Search Through Foundation Grants for Nonprofits in North Dakota in the U.S.

About Us

Our Mission

The mission of The Auto Club Group Foundation is to work on behalf of our members and the communities we serve to create lasting solutions, inspire learning and provide funding in the areas of traffic safety, driver education and financial literacy.

Our History

In 1902, nine motor clubs across the country joined together to form the American Automobile Association (AAA) to protect the rights and interests of automobile users and promote better highway and traffic safety. Today, The Auto Club Group Foundation continues to support those interests by investing in traffic safety, driver education and financial literacy initiatives. The Auto Club Group Foundation which is a private Foundation, represents 14 states and 2 U.S territories, and is an integral part of AAA's evolution and success.

How We Work

Our approach to grant funding comes from a very basic principle which is to have an understanding of the goals and objectives of local communities. Our relationships, which have developed from years of community service, allow us to offer support in a more impactful and meaningful way.

The Auto Club Group Foundation, which is a private foundation, is funded by our sponsoring organization, AAA – The Auto Club Group. We award grants to organizations and initiatives that enhance our mission in the areas of Traffic Safety, Driver Education and Financial Literacy throughout our 14 U.S. states and two U.S. territories.

Priority Areas

Traffic Safety

The Auto Club Group Foundation is dedicated to supporting traffic safety programs and initiatives that make our roadways safer for all users. The ACG Foundation strives to be responsive to emerging traffic safety issues by considering grant applications that are forward thinking and address new technology.

Financial Literacy

The Auto Club Group Foundation supports financial literacy programming in grades K – 12, empowering students with the tools they need to make sound financial decisions.

Driver Education 

The Auto Club Group Foundation wants to ensure everyone has access to quality driver education by supporting scholarships and programming needs in underserved communities.

We’re on a mission to improve the health and well-being of North Dakotans and their communities.

Our Impact

For more than 35 years, the BCBSND Caring Foundation has supported sustainable and innovative efforts by collaborating with organizations across North Dakota.

Making a Measurable Difference

Health and well-being are essential building blocks to personal fulfillment, thriving communities and a stronger state. By joining forces with change makers, innovators and problem solvers we work to tackle the root causes of health issues.

Impact Grants

Impact Grants are designed to support whole-person health, empowering North Dakotans and their communities to live healthier lives. These grants focus on Behavioral Health, Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) and/or health promotion and disease prevention.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

Sponsorship Fund

PFund Foundation offers event sponsorships for events, gatherings, conferences, and convenings serving a primarily LGBTQ+ audience. Sponsorship amounts typically range from $500 - $1,000 and organizations are limited to receiving one sponsorship per calendar year.

Applications are selected based on:

• The extent to which the event advances PFund's mission to build equity in LGBTQ+ communities in the upper Midwest.
• The extent to which the event advances the goals of the organization requesting the grant.
• The potential to grow and strengthen relationships and networks in one or more of PFund's five focus areas:
  • Education & Leadership, Holistic Health, Economic Empowerment, Vibrancy & Community, Visibility & Advocacy
• The extent to which the problem area the applicant is working to address will be impacted by the event described.

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Mission

PFund Foundation builds equity with LGBTQ+ communities across the upper Midwest by providing grants and scholarships, developing leaders, and inspiring giving.

Vision

PFund Foundation invests in thriving and more equitable communities for queer people in the upper Midwest.

PRISM Fund

PRISM (Promoting Rural Interconnections for Sexual Minorities) grants support rural LGBTQ+ organizations from across PFund’s five-state service area.

The PRISM program works to increase the capacity and connection of rural LGBTQ+ serving organizations through grants, trainings and cohort collaboration.

PFund builds community and provides resources for LGBTQ+ individuals across the upper Midwest and the First Nations therein.

 Prioritized Communities

The LGBTQ+ community of the upper Midwest is not monolithic. Factors such as age, race/ethnicity, geography, disability, income, and gender all influence the challenges facing queer individuals. PFund Foundation recognizes that some subpopulations of the queer community may need elevated levels of support to achieve equitable outcomes. To address this need, PFund Foundation has identified three prioritized communities who are especially important to our work:

Queer People of Color

LGBTQ+ people who also belong to minority racial and ethnic groups experience additional oppression and discrimination—both inside and outside of queer communities. 

PFund demonstrates its commitment to queer people of color through its programs. 55% of 2022 PFund Scholars identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. During the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, PFund launched a $90,000 emergency fund (now known as the Equity Fund) for queer entrepreneurs of color in Minneapolis to help their businesses survive the economic impacts of the coronavirus and unrest following the murder of George Floyd. In 2022, PFund offered a second round of grants from the Equity Fund for queer BIPOC business owners in Minneapolis.

