Search Through Grants for Capital Funding in Minnesota in the U.S.

We care about the communities in which we live and work. Amcor Cares (formerly the Bemis Company Foundation) was founded as our principal tool in the United States to serve our Amcor Flexibles communities. From volunteer work to monetary donations and community support, Amcor Cares donates several million per year to charitable organizations.

Community Support Grants

Encourage

• Fighting Hunger & Homelessness
• Supporting Disaster Relief

Empower

• Expanding STEM Education
• Building Life Skills
• Improving Health & Wellness

Elevate

• Promoting Arts & Culture
• Funding Amcor Scholarships

Types of support:

• Non-profit Organization Programs
• Non-profit Organization Operating Support
• Capital Campaigns
• STEM Programs

The Jeffris Family Foundation invites applications for grants from the Jeffris Heartland Fund, to support the development of important historic preservation projects in the states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.The decision to pursue a grant from the Jeffris Heartland Fund must be made in consultation with a Director of the Foundation to discuss your project and request a Jeffris Heartland Fund application form.Directors can also assist grant-seekers with the application process, provide related technical assistance to guide wise and constructive use of the grant funding, and administer grants once awarded. Applications, once invited, are accepted at any time.  Award notices are issued within approximately 30 days of receipt of the application.Grants will be made in the range of $5,000 to $50,000 to cover 50% the cost of an Historic Structure Report, and must be matched dollar-for-dollar with cash from sources unrelated to the Jeffris Family.

Historic Significance of the Site

• Priority will be given to sites of documented national and then state historic significance. Sites with local significance only will not be eligible for funding.
• Priority will be given to sites associated with prominent figures of national, regional, or statewide importance, or with events of national, regional, or statewide significance.
• Priority will be given to sites with significant architectural merit, including association with designers of national, regional, or statewide importance.
• Priority will be given to sites with strong elements of the decorative arts.
• Priority will be given to projects involving historic resources that are extremely rare and/or unique.
• Priority will be given to projects with a high degree of historic integrity, and to work relating to the restoration of original elements. While work to accommodate contemporary usage is acceptable, all work on the property must conform to The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Proposed Project and Plan

• Priority will be given to applicants that can best demonstrate that a Historic Structure Report or other detailed planning study for which funding is being requested is critical to the accurate and appropriate restoration of the property.
• Priority will be given to applicants that can best demonstrate their intended use will be financially viable and operationally sustainable over time.
• Priority will be given to applicants that can assure that the project will fully comply with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties through review and oversight by a local historic preservation commission, state historic preservation office, or preservation consultants thoroughly familiar and experienced with those standards.

 Organizational Excellence

• Priority will be given to applicants who can demonstrate a pattern of programming and services connected to the site and their stated mission (e.g. educational programs, events, hospitality).
• Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a broad base of membership and community support.
• Priority will be given to applicants with demonstrated success in past capital fundraising efforts.

Arts & Culture: 

The Arts & Culture program supports organizations, programs, and projects that provide support structures for working artists and culture bearers to develop and share their work, and to lead in movements and communities. These artists and culture bearers spark our collective imagination, enrich the quality of our lives, and enhance the vitality and vibrancy of Minnesota.Our strategies include: supporting partnerships that provide direct support for individual artists and culture bearers; developing and sustaining the presence and visibility of underrepresented artists and cultural institutions, including Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latinx artists, and those in rural areas, Tribal Nations, and across Greater Minnesota; and supporting working artists and culture bearers advancing justice.

Our Approach

The Midwest Climate & Energy program uses its philanthropic funding to support efforts that build power through partnership, aligning climate and equity goals to advance bold action on the climate crisis.

Our program takes a systems change lens, focusing on shifting the conditions that perpetuate the climate crisis, which include structural racism. We direct grantmaking toward work that shifts mental models, changes power dynamics, engages communities, and advances transformative policies, practices, and resource flows, in order to dramatically cut carbon pollution in the Midwest by 2030.

Our Strategies

Transform the Energy System

We aim to ensure that the Midwest equitably transitions to an energy grid capable of powering an increasingly electrified society – a grid that’s powered by clean energy sources, accessible and affordable to ratepayers, and flexible and resilient to accommodate more clean power and withstand disruptive events.

Our grantmaking through this strategy will:

• Engage the utility sector and related decision-making venues as a crucial lever for system transformation.
• Amplify stories of the clean energy transition and combat mis- and disinformation.
• Expand solutions that advance customer options for clean energy that is accessible, equitable, and affordable.
• Elevate voices that are representative of the rich diversity of the Midwest.

Decarbonize Transportation

We aim to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector in the Midwest through electrification and reducing driving (vehicle miles traveled, or “VMT”) by increasing the use of transit, biking, and other mobility options. We support the Midwest States leading in transportation infrastructure implementation that is equitable, and sustainable and ensures that everyone has access to clean, affordable, and accessible transportation mobility options.

Our grantmaking through this strategy will:

• Support increased public sector investment in transit, active transportation modes, and other shared mobility options.
• Support the equitable deployment and implementation of electrification infrastructure.
• Elevate the engagement of diverse Midwest communities to advance transportation planning that prioritizes climate and equity and repairs historical harms resulting from discriminatory policies.

Decarbonize Buildings

We aim to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings sector in the Midwest, cutting energy usage, electrifying equipment and appliances, and resolving the energy insecurities and burdens of under-resourced households.

Our grantmaking through this strategy will:

• Engage with the utility sector and related decision-making venues as a crucial lever for building decarbonization.
• Raise the bar on building performance to incorporate increasingly electrified end-uses, promote health, safety, and comfort, and center the real needs of people.
• Bridge across sectors and break down silos to fundamentally shift the paradigm for how buildings are built.
• Scale innovation to advance real-world examples of carbon-free buildings in the Midwest.

Support Working Lands

We aim to partner with the stewards of working lands to advance solutions that cut greenhouse gas emissions (carbon, methane, and nitrous oxide), sequester carbon, and build soil resiliency in the face of increasing climate disruptions, while centering the leadership of farmers and rural communities’ prosperity.

