundations for  “leadership, vision and commitment to enhancing the social and emotional development of infants and young children.”

The “Nancy” Award — named for Latimer, longtime senior program officer at the McKnight Foundation and a lifelong advocate for children and families — is given annually by the Minnesota Early Childhood Funders Network, a network of the Minnesota Council on Foundations.

The award will be presented during the Nancy Latimer Convening for Children and Youth in St. Paul.

Minnesota Initiative Foundations serves six geographic regions of the state outside the metro area through the Initiative Foundation, Northland Foundation, Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Southwest Initiative Foundation and West Central Initiative.

The award honors the foundations for their statewide effort “to strengthen local support networks to ensure the social and emotional well-being of children from birth through five, with an emphasis on the first three years.”