Gender-Expansive People

Transgender, gender-expansive, and nonbinary individuals are being made the targets of discriminatory legislation and scapegoating at the regional and national levels. The pandemic has also disproportionately impacted transgender and gender non-conforming college students: the Williams Institute at UCLA found that transgender students were six times more likely to have been seriously ill or hospitalized with COVID-19 than their cisgender peers. 55% of 2022 PFund Scholars identify as transgender, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, or nonbinary.

Queer People in North and South Dakota

LGBTQ+ people living in North or South Dakota face a unique set of challenges, including the ongoing impacts of high COVID-19 rates, political environments actively hostile to queer and trans individuals, and fewer nonprofit resources for queer communities (especially outside of large cities). PFund estimates there are at least 82,000 queer individuals living in the Dakotas and the foundation is in the process of building a new targeted outreach program to LGBTQ+ people in rural areas the upper Midwest in 2022.

PFund Foundation

PFund Foundation builds equity with LGBTQ+ communities across the Upper Midwest by providing grants and scholarships, developing leaders, and inspiring giving.

Event Sponsorship

PFund Foundation offers a limited amount of event sponsorship funds each year. Events include but are not limited to fundraisers, conferences, gatherings, pride festivals. 

The Iseminger Endowment for the Arts was established by Gordon and Trudy Iseminger in 2017 to provide support for the arts across the region. Funds seek to provide exposure and access to artistic and cultural experiences which generate artistic growth and creativity for all ages. Although funding is open to all art forms, preference may be given to musical performance.

Proposed projects must fulfill the following criteria:

• Consist of one or more specific and connected events or activities with a beginning and an end, explicit objectives, and a predetermined cost.
• Be open to the public and follow ADA requirements.
• Take place in and benefit the residents of Grand Forks, Walsh, and/or Polk Counties.
• Not request more than $22,500 from the Iseminger Fund for the Arts Grant Program.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

How and Why Giving Back to Communities is Important to O’Reilly

From O’Reilly Auto Parts’ inception, O’Reilly co-founder C.H. “Chub” O’Reilly instilled the culture of maintaining high standards for every endeavor, including the area of building civic pride. With Chub’s good example to guide them, all four of his children adopted a business and family philosophy of “giving back” to the community as the Company grew and prospered. Supporting a large number of charitable organizations in all communities in which we operate has long been a focal point for O’Reilly Auto Parts. In order to make an even greater impact, the O’Reilly Automotive Foundation was established in 2020.

O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc.

Impact

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation complements O’Reilly Auto Parts’ role as the Friendliest Parts Store in Town. The Foundation serves as an additional conduit to connect with, support, and strengthen the communities in which O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work. The Foundation continues the philanthropic legacy of the O’Reilly family as dependable community partners, seeking to support critical services in times of need to build stronger communities.

Mission

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation strives to have a lasting, positive impact in the communities where O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work by supporting organizations and programs which address issues critical to improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented individuals and families. In particular, the Foundation will concentrate its giving in support of organizations and programs addressing economic stability and mobility, workforce development, health and social services, and disaster relief.

Economic Stability and Mobility

Advocating for and endowing programs which provide assistance with issues including hunger, homelessness, and poverty for the economic betterment of the communities in which we operate.

Workforce Development

Promoting programs which aid in workforce readiness, technical training, and literacy, including children’s literacy, to ensure the continuance of an educated society and a capable, innovative workforce.

Health and Social Services

Championing and prioritizing matters of health, including mental and behavioral health, access to basic needs such as medical and dental care for underprivileged communities, and providing funding for organizations focused on childhood development and children’s advocacy as well as care and support for victims of domestic violence.

Disaster Relief

Providing funding and visibility to organizations specializing in providing relief from natural disasters and state of emergency, including providing temporary shelter, food, water, and hygiene or sanitation products to those affected and aiding in cleanup efforts.

Application Requirements

We will consider three principal types of grants:

Project Support Grants support specific projects or programs aligned with our mission. These requests may include some funds earmarked for the overhead costs associated with running a project.

General Operating Support Grants provide limited general operating support for the core operations or organizations whose missions and activities are aligned with our mission. These grants will often help the grantee build organizational, programmatic, and fundraising capacity. Operating support is not intended to help organizations in fiscal crisis. Applicants must have a current strategic or business plan that clearly outlines the organization’s goals and presents a plan for achieving results. Operating support grants must not exceed 15% of an organization’s total agency budget.