Our Grantmaking through this strategy will:

• Promote the leadership of farmers and farmer-led organizations to advance climate solutions.
• Build partnerships with public and private sectors to seed and scale farming practices that reduce emissions and sequester carbon.
• Support organizing and advocacy infrastructure in the Midwest for an inclusive farming system with strong workers’ rights that honors Indigenous farming knowledge and has equitable opportunities for low-income, communities of color, and emerging farmers.

Strengthen Democratic Participation

We aim to increase statewide infrastructure and capacity, engage diverse people in advancing our shared prosperity, and create platforms for broader participation in movements to realize vibrant, equitable, and climate-resilient communities.

Our grantmaking through this strategy will:

• Bolster organizations, networks, and intermediaries working to engage and organize communities toward more powerful participation in civic life.
• Ensure our democratic institutions and policymaking arenas are accessible and equipped to meet the challenge of the climate moment. ​

Nordson Corporation Foundation

The Nordson Corporation Foundation awards grants to non-profits in our communities throughout the United States. Since 1989, the Foundation has awarded more than $60 million in grants to improve the quality of life in our communities, placing a special focus on causes related to education. Employees support the foundation by making donations during our annual A Time to Give Campaign, or by participating in a Community Affairs Committee (CAC). Committees review grant applications and vote to distribute Foundation funds to deserving local causes. During the last financial year, the Foundation gave out 362 grants totaling $6.3 million.

Nordson Foundation Giving Strategies

The geographic areas in which Nordson has major facilities determine the Nordson Foundation's giving priorities.

Within these geographic areas, granting priorities are driven by community needs. Although needs change quickly, our vision is long term. We pursue and support results-oriented opportunities that prepare individuals for full and equal participation in the economic and social mainstream. We believe these kinds of programs help improve the quality of life over the long term and produce stronger, more enlightened communities in which we live and work. We strive to fulfill these responsibilities in our communities through contributions to charitable activities with a focus on education. Other major giving categories that are supported are human welfare, civic affairs and arts and culture. 

Nordson Foundation Values 

In the spirit of our corporate founders, the Nordson Corporation Foundation continues to operate on the belief that business, as a corporate citizen, has a social responsibility to share its success with the communities where it operates and draws employees.  

The Nordson Foundation is dedicated to improving our communities by supporting the continuum of education from birth to adulthood in the belief that education is the key for individuals to become self-sufficient, productive members of society.  

To prepare individuals for economic independence, a variety of quality educational experiences are necessary. To be successful today, individuals not only need to master the basics, “reading, writing and arithmetic”, they must also know how to think critically and creatively. Strengthening the community’s human capital – through quality education – is crucial.  

The Nordson Foundation offers support to non-profit organizations that cultivate educational curriculum and experiences that foster self-sufficiency, job readiness and goals to aspire to higher education. The Foundation is well aware of the fact that for non-profit organizations to remain viable they must receive operating support. With this in mind, Nordson Corporation Foundation does invest in general operating support.  

As stewards of the Foundation assets, the directors feel strongly that the organizations that are supported by the Foundation be able to measure the effectiveness of their mission and programs. Quantitative and/or qualitative data allows for the Foundation to ensure that the organizations it supports are bringing about the desired outcomes in our communities.

Nordson Foundation Goals

The goals of the Nordson Corporation Foundation are to insure that:

• All children have access to and receive quality educational experiences from early childhood  
• All individuals have the opportunity to be self-sufficient members of society 
• There is a continuum of quality educational opportunities 
• Our communities are strengthened by the organizations we fund whether their focus is education, human welfare, civic or arts and culture

Nordson Foundation Funding Strategy

Through its grant-making, the Foundation supports organizations that directly or indirectly seek to maximize success before, during and beyond the traditional classroom years. Grants will be reviewed and considered on the basis of their enrichment to the communities where our employees live and work. Organizations and programs receiving grants will be expected to identify relevant, measurable outcomes to demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs.

Education

• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Maximizing Student Success
• Access to quality educational opportunities
• Innovative programs
• Partnerships/collaborations with school districts
• Funding gaps not covered by public monies
• Augmenting core curriculum
• Exposure to programs that expand on traditional education
• Workforce Preparation
• Initial preparation for the world of work
• Retraining for the new job market
• Strengthening our communities

Human Welfare

• Promote prevention and lifestyle maintenance programs and activities
• Promote crisis intervention
• Promote life transition opportunities
• Promote systemic change

Arts and Culture

• Actively seek to broaden the audience bases in Nordson communities
• Support the visual and performing arts
• Provide educational enrichment for students
• Motivation for at-risk youth
• Provide access to the arts for special needs audience
• Promote greater understanding among people via the arts

Civic

• Work to improve the physical or economic environment
• Provide cultural or historical preservation
• Strive to inform citizens and increase their participation in community improvement

Our Approach

McKnight’s Vibrant & Equitable Communities program fosters shared prosperity, power, and participation through four strategies: Accelerate Economic Mobility, Build Community Wealth, Cultivate a Fair and Just Housing System, and Strengthen Democratic Participation.

Within these strategies, we use all forms of capital—from our grants to our civic voice—to advance systemic improvements for individuals, communities, and society at large.

Accelerate Economic Mobility

We recognize that to create vibrant and equitable communities, all Minnesotans need high-quality jobs. We aim to drive gains in employment, working conditions, and earnings for Black, Latinx, Asian, immigrant, Indigenous, and low-income Minnesotans across the state, paying attention to industry-specific and geographic clusters. We work with a range of partners, such as networks of funders, worker centers, businesses, and government agencies.

Our grantmaking priorities in this area focus on efforts that:

• Engage champions, allies, funders, workers, and private sector partners to identify and prioritize worker-centered approaches to high-quality jobs.
• Develop and advance shared solutions among worker leaders, government, and the private sector to make gains in safety, wages, working conditions, and workers’ assets.

