Search Through Grants for Charities in Minnesota in the U.S.

Background

CHS is a global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States. Diversified in energy, agronomy, grains and foods, we’re committed to creating connections to empower agriculture, helping our owners and customers grow their businesses.

General inquiriesWe consider other requests that benefit the agriculture or cooperative industry.

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.

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.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Valero Energy Foundation 

Valero, its employees and the Valero Energy Foundation are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where we work and live, fulfilling a mission that was set from the beginning. We set the standard for corporate citizenship and promotes prosperity in our communities. 

The Valero Energy Foundation -- a public charity and Valero's philanthropic arm -- funds nonprofit agencies that serve predominantly disadvantaged children and families. In 2019, the Foundation contributed appoximately $40 million in assistance in the communities where Valero has major operations.

Four Pillars of Support

Our funding focuses on our four pillars of giving in communities where we have major operations.

• Basic Needs:  Valero gives assistance to agencies that provide basic needs of life, including shelter, food and clothing necessary for the development of a strong and safe community. 
• Health Care: We invest in the development of strategic community health resources and facilities that will support the needs of all members of our nearby communities, with major gifts going to children’s hospitals, university medical centers and service providers that offer specialized health care services and programs.
• Education: Valero is a strong advocate of education as it creates a necessary foundation for all children to thrive and for adults to lead productive lives. 
• Civic: We support civic and environmental initiatives directly related to the success of the communities where we live and work.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

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.

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.

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

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.

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

Old National Bank Foundation

The Old National Bank Foundation makes contributions to nonprofit organizations to fund widespread community impact programs and/or projects. The Foundation is part of Old National's overall charitable giving initiative, which enables us to support programs that improve quality of life in areas of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. We believe in supporting where our clients, team members and shareholders live and work.

Funding Priorities

Our funding targets innovative programs that enhance the quality of life within our communities in support of the following four strategic initiatives: Affordable Housing, Workforce Development, Economic Development, and Financial Empowerment. We prioritize programs that serve underrepresented communities and low- to moderate-income people. 

Examples of funding priorities with measurable outcome focus areas include:

Affordable Housing

• Increase Homeownership Opportunities: We seek initiatives that enable individuals and families to purchase homes through accessible financing, down payment assistance, and homeowner education.
• Support Critical Home Repairs and Revitalization: We fund programs that ensure safe, habitable housing by assisting with essential repairs for homes
• Promote Multi-Family Housing Developments: We prioritize programs that develop or sustain affordable rental units

Economic Development

• Small Business Development and Growth: We aim to support programs that help small businesses scale, access resources, and build sustainable growth plans.
• Capacity Building for Technical Support: We encourage projects that enhance the capability of organizations offering technical support to small businesses and nonprofits.
• Entrepreneurship and Business Coaching: We support programs that offer entrepreneurship education, business coaching, and professional development for new or aspiring business owners.

Financial Education

• Old National Bank’s Real-Life Finance e-learning curriculum provides robust financial education training for community partners

Workforce Development

• Access to Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning: We support workforce readiness through initiatives offering hands-on training, particularly in trades and high-demand fields.
• Job Creation, Employment Entry, and Retention: We support projects that connect individuals to stable employment and increasing levels of income. This can include higher education with dual credentialing, leadership and professional development

Financial Empowerment

• Financial Wellness: We fund long-term initiatives that reduce barriers to banking and credit access, especially for underbanked groups. This can include culturally relevant and multilingual outreach, foreclosure prevention, and credit counseling with the goal of financial independence
• Community Lending Access: We support organizations that provide access to affordable microloans, emergency loans, and community cooperative lending as safe and sustainable alternatives to predatory loans

About the Foundation

The Willis C. Helm Charitable Trust was created in 1954 by Katherine B. Helm in memory of her husband, Willis C. Helm. Mrs. Helm’s desire was to support charities which do constructive work in the field of juvenile delinquency and development of boys from broken homes, as well as specifically named charities. Mr. and Mrs. Helm were residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Guidelines

The Willis C. Helm Charitable Trust awards grants to charities that carry on constructive work in the field of juvenile delinquency and development of boys from broken homes. 

Average Giving

• Average grant size: $5,000 to $15,000 
• Average number of grants per year: 5 
• Average total giving per year: $60,000

Type of Support

Support related to program needs for constructive work in the field of juvenile delinquency and development of boys from broken homes.

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.

Ecosystem Grants

The Bush Foundation works to inspire and support creative problem solving — within and across sectors — to make our region better for everyone. We know problem solving is hard. Our Ecosystem grant program provides operating support to the organizations that support the people doing this work.

Some might call these infrastructure organizations or intermediary organizations or just can’t-do-without organizations. We call them Ecosystem organizations because they create the environment needed for organizations and leaders to solve problems. 

The Ecosystem program primarily supports organizations helping people solve problems across a number of issues, rather than orgs focused on a particular issue area. The exceptions to this are organizations working on spreading student-centered learning or using the arts to address community challenges. (These exceptions reflect our long-standing commitments to education and the arts.) We also want to make sure we are funding organizations focused on Native nation building in ways that support sovereignty. 

What We Fund

We award Ecosystem grants to organizations that other organizations and leaders within our region rely heavily on to do one or more of the following:

• Provide critical data and analysis.
• Advance public awareness and policy.
• Spread great ideas and build capacity.
• Build and support leadership networks.

Ecosystem grantees work across a variety of issues, or on one of three specific issues: supporting the sovereignty of Native nations, spreading student-centered learning, or using art to solve community problems. Organizations may apply to receive as much as $450,000 over three years in operating support. The annual grant amount is typically 25% of the organization’s expenses, up to $150,000 per year. All Ecosystem grantees receive an additional $10,000 in capacity building funds to build or increase their skills to work across differences. 

About the Bush Prize

The Bush Prize celebrates organizations that are highly valued within their communities and have a track record of successful community problem solving.

Each partner operates the Bush Prize using similar criteria and has the flexibility to ensure that the program is guided by community members with equity at the center. The four partners (with Bush Foundation in an advisory role) select and announce the Bush Prize winners, as well as provide any support along the way. 

Bush Prize grants are flexible and can be used to build reserves, test a big idea or for anything else that would best support the organization's ongoing good work. The grant amounts are up to 25% of an organization’s most recent fiscal year expenses, with a maximum of $500,000.

Bush Prize: Minnesota

The Bush Prize celebrates organizations that are highly valued within their communities and have a track record of successful community problem solving.

The Bush Prize award is flexible and can be used to build up reserves, test that next big idea or whatever else would best support the organization's ongoing good work.

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation believes that our community should not only benefit from our work but inform and form it as well. Creating solutions to today’s issues requires a collaborative approach. Our work is also rooted in a commitment to racial equity.

Selection