Capital Support Grants provide limited support for capital campaigns to fund the acquisition and construction of facilities, existing property renovation, or the purchase of major equipment. The program has a comprehensive approach to funding capital initiatives, which also includes funding for increased program capacity. A feasibility study may be required for capital initiatives to be considered.

About

The Alex Stern Family Foundation supports the arts, social welfare/human services, education, youth recreation, civic projects and health issues for the benefit of the greater Fargo-Moorhead area. Alex Stern was born in Illinois in 1858 and came to Fargo, North Dakota in 1880 to found Alex-Stern & Company. In 1883 he married Bertha Kaufman, who was born in 1864, in Aurora, Nevada, which used to be a mining camp. The couple had three sons, William born in 1886; Sam born in 1888; and Edward born in 1896. Alex Stern was active in the community having been mayor for four years, a member of the State Legislature, City Commissioner for four years, City Alderman for three terms and a member of the school board for three terms.

Stern Family Foundation Grant

The Alex Stern Family Foundation supports Fargo-Moorhead area nonprofits through grants in the following categories:

• The Arts
• Social Welfare/Human Services
• Education
• Youth Recreation
• Civic Projects
• Health Issues

The FM Area Foundation's community grand round addresses needs throughout Cass County, North Dakota, and Clay County, Minnesota, and promotes collaborative efforts to improve life in these areas. We will have one grant cycle that aligns with our five areas of impact. Organizations will self-select the focus area that best describes the work of their organizations.

The FM Area Foundation will consider grant applications covering a wide rang of community needs with a focus on:

• Arts, Culture & Creativity: Inspiring imagination and innovation through arts and culture
• Basic Human Needs: Building ladders out of poverty
• Community Building: Fostering initiatives that strengthen the community
• Education: Lifting lives through learning
• Women's Fund: Empowering women and children

Grant Criteria

In reviewing applications, the Foundation will consider the following criteria:

• The extent to which the organization addresses a community need, demonstrates broad-based community support, and provides benefits to the community-at-large.
• The extent to which the proposal maximizes community resources through cooperation and collaboration with other organizations in the community and the elimination of redundant services, programs or projects.
• The extent to which the proposal and organization prioritizes engaging and serving underrespresented populations.
• The capacity of the applicant's organization and the staff to achieve organizational success.
• Grant requests ranging from $500 to $15,000 will be considered.
• You must select if you are applying for General Operating Support or Existing Program/Project Support.
• Each year, the needs far outweigh our ability to fund. We strive to support a wide variety of organizations in our community.

Arts in Education Collaboration

is a grant program that provides up to $6,000 to arts organizations, schools, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to build collaborations and community partnerships in order to increase access to high quality, sustained arts education for K-12 students in North Dakota.

This includes collaborations between teachers or departments within a school, between multiple schools within a district, between multiple rural school districts, between a school and community arts resource (teaching artists or arts organizations) nonprofit, or for-profit organization.

Projects may take place in-school (during regular school hours), after-school, during summer sessions, and during professional development in-services.

Applicants may receive only one NDCA Arts in Education Collaboration grant or Artist in Residence grant per fiscal year.

Considerations

North Dakota Council on the Arts AIEC grant program addresses a core vision that all students have access to high quality arts education. The AIEC grant program asks applicants to consider:

• What is standing in way of “arts for every student” in their K-12 schools?
•  What steps can be taken to address this challenge?

Program Goals

• North Dakota school and district leadership, arts organizations, and community members are focused on providing students and teachers with increased access to K-12 quality arts education.
• Encourage and support arts education partnerships, so that partnership foundations will be strengthened, and work can be sustained into the future.
• Support identification and implementation of the “first steps” towards a vision of high quality, sustainable arts education programming.
• Support initiatives that incorporate a core strategy for working towards long-term, self-sustaining, participatory, and meaningful arts learning experiences for students. 

Neel Family Fund Grant Program

​The Neel Family Fund was established by Joe K. Neel, Jr. to provide support of music education for children 18 years of age and younger in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. Joe was a lifelong lover of music and recognized its importance in youth education. His lasting gift is intended to support music education for uses such as:

• School music programs
• Youth bands, choirs and orchestras, and summer programs
• Purchases of music and instruments
• Costs or fees for guest conductors and clinicians

Gifts are to be used to increase or supplement resources of music education rather than replace or supplant existing resources.