Build Community Wealth

We aim to increase the dollars flowing to the community investment sector and into communities of color and low-income communities, and to increase access to capital (as loans and other forms) to under-represented entrepreneurs and households, so they can launch or grow businesses and/or acquire assets, whether it is a new home, vehicle, or other resources.

Our grantmaking priorities in this area focus on efforts that:

• Strengthen key community-focused financial institutions’ operational and lending and investment capacity.
• Develop and spread innovative and equitable lending and investment capital—such as new underwriting, risk management, due diligence, and credit consideration—resulting in new types of loans, ownership structures, and investments.
• Increase private and public investments in Minnesota’s Community Development Financial Institutions and other community-focused capital providers.
• Accelerate an equitable procurement strategy designed to increase underrepresented businesses’ share of contracts for products and services to the public and private sectors.

Cultivate a Fair and Just Housing System

We aim to ensure that more Minnesotans of color and low-income Minnesotans are affordably housed and positioned to build wealth through housing. In doing so, we must also stabilize the housing system to ensure as little loss of existing affordability and ownership as possible.

Our grantmaking priorities in this area focus on efforts that:

• Increase political will and public support for public sector investments in affordable housing.
• Expand capital flows to support project pipelines and resource efforts to make it easier and faster to produce and preserve affordable housing (rental and ownership) in our state.
• Catalyze innovative housing-oriented wealth-building efforts, such as financial products, development practices, and models of ownership.

Strengthen Democratic Participation

We aim to foster multi-issue coalitions organizing in support of our program goals and to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in our democratic and governing institutions.

Our grantmaking priorities in this area focus on efforts that:

• Support a strong civic infrastructure around the state through capacity-building investments in key organizations, networks, and intermediaries focused on civic engagement, organizing, and participation.
• Solidify our core democratic institutions through equity-focused initiatives, such as the U.S. Census and legislative re-districting.

Mayo Clinic Community Contributions Program in Rochester

Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit organization with the primary mission of patient care. As a private trust for the public good, Mayo Clinic is dedicated to giving back to its local communities. Mayo Clinic partners with others to ensure that:

• Community investments align with its mission to advance patient care, research and education.
• Our community is a welcoming, vibrant and healthy environment for residents and visitors.
• Our community is an environment that attracts and sustains a diverse Mayo Clinic workforce to provide the best patient care.

Program Information

Mayo Clinic considers requests for funding support for new and ongoing programs that support the stated goals. These may include:

• Human services
• Education and workforce development
• Youth enrichment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Arts and cultural enrichment
• Capital campaigns and multi-year grants
• Community events

About Us

The Foundation has historically leveraged human and financial resources to foster a thriving East Side St. Paul, Minnesota where the McNeely business developed. The McNeely Foundation was set up in the 1960s by Harry G. McNeely Sr, and his wife Adelaide Frenzel McNeely. It was originally funded with a gift of stock from their business, The St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company. 

Grantmaking Focus:

The McNeely Foundation funds organizations that create a more vibrant and sustainable East Side of St Paul. It will consider applications from organizations outside of the targeted geography and age group for innovative work that could be integrated or replicated on the East Side. Our four grantmaking focus areas are Youth Development Through Enrichment, Youth Development Through Employment Training, Environment, and Family & Neighborhood Stability.

Youth Development Through Enrichment

Goal

Middle-grade youth living on the East Side will develop their abilities so they can recognize and achieve their greatest potential and make the successful transition to adulthood.

Strategy

Expand access to community-based enrichment and life skills programming during or outside of the regular school hours with preference for middle grade youth and consideration for high school aged youth.

About Us

Committed to Funding Technology to Advance Nonprofit Missions

Our Values

• We will always be programming agnostic: we fund technology projects for nonprofits with a wide range of missions.
• Transparent: we make our process and funding decisions as transparent as possible. If you cannot find an answer – please ask us!
• Minnesota focus: we focus our funding across the entire state and reserve capital for each cycle to specifically fund nonprofits outside the Twin Cities metro or who provide services statewide.
• Continuous improvement: we are open to suggestions on how our process can be improved.
• Trust nonprofits to do their mission: you are the expert in your operations and how you can best leverage technology to impact your ability to meet your mission.

Focus on the Future

Leveraging the Power of Technology.

The implementation of an innovative technology project can make a non-profit a leader in program delivery or operational efficiency that sets them apart from their peers.

What We Fund

Impactful Projects that Serve the Organization or Community

Projects should show a clear impact or transformation for an organization’s operations or capacity to meet its mission with measurable benefits greater than the cost. Technology investments have limited shelf lives so we want to see projects that can amplify results and allow the organization to be ready for what comes next. 

Organizations Who Have Done the Work

Projects should show a clear relationship to an organization’s strategic planning and mission. Vendor/solution vetting, budgeting, and project plans of the technology proposal must be done prior to our involvement. Our focus is on funding the implementation of the technology versus the planning stage.

The Foundation will accept requests for a variety of grant types, including:

Program, Project, Capital, Start-Up and Operating Grants

• We welcome grant requests to support innovative program initiatives, short-term projects, capital requests, start-up or operating needs.

Capacity Building

• Grant resources are available to invest in efforts to enhance the management and governance performance of charitable organizations that are addressing our themes of social equity in St. Cloud, global warming in Minnesota and end of life issues in Minnesota.

Advocacy

• While the Foundation is prohibited from lobbying, we will consider funding permissible advocacy activities such as public education campaigns on a given topic, nonpartisan analysis study or research, training for nonprofits on how to engage effectively in advocacy, educating public policy makers on various issues, and nonpartisan election-related activity.

Theme: Social Equity

Social equity is central to our purpose, as we seek a just society in which all individuals have ample opportunities to thrive and outcomes are not determined by one’s heritage, physical characteristics, beliefs, residence or inclusion in any particular group. Social inequities directly challenge many different groups of people and in many different sectors of our society, and we all suffer when some are excluded from their full potential.

The scope of this grant program is limited to advancing social equity in St. Cloud, Minnesota and/or the immediate vicinity. The focus of our social equity grantmaking is the reduction of unfair disparities for disadvantaged communities and at-risk populations in St. Cloud, Minnesota and for positive change in attitudes, practices and policies that lead to equitable outcomes for those communities. This includes, but is not limited to, disparities and inequities of race, class, religion, gender, age, immigrant status, sexual orientation, and ability, as well as inequities related to COVID-19.  

As the Foundation learns more about social equity in St. Cloud, we may narrow our focus further for future grant cycles.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• preparing individuals from marginalized and at-risk populations to serve and lead the community;
• building healthy relationships among various societal groups; and
• triggering bold, collaborative community projects that advance social equity.

Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation is a statewide community foundation that serves all of Minnesota. We got our start in Saint Paul in 1940, and today we steward $1.8 billion in charitable assets for community good.

Community IDEAS Grant Program

The Minnesota Community IDEAS Program seeks to design, test and spread ideas that make our communities better for everyone and inspire, equip and connect people through meaningful, community-led change.

Grants will be awarded within three target communities, with five grants awarded within each of the communities:

• Greater Minnesota
  • Organizations located outside the 7-County Metro Area.
• Twin Cities 7-county Metro Area
  • Organizations located within in the seven counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington.
• Native-led, Native-serving organizations
  • Within Minnesota and the 11 Native Nations that share the same geography.
  • Organizations must have at least 51% of the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership identifying as Native to be considered Native-led.

This program’s selection criteria focus on an organization’s transformational impact; or the long lasting, meaningful change that can happen through ideas of all sizes, within communities of all sizes, and through organizations of all sizes.

Selection Criteria

This statewide grant program was informed by, and developed alongside, community members. Grant selection will be determined by community members through Community Selection Committees that will consider the following criteria for grant review and selection.

• Impact: Communities realize significant, long-lasting change.
• Development: Communities develop, test and spread ideas.
• Equity: Communities are equipped and connected to benefit from change.
• Agency: Communities inform and form change.
• Solutions: Communities drive action

Funding

The Minnesota Community IDEAS Program will award $1.6 million each year. Grants will be awarded on an annual basis, one round per year.

Selected organizations will each receive a total award of $160,000, paid over three years ($100,000 in the first year, $40,000 in the second year, and $20,000 in the third year).

Funding is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purposes that align with the vision and purpose of the Minnesota Community IDEAS Program, including operating costs, program-related expenses, capital expenditures or whatever else would best support the organization's ongoing good work.

In the first year of the program, the Foundation will award grants to 15 organizations. To ensure broad and equitable distribution of these across the entire state of Minnesota and the 11 Native Nations that share the same geography, the Foundation will distribute grants into three target communities.

About

Established in 1957, the Elmer L. & Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation strives to improve lives through effective family grantmaking. Now a Signature Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, the Andersen Foundation continues to honor the legacy of its founders while investing in social change.

The Andersen Foundation’s vision is to catalyze positive change by empowering people to contribute to a sustainable world encompassing thriving, livable communities. Their mission is to improve the quality of life through effective family grantmaking.

Values:

The Andersen Foundation embraces the democratic ideals of fairness, justice and opportunity for all. Broad civic engagement, realizing the full potential of people, builds sustainable communities of life.

The Andersen Foundation is committed to carrying on the good works its founders began during their lifetimes.

Legacy Grants

Elmer and Eleanor Andersen supported a wide range of interests throughout their lives, including the arts and humanities, communications, education, environment, human services, and libraries. This grant program continues their legacy of investing in these community issues.

Focus Areas:

• Arts and Humanities
• Communications
• Education
• Environment
• Human Services
• Libraries

Jones Family Foundation

We commit leadership and resources to enhance Red Wing’s vitality by working in partnership to address critical challenges and advance bold efforts that invigorate our community.

Core Values

• We create an environment that is equitable and welcoming – within our Foundation and in the community. We address barriers that prevent groups or populations from participating fully in our community.
• We learn authentically from stakeholders in the community and experts around the world to improve practice and identify new initiatives that improve Red Wing.
• We seek new, transformative ideas to address entrenched social problems. We build on – rather than tear down – emerging ideas and opportunities to serve the Red Wing community.
• We build the capacity of our grantees, partners, constituents, board and staff members to lead. We empower and support their leadership in the community.
• We understand that Red Wing’s success is dependent on so many others, and we seek to work with partners wherever possible to expand our collective reach and impact. 

Priority areas

Most of our grant-making will be dedicated towards requests which advance efforts or address critical needs in the following areas:

• Education
• Economic Vitality
• Arts & Culture

Grant Requests We Will Consider

• Special projects of a limited-time nature
• Start-up costs for promising new ideas or programs which align with our mission and priority areas of focus
• Program expansion
• Matching grants – funds to match contributions received from other sources or to provide a challenge to help raise new contributions
• Capital funding on a limited basis

Mardag Foundation Grants

Mardag Foundation has three primary interest areas for its grantmaking.

Improving the lives of low-income Children, Youth and Families that lack access to critical opportunities and resources that they need

Mardag Foundation seeks to support organizations focused on eliminating barriers and increasing access to equitable opportunities for children, youth and families.

This round, priority will be given to organizations working with marginalized communities (especially Black, Indigenous and communities of color) at the intersections of education, basic needs, mental health, access to healthcare, pathways to employment, and stable and affordable housing.

Supporting older adults across Minnesota who lack access or have barriers to critical opportunities to thrive and create community connections

Mardag Foundation supports organizations directly serving low-income older adults who may also be experiencing other forms of marginality (e.g., Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, etc.).

Priorities include meeting basic needs, improving the well-being and quality of caregiving, addressing isolation and mental health issues, services to help older Minnesotans age in place and/or in safe and stable housing, and intergenerational programming.

Building capacity to improve community vitality through Arts and Culture

Mardag Foundation shares Grantmakers in the Arts’ view that “all peoples, their cultures, and their art contribute to the meaning and understanding of our humanity and should be honored and celebrated.”