BACKGROUND

In early 2022, the Bush Foundation announced Strengthen ND as one of its four partners to develop, implement, and evaluate a new funding initiative: Community-Based Grantmaking Programs. Strengthen ND’s approach is to simplify the application, utilize discussion, and offer a North Dakota-attuned program that focuses on the Bush Foundation’s definition of community innovation.

Creative Community Solutions funds the most promising ideas, across issue areas, that have the potential to make our state better for everyone. Through this program, we aim to develop, test and spread great ideas. Creative Community Solutions grants invest in efforts to develop and test ideas to solve problems and create opportunity, and then spread the best ideas across communities. Importantly the program allows a Grantmaking Committee of diverse North Dakotans to make decisions about how the funds will be invested.

Creative Community Solutions is a program that supports solutions to community problems or issues, it does not support organizational operating support. General operating support is the working capital nonprofits need to sustain their day-to-day operations. This is obviously an important need; however, it is not supported through Creative Community Solutions. 

The Creative Community Solutions grantmaking program is a flexible program that invests in great ideas and the people who power them across North Dakota and the Native Nations sharing our geography. Creative Community Solutions grants fund the most promising ideas, across issue areas that have the potential to make North Dakota better for everyone. Through this program, we aim to:

• Develop, test, and spread great ideas: Creative Community Solutions grants invest in efforts to develop and test ideas to solve problems and create opportunity, and then spread the best ideas across communities.

FUNDING REQUESTS

We are seeking innovative, creative solutions to problems or issues; a solution that might be created, tested, evaluated, and then disseminated to others across the state as a model. This is a new and unique opportunity for North Dakota nonprofits and communities to develop their own solutions and receive the necessary funding to support them. In addition to funding, Strengthen ND will provide connections to short term expertise and grantee convenings.

The Creative Community Solutions Grantmaking Committee will entertain financial requests of up to $300,000 for up to a six-year timeframe. Grant requests for less than $300,000 and on a timeframe shorter than six-years will also be considered.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Bush Foundation

We invest in great ideas and the people who power them in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share this geography.

We support a range of community-based programs that are operated by organizations with the relationships and experiences to serve their communities well.

Good Relatives Collaborative

Our Mission

The Good Relatives Collaborative provides responsive grants to grassroots and Native led organizations engaged in community-powered solutions.

The Good Relatives Collaborative is made up of three partner organizations who came together for the specific purpose of making philanthropy accessible to Indigenous people. Each organization is deeply rooted in their community and follows their own mission in how they serve Native people. The collaborative is organized around shared values and agrees that the current funding models are not responsive to the needs of Native organizations engaged in community-centered problem solving.

The Good Relatives Collaborative is looking to fund projects that will integrate, enhance and address community leadership, community healing, cultural revitalization, and capacity building by encouraging cooperation, collaboration, and reciprocity across the region in holistic and innovative ways.

Grants

We are guided in this process by the Native worldview of the life cycle and we recognize that every organization or group seeking funding may be at different stages of development. We see a priority need for development of new and exploring Native-led and serving organizations who need guidance in their stage of growth. We also hope to support more established and mature Native-led and serving organizations through their ongoing growth and encourage sharing of knowledge and wisdom. We encourage applicants at all stages of growth to apply and evolve through the process of learning and teaching.

Eight honorees will receive a grant of $50,000 and eight additional honorees will receive grants of $100,000. All Good Relative Collaborative Grants are unrestricted.

Our Approach

The Tom & Frances Leach Foundation, Inc. is committed to sustaining vibrant, healthy communities where all people have the opportunities and means to achieve their dreams and make a positive difference in the world. Through our grants, we support effective organizations that are creating significant, lasting and transformational change either through smart and innovative responses to today's needs or through systematic solutions that address the root causes of economic and societal challenges.

The Foundation provides single and multi-year grants to support nonprofit organizations through direct program funding and general operating grants, as well as endowments, scholarships and capital campaigns. A significant portion of our grantmaking is geographically focused in the Bismarck-Mandan area and Western North Dakota.

Focus Areas

Education

A quality education is the foundation for self-sufficiency, preparing young people for success in life.

• Educational Opportunities - Our education goal is for all of North Dakota's children, regardless of the socio-economic status, to be equipped with the building blocks for lifelong learning and healthy social-emotional development. We support high-performing schools and evidence-based programs that have the capacity to make dramatic educational gains for all students. Our commitment to providing excellent educational opportunities spans from early childhood through secondary education.