Priority will be given to arts and culture organizations that seek to amplify narratives and voices across BIPOC communities and other communities experiencing marginalization (e.g., older adults, people with disabilities, low-income children/youth/families, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, etc.) through the arts.

About Us

The Foundation has historically leveraged human and financial resources to foster a thriving East Side St. Paul, Minnesota where the McNeely business developed. The McNeely Foundation was set up in the 1960s by Harry G. McNeely Sr, and his wife Adelaide Frenzel McNeely. It was originally funded with a gift of stock from their business, The St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company. 

Grantmaking Focus:

The McNeely Foundation funds organizations that create a more vibrant and sustainable East Side of St Paul. It will consider applications from organizations outside of the targeted geography and age group for innovative work that could be integrated or replicated on the East Side. Our four grantmaking focus areas are Youth Development Through Enrichment, Youth Development Through Employment Training, Environment, and Family & Neighborhood Stability.

Youth Development Through Employment Training

Goal:

• Middle-grade and high school youth living on the East Side will develop their abilities so they can recognize and achieve their greatest potential and make the successful transition to adulthood.

Strategy:

• Support quality community-based youth employment and job training programming during or outside of regular school hours for middle grade and high school aged youth.

RCU Foundation Grant

Our nonprofit foundation has given more than $10 million to support organizations and initiatives in our communities.

The RCU Foundation is a perfect example of how we are striving to live out our core purpose of creating a positive impact in the lives we touch. The Foundation awards grant funds to organizations in the communities Royal serves across Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota. Since it began in 2012, the RCU Foundation has given more than $10 million to our communities.

Criteria

Requests are carefully evaluated on several criteria, including:

• Demonstrated need and community benefit
• Geographic focus on areas that Royal serves, especially near office locations
• Significance and impact, especially the total number of people that will benefit
• Organization or initiative capacity and credibility
• Future sustainability and plan for ongoing expenses
• Demonstrated financial support from a variety of sources, with the RCU Foundation not the largest or sole source of project funding

Mission

The Four Cedars Environmental Fund provides financial incentives that initiate, stimulate, enrich and assist programs and organizations involved in the protection, preservation and education of the unique natural resources found primarily within the western Lake Superior watershed. The fund supports programs and organizations with capital requests, start-up costs, technical assistance and project/program support.

Examples

• The University of Wisconsin-Superior, located in Douglas County, Wisconsin
• The Sigurd Olson Institute at Northland College, located in Ashland County, Wisconsin
• The McCabe Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, located in St. Louis County, Minnesota
• Sweetwater Alliance, located in St. Louis County, Minnesota
• The Great Lakes Aquarium, located in St. Louis County, Minnesota
• The Sustainable Farming Association of Northeast Minnesota, located in St. Louis County, Minnesota
• The research vessel L.L. Smith of the Lake Superior Research Institute, located in St. Louis County, Minnesota

Community Wealth Building Grants

Weaving together financial, intellectual, cultural, and social assets for healthy communities.

About Blandin Foundation and 2025 Grantmaking

Mission: We connect, fund, and advocate for ideas and people to inspire resourcefulness and move rural places forward.

As one of the few foundations in the nation devoted exclusively to rural needs, Blandin Foundation has shifted our strategic focus to better meet rural Minnesota’s urgent challenges. The COVID pandemic and racial turmoil accelerated many of the economic and social disparities that originally inspired our collective passion for rural philanthropy, and we realized we had to take bold steps to meet the moment. Our intent is to support rural communities and Native Nations in tapping courage, ingenuity, and resourcefulness to rebuild connections that have long been a source of their strength and identity.

Community Context for our Focus on Community Wealth Building

We know that land ownership inequality is growing, wealth and income gaps persist, and that this inequality harms economic growth. Community wealth building’s focus on collaborative work aimed at reducing disparities and support for projects that promote equitable access and outcomes will help push back against these harmful trends. Knowing that Community Wealth Building concepts were developed in urban settings, one objective of this grant program is to gather data from partners’ community wealth-building activities to more deeply inform rural practice and impact.

What is Community Wealth Building?

In a nutshell, it is building the rural bases of knowledge, money, workforce, entrepreneurship, and investment – and keeping those powerful resources close to home. Its goal is to reduce disparities in outcomes that too often fall along the lines of place, race, and class.

Community Wealth Building is a community development approach that considers the full spectrum of assets needed for healthy communities – financial, intellectual, environmental, cultural, and social – and weaves them together in a way that roots all development locally, focusing on sustainable, shared community benefit and reducing disparities.

Outcomes We Seek

Affordable Housing and Housing Stability

• Increased Affordable Housing Units:
  • Creation, preservation, or rehabilitation of a significant number of affordable housing units for low- and moderate-income residents, particularly in communities facing housing shortages in Itasca County.
• Improved Housing Stability for Disadvantaged Populations:
  • Reduction in housing instability and homelessness through initiatives that provide direct support services such as rental assistance, legal aid, and tenant education for marginalized groups (e.g., low-income, Indigenous, and people of color communities). Increases in the number of homeowners from historically underserved populations and from lower-income households as a core household wealth-building strategy.
• Green and Sustainable Housing Development:
  • Development of energy-efficient, climate-resilient housing projects that reduce long-term living costs for lower-income families and address environmental justice concerns.
• System Capacity Building:
  • Expand local expertise, organizational capacity, and access to capital to accelerate and sustain long-term capacity for strategic development of affordable housing in rural communities.

Community-Based Economic Development

• Local Business Growth and Job Creation:
  • Support for community-based businesses, particularly those owned by people of color, Indigenous individuals, and women, leading to new living-wage job creation and economic opportunities for marginalized groups.
• Strengthened Community Land Ownership:
  • Increased access to community land trusts and co-operative business models, giving local communities, especially people of color and Indigenous populations, greater control over their land and economic resources.
• Increased Economic Diversification:
  • Enhanced economic resilience through the development of new industries or revitalization of key sectors in rural areas, such as sustainable food systems, clean energy, or creative industries, benefiting rural communities.
• Whole-community Development:
  • Support Indigenous approaches to wealth—rooted in relational, cultural, and environmental well-being— that build not only financial capital but also value the health of relationships, the stewardship of natural resources, and the preservation of language, cultural knowledge, and traditions to build community.

Workforce and Talent Development Systems

• Improved Workforce Participation:
  • Increased participation of underrepresented groups (especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), rural women, immigrants, and low-income residents) in the workforce through tailored job training programs, apprenticeships, and support for re-entry populations.
• Industry-Specific Workforce Development:
  • Development of workforce pipelines in high-demand sectors like healthcare, housing construction, renewable energy, and technology, with pathways that are specifically inclusive of rural residents with greater barriers to success.
• Leadership Development for Underrepresented Groups:
  • Increased representation of BIPOC, women, and rural populations in leadership roles in both the public and private sectors through mentorship programs, leadership training, and capacity-building initiatives.
• K-12 and Higher Education Partnerships:
  • Enhanced collaborations between local schools, community colleges, and businesses to create career pathways for youth, particularly in underserved communities, including mentorship programs, internships, and dual-credit opportunities. Emphasis on collaborative regional approaches versus support for individual programs or organizations. Pathways should lead to living-wage work.

Equitable Access to Capital

• Increased Access to Small Business Financing:
  • Strengthening the rural economic development ecosystem to support small businesses and entrepreneurs from marginalized communities in Itasca County and across rural Minnesota, particularly those owned by BIPOC, women, and low-income individuals.
• Community Investment Funds:
  • Creation of community investment funds that pool resources from residents and local organizations to fund community development projects and businesses that directly benefit local residents, with a focus on rooting economic activity and wealth building in Minnesota’s rural communities.
• Financial Empowerment and Capital Access Education:
  • Increased financial empowerment programs aimed at BIPOC and low-income communities to improve financial management, investment strategies, knowledge of household wealth-building pathways, and access to credit for both businesses and households.
• Partnerships for Equitable Economic Investment:
  • Formation of strategic partnerships between local governments, financial institutions, and community organizations to increase investment in rural communities, prioritizing equitable access to capital for underserved populations.

Cross-cutting and Community-Level Outcomes

• Reduction of Racial and Economic Disparities:
  • Demonstrable reductions in economic disparities across racial, class, and geographic lines, with a focus on lifting up communities of color, Indigenous populations, immigrant communities, and rural low-income residents in Itasca County and across rural Minnesota.
• Strengthened Social Cohesion and Community Leadership:
  • Increased capacity of local community leaders, to advocate for and drive economic development and policy change that addresses racial, economic, and geographic disparities and emphasizes community benefit and inclusive prosperity.
• Improved Public Health and Economic Well-Being:
  • Measurable improvement in health outcomes (mental, physical, economic) through the combined impact of affordable housing, access to quality jobs, financial stability, and reduced systemic barriers.
• Sustainable Rural Development:
  • Enhance rural resilience by integrating climate adaptation, sustainable practices, and long-term economic sustainability into all community wealth-building efforts in rural, underserved areas.
• Community-focused Procurement and Purchasing Practices:
  • Grow resilient local and regional rural economies by prioritizing procurement for local businesses and producers, supporting conditions for increased economic activity, living-wage job growth, and inclusive, locally-created wealth.

Funding Range

Please request an amount that speaks to what you need to complete your proposal. Typical grant awards will be between $25,000 and $150,000. Funded projects can have a timeframe of up to 3 years. Requests over $250,000 may follow a different timeline for review and approval.

We expect funding decisions to be made around the end of May 2025; however, depending on the volume of proposals received, the timeline may shift.

Please see FAQs on the Grant Eligibility & Applications page for additional guidelines and information.

Minnesota Multi-Purpose Community Facility Projects to Support Community Revitalization, Connectedness, and Equity by Promoting Education, Work, and Health

Minnesota has been awarded $47.5 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Corona Virus Capital Projects Fund. Grants will be used to fund Multi-Purpose Community Facility Projects in areas that will benefit the most from support to address challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic through supports for education, work, and health focused on advancing family economic stability, connections, and educational opportunity for our state’s children and youth. Funding is available to family resource centers, full-service community schools, libraries, childcare and early learning facilities, and community centers.

Projects must be designed to enable work, education, and health monitoring jointly and directly, but these activities need not be the exclusive function or purpose of the Project. An eligible applicant may apply for multiple CFP projects; however, they must submit one application per proposed CFP site.

Funding

Total amount available: This grant opportunity estimates that $47.5 million is available on a one-time basis.

Maximum grant amount: The maximum grant award amount is approximately $500,000 for each qualifying applicant.

Minimum grant amount: The minimum grant award amount is approximately $200,000 for each qualifying applicant.

Mission

The Mission of the Foundation is to provide resources to nonprofit organizations that build thriving communities and improve the quality of life primarily in the St. Croix Valley geographic region of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Funding Priorities

The Foundation has established a focused set of priorities and welcomes requests for general operations, programs, or projects.  Capital requests may be considered on a more limited basis.

• Healthcare
  • Medical Research
  • Mental/Chemical Health
  • Hospitals
• Housing
  • Affordable Housing for Families and Seniors
• Education
  • Youth Education Initiatives
• Human Services
  • Basic Needs
  • Food Insecurity
  • Employment
• Civic
  • Local Initiatives
• Environment
  • Environmental Education

Andersen Corporate Foundation

The Andersen Corporate Foundation was established in 1941 with the mission to improve lives and strengthen communities where Andersen employees live and work. Since then, the Foundation has donated more than $65 million to worthy causes.

The Andersen Corporate Foundation supports nonprofit organizations working in the following areas: housing, healthcare, hunger relief, and education. 

Giving Areas

Housing: Funding to increase housing access and stability, including services to transition out of homelessness, and provide and maintain affordable housing.