Health & Science

• Facilities/Clinics - We aim to increase and improve the availability of superior medical care by supporting hospitals primarily in the Bismarck-Mandan and Western North Dakota areas. 
• Mental Health - Our goal is to support those with mental illness by sponsoring education, advocacy and community service programs. We support organizations working to expand and enhance resource options for individuals and families impacted by mental health challenges.
• Disease Specific Support - We work to improve treatment and care for patients with specific diseases by funding projects at hospitals and clinics.

Human Services

The field of Human Services is broadly defined as, "uniquely approaching the objective of meeting human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of service populations."

• Quality of Life Improvement - Our Foundation supports services that help the vulnerable of all ages in the Bismarck-Mandan and Western North Dakota areas to maintain or enhance their quality of life, which may be threatened by lack of financial resources, emotional crises, disabling conditions, or an inability to protect themselves.

Arts & Humanities

Our Foundation supports preserving and expanding artistic knowledge by funding programs such as those which include or combine both arts and humanities disciplines in the visual, performing and literary fields.

Communities are built by helping them discover their cultural assets, building audiences and promoting the excellence of the creative sector. The humanities explore the nature and value of human experience through literature, history, theology, philosophy and the disciplines of social and political science.

The range of potential projects under our Arts and Humanities grants is limited only by the community's imagination.

Our beginning:

The Sheyenne Valley Community Foundation was established in 2013. The need for a local Community Foundation had been evident for many years, however this time was different. Valley City was in the beginning stages of a $16 million capital campaign project to build a new Wellness Center. This facility was designed to serve the health and wellness needs of the community and address the gaps Valley City State University was faced with in their HPER Department. The success of this project depended on the coordinated efforts of an organization to receive and manage donations. Thus the Sheyenne Valley Community Foundation was form. Since this major project, we have continued to grow and expand and developed into a community foundation that is impacting our communities through the power of philanthropy.

Our Mission:

To help our Valley thrive by inspiring the spirit of giving that allows us to invest in people and solutions to benefit the Sheyenne River Valley Community.

Guiding Principles:

The Sheyenne Valley Community Foundation is a place where people’s ideas, initiatives and generosity support thriving, responsible communities.

Community Grants

Our Community Grant Round is designed to address a wide range of community needs within six primary focus areas:

• Basic Human Needs,
• Education,
• Arts,
• Community Building,
• First Responders, and
• Behavioral Health. 

Minot Area Community Foundation 

The Minot Area Community Foundation is a leading voice and catalyst for connecting donors, nonprofit organizations, professional advisors, community leaders and other partners to inspire charitable giving and improve the quality of life in communities in our area.

We work directly with donors, foundations, corporations and nonprofit organizations to educate them about issues affecting our communities and offer support for their charitable goals.

NWND Fund for Girls

The Minot Area Community Foundation is proud to announce a new grant opportunity through the NWND Fund for Girls. This fund is dedicated to supporting programs that help girls build character, confidence, leadership, life skills, and strong values. 

 Illinois Arts Council 

The Illinois Arts Council serves the people of Illinois through a variety of grants and services, primarily geared to: 

Support Illinois' Arts Sector: Operating and technical support provided to organizations and programs statewide helps keep Illinois’ arts sector vital, vibrant, and accessible to all.

Advance Arts Education: The arts can be a part of the education of every single child in this state through the programs, services, partnerships, and collaborations of the Illinois Arts Council. 

Foster Creativity and Working Artists: Resources, opportunities, and direct support for the work of individual artists -- the foundation of Illinois' creative environment.

Illinois State funding for the arts includes programs offered by Arts Midwest.

About Arts Midwest

Arts Midwest advances creativity across our region, building unprecedented opportunity for everyone who calls this place home. We support, inform, and celebrate arts organizations and creative communities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, we work to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Together, we nourish the creative roots of the Midwest—and share our region’s transformative ideas with the world.

This year, we’re pleased to offer two tracks of funding: GIG Fund and GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness.

GIG Fund

The GIG Fund is a grant of $2,000 – $15,000 for nonprofit organizations to offer public-facing arts projects and activities in Midwestern communities.

The goal of the GIG Fund is to make arts opportunities more accessible to underserved audiences across the region. Funds may be used for performances; exhibits; arts festivals; public art, or other activities that provide Midwesterners the opportunity to experience art and creativity. This round of GIG Fund grants is for supporting activities taking place between December 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. There are three requirements:

1) Engage a Professional Artist or Ensemble 2) Offer at Least Two Activities Featuring the Artist(s) and 3) Reach an Underserved Audience: At least one activity must engage an underserved audience—groups with limited access to the arts due to geography (such as rural audiences), economics (such as lower income audiences), disability, or lack of relevant content (such as families or school communities without ready access to children’s or all-ages programming).

These grants are federal funds that derive from the National Endowment for the Arts. A 1:1 match is required.

About Arts Midwest

We amplify Midwestern creativity, building community and opportunity across our region and beyond.

Arts Midwest advances creativity across our region, building unprecedented opportunity for everyone who calls this place home. We support, inform, and celebrate arts organizations and creative communities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, we work to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Together, we nourish the creative roots of the Midwest—and share our region’s transformative ideas with the world.

This year, we’re pleased to offer two tracks of funding: GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness, and GIG Fund.

GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness

The GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness is a grant of $2,000 – $15,000 for organizations of any budget size whose projects have an arts and wellness focus.  Funds may be used for performances, workshops, programs in clinical settings, creative aging programs, efforts that engage veterans in the arts, etc.  Applicants may only apply for one GIG Fund grant per year.

Arts Midwest recognizes the field of arts and wellness to be far-reaching and applicants should identify how their arts project addresses some element of health and wellness.

This round of GIG Fund grants is for supporting activities taking place between December 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. There are three requirements.

1) Engage a Professional Artist or Ensemble 2) Offer at Least Two Activities Featuring the Artist(s) and 3) Professional Development: With support from The Hearst Foundations, Arts Midwest will offer professional development opportunities to grantees to strengthen arts and wellness initiatives across the Midwest.

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

Grant funding provided by The NRA Foundation must meet all NRA Foundation requirements and be used to further a charitable purpose as defined by the Internal Revenue Code under section 501(c)(3) and accompanying rules, regulations, and other IRS law and materials. Eligibility and funding amount are determined solely by the Foundation.

Grant requests must conform to, and foster the purposes in, The NRA Foundation’s mission statement, such as:

• Promote, advance, and encourage firearms, the shooting sports, and hunting safety.
• Educate individuals, including the youth of the United States, with respect to firearms, firearms history, participation in the shooting sports, hunting safety, and marksmanship, as well as with respect to other subjects that are of importance to the well-being of the general public.
• Conduct research in furtherance of improved firearms safety and marksmanship facilities and techniques.
• Support activities of the National Rifle Association of America, to the extent that such activities are in furtherance of charitable, educational, or scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code which includes activities that are charitable, educational, or foster National or International sports competition.

Media Partnerships Program

For our region to work well for everyone, we need quality news and information to understand what’s happening in our communities and how we can work together to solve tough problems.

• We also know that producing high-quality, engaging information that breaks through the information overload of the digital age is increasingly difficult and expensive. It requires an experienced community of writers, journalists and storytellers. It requires up-to-date technologies. It requires a strong desire to tell the stories that might not otherwise be told.

We work with nonprofit media organizations throughout the region to support their coverage of news, information and stories that help more people and organizations work together to make our region better for everyone.

By supporting nonprofit media organizations, we also are able to:

• Amplify our work and offerings and that of our grantees
• Raise awareness throughout our grantmaking region about the stories and people doing creative problem solving
• Help people and organizations connect who are working on similar efforts

This program is distinct from our other grantmaking programs. The grants support general operations, and our partners support specific Foundation communications projects. For instance, we might place public service announcements with a partner or announce the Bush Fellows each year.

What We Fund

We provide three-year, flexible, operating grants to nonprofit news media organizations that meet the program criteria.

We then work with each organization to explore possible projects for amplifying our work and that of our grant partners. To do this well, the Foundation and media partner agrees to:

• Be transparent about the partnership, benefits and funds involved.
• Ensure creative and editorial independence. Media partners are not obligated to produce coverage about the Foundation or take particular positions in their reporting.
• Negotiate reasonable benefits. There is no requirement that benefits must equal the grant amount.

Organizations may receive a total of up to $150,000 in operating support over three years. The annual grant amount is typically 25% of the organization’s expenses, up to $50,000 per year. We expect that to be roughly 10 grants.

Selection Criteria

We are interested in organizations that can demonstrate all of the following to some degree:

• The organization is able to reach diverse audiences, which can include age, geography, race and ethnicity, sector or perspectives.
• The organization is recognized as a trusted, recognized or quality source of information.
• The organization provides content representative of the communities and audiences it serves.
• The organization collaborates with others in the field to share and distribute news and stories to more audiences.
• The organization aligns with Bush operating values.