Health: Funding to advance health access and equity, including support for critical access hospitals/clinics/providers, expanded access to mental health services, and expanded access to preventative healthcare.

Hunger Relief: Funding to address food insecurity and increase food access, including providing healthy and culturally relevant foods.

Education: Funding to advance equity and opportunity in education, and funding to support and raise the profile of trades and industrial education programs.

Funding

The Andersen Corporate Foundation supports general operating, program/project, and capital campaign funding requests. Grants requests may range in size from $5,000 to $50,000 for general operating and program/project requests. The majority of general operating and program/project grants awarded fall between $5,000 and $20,000.

Background

The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) seeks to make significant grants that will be the “Difference Maker” in bringing about a positive change in racial equity for Central Minnesota. CMCF is looking to build partnerships during the grant period and hopes that this partnership will advance the project or initiatives.

What We Fund

Support Strategies:

• Program support and development
• Program implementation

Funding Amount Range: $10,000-$30,000

Travelers believes that strong communities are sustained by educational and economic opportunities — and we are dedicated to assisting our communities in generating those opportunities. With a focus on equity and inclusion, we target our giving and volunteerism to help improve academic and career success, develop thriving neighborhoods and create culturally enriched communities.

Travelers is ensuring opportunity by contributing to efforts that create strong, vibrant communities and offer pathways to success. Through corporate funding and the Travelers Foundation, Travelers targets its giving to achieve three outcomes: Academic & Career Success, Thriving Neighborhoods and Culturally Enriched Communities. Our primary focus is educating underrepresented students to lead tomorrow’s workforce. In addition, Travelers contributes to organizations that aid in developing communities through small business support and neighborhood revitalization, and that enhance lives and learning through arts & culture. 

Travelers accepts grant applications exclusively for Hartford, Connecticut and St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily for project, program and operating support and for limited capital opportunities.

Academic & Career Success

Because today’s student will be tomorrow’s co-worker, education is the primary focus of our giving. We support college and career readiness programs for underrepresented students from middle school through college and into career. 

A successful future starts in the classroom. But many people struggle to get the education they need to compete for quality jobs and to lead a fulfilling life. Our giving focuses on helping to provide a foundation for individual success and on building a skilled workforce for our industry and our communities.

Where We Give

Nearly half of our annual giving goes toward initiatives that help underrepresented students attain academic and career success. We seek to improve academic achievement gaps by focusing on low-income and minority students in grades five through 12, students in college and those seeking careers in the insurance industry.

Funding Priorities

Academic & Career Success: Travelers supports initiatives that improve academic achievement and career success for underrepresented youth, specifically targeted at public school students in grades five through 12, students in transition to post-secondary education, and students in post-secondary learning environments.

• Middle & High School Academic Achievement– Travelers funds initiatives that foster improved academic achievement for middle and/or high school students.
• Post-Secondary Preparation & Degree Attainment– Travelers supports organizations that are building awareness of and personal readiness for post-secondary education and educational initiatives that improve degree completion for underrepresented students.
• Career Awareness & Readiness– Travelers supports educational initiatives that are building awareness of and preparation for careers in insurance and financial services.

Our Legacy

For more than 100 years, the Target Foundation (founded as The Dayton Foundation) has upheld the idea that the prosperity of a business is dependent on the prosperity of the communities in which it operates. It’s an important part of our history and our commitment to serve and support our neighbors.

In 2019, the Foundation expanded its support to address the growing urgency in our hometown, across the country and globally to help address widening socioeconomic gaps.

Target Foundation

We’re proud to continue our long legacy of support for communities in our hometown and around the world.

At the Target Foundation, we envision a world where all families and communities have the resources they need to determine and realize their own joy in life. It’s a reality that is out of reach for far too many families as they struggle for access to economic opportunity and stability, for equity and for the kind of empowerment that lifts up their communities. We believe we have a responsibility to work to remove structural barriers and help create access for those who have been left out. When we shift power to communities, they can more meaningfully participate in the economy, creating a world where all families can thrive.

Serving as a learning lab, the Target Foundation is committed to enabling shared prosperity and opportunity by upholding equity and inclusion for all communities. Guided by our deep commitment to community, we invest in leaders, organizations, coalitions and networks that expand economic opportunity equitably, enabling communities to determine their own futures. We support strategies that center and elevate the voices, stories and leadership of individuals and communities that have historically been silenced.

The Target Foundation is leaning into trust-based philanthropy to drive systems change, with values rooted in advancing equity, shifting power and building mutually accountable relationships. The Foundation’s capabilities allow it to work toward long-term solutions across complex and interconnected economic issues, grounded in the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) as well as Global South communities and organizations.

Building on our legacy of giving in our twin hometowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and extending across the U.S. and in emerging economies around the world, we remain committed to listening, learning and building the kinds of relationships with partners that will shift systems to realize a world where joy is for all.

Hometown Racial Equity Grant

Advancing racial equity for underserved and under-resourced communities to enable shared prosperity and opportunity for all.

At Target Foundation, we believe a vibrant and growing economy is only possible when economic opportunities are available to all our neighbors. The Target Foundation is committed to advancing racial equity and shared prosperity in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the greater state of Minnesota.

In addition to supporting the overarching Minneapolis-St. Paul philanthropic ecosystem and addressing persistent and immediate community needs, the Target Foundation hometown program concentrates its investments in organizations working to address the specific systemic and structural barriers facing Black communities, Indigenous communities and communities of color. We do this in four priority areas: entrepreneurship and small business, workforce development, housing and asset building.

• Entrepreneurship and Small Business: The Foundation supports entrepreneurship initiatives that address current ecosystem gaps, drive inclusive practices and create access to knowledge, services, networks and capital for entrepreneurs at all stages.
• Workforce Development: The Foundation supports employment and technical training opportunities to ensure the workforce development system operates effectively and connects job seekers and workers with the skills they need to succeed.
• Housing: The Foundation supports efforts that increase housing availability, stability and access — creating pathways to greater opportunity.
• Asset Building: The Foundation supports organizations that improve the asset-building opportunities available to traditionally marginalized communities, especially those that are engaged in work to increase financial inclusion, wealth building and overall financial health.

Why We Care

Target is proud to have called the Twin Cities our home since its founding more than 100 years ago. Our commitment to our hometown region continues to be a signature legacy of the Target Foundation.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul region is home to more than three million people. The region’s assets include the natural beauty of its parks, woods and lakes; a deep, vibrant and robust history of craft, visual arts, music and theater; numerous longstanding international anchor corporations; and widespread and increasing racial, ethnic and cultural diversity.

There are many communities who continue to be at an economic disadvantage despite our region’s thriving job market and strong economy.

Similar patterns can be found across the nation — rising income inequality and persistent racial gaps in health, education, employment, income and wealth preventing all people from realizing their full economic potential. As the demographics of our region continue to shift, the costs of inequality will grow.

However, the Twin Cities not only mirrors what is happening throughout the United States, but in several key areas, our hometown actually fares worse. Recent statistics on home ownership, income inequality, wages, and educational attainment all paint a picture of glaring disparities that could impact the region’s long-term success.

Equalizing economic opportunities for communities of color is not just important for these families and communities but also critical to a vibrant and growing economy, which ultimately benefits all.

Compelled by this data, Target Foundation recognizes that everyone’s future depends on overcoming inequalities and has made racial equity the cornerstone of its hometown program.

Our Desired Outcome

In our hometown program area, the Target Foundation envisions racial equity that enables shared prosperity and opportunity for all. To achieve this vision, the Foundation believes that our hometown region needs:

• A strong frontline of Black-, Indigenous- and people of color-led direct service organizations that are well-resourced, connected and able to serve the most marginalized communities, lifting them out of poverty and into economic vitality.
• Well-coordinated and well-resourced multi-sector networks, coalitions and alliances that are catalyzing economic development in the Twin Cities’ poorest neighborhoods, while displacing no one and leaving no one behind.

Who do we want to impact?

• Black communities, Indigenous communities and other communities of color.
• Historically disinvested communities.
• Individuals with low income.

Funding

Estimated grant size will range from $25,000-$200,000.

About Us

The Foundation has historically leveraged human and financial resources to foster a thriving East Side St. Paul, Minnesota where the McNeely business developed. The McNeely Foundation was set up in the 1960s by Harry G. McNeely Sr, and his wife Adelaide Frenzel McNeely. It was originally funded with a gift of stock from their business, The St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company. 

Grantmaking Focus:

The McNeely Foundation funds organizations that create a more vibrant and sustainable East Side of St Paul. It will consider applications from organizations outside of the targeted geography and age group for innovative work that could be integrated or replicated on the East Side. Our four grantmaking focus areas are Youth Development Through Enrichment, Youth Development Through Employment Training, Environment, and Family & Neighborhood Stability.

Family & Neighborhood Stability

Goal:

• Increase economic vitality and stability of youth and low-income families.

Strategies:

• Financial literacy and asset building opportunities.
• Supportive services to maintain families in stable housing.
• Employment education and training, and job creation.
• Maintain community development and community building organizations that create community leaders, support expansion of individual and community assets, and foster a sense of neighborhood.

Travelers Foundation

Travelers believes that strong communities are sustained by educational and economic opportunities —and we are dedicated to assisting our communities in generating those opportunities. With a focus on equity and inclusion, we target our giving and volunteerism to help improve academic and career success, develop thriving neighborhoods and create culturally enriched communities.

Travelers contributes to organizations that prepare historically underrepresented students to lead tomorrow’s workforce, develop vibrant communities through small business support and neighborhood revitalization, and enhance lives and learning through arts & culture.

Travelers accepts grant applications exclusively for Hartford, Connecticut and St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily for project, program and operating support and for limited capital opportunities.

Thriving Neighborhoods

Travelers supports organizations that help create and maintain safety, stability and vitality in low- and mixed-income communities.

What Our Funding Supports:

• Accessible, Safe Housing– Travelers supports organizations and programs that provide permanent housing and supportive services to create safe, stable neighborhoods.
• Successful Small Businesses – Travelers funds organizations that develop economic vitality and create and retain wealth by assisting the creation and growth of small businesses, with an emphasis on women-, minority- and veteran-owned businesses. Travelers also supports programs that prepare individuals for business ownership and support them on their journeys.
• Resilient Communities – Travelers supports organizations that show leadership in disaster preparation, response and recovery.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund wants to encourage collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions in a number of civic areas including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education.

Priority is placed on projects that: 

• Bring together a broad range of community members and institutions
• Provide the opportunity for diverse community members to work together
• Contain measurable short term outcomes within the first 12 to 18 months
• Include community members actively in all phases of the process 
• Work toward an outcome of positive change within their community

Projects must demonstrate:

• Support from a diverse cross-section of community members and institutions
• Matching financial and/or in-kind support from the local community
• Significant volunteer participation
• Reasonable plans to complete the project within 18 months or less

Funds will be available for: 

• Planning (up to $5,000) - These funds may support costs like: consultant or staff time, meeting costs, mailings, secretarial support, refreshments, local travel, childcare, etc.
• Note - this stage is optional and not a required phase prior to applying for or receiving an implementation grant. If an organization receives a planning grant from the Musser Fund, this in no way implies a commitment on the part of the Musser Fund to provide the organization with any subsequent implementation grant.
• But organizations that receive a planning grant may apply for subsequent implementation support after their planning activities are completed.      
• Implementation (Up to $25,000) - These funds are available to implement community based rural projects that originate in, have been planned by, and involve diverse people from the local community.
• Capital campaigns will not be supported.
• The projects should result in a tangible outcome within at least the first 18 months.
• Projects will be eligible for either planning or implementation funds during any one grant period.

What the Program will Cover:

• New programs or projects within their first three years
• A planning, and/or implementation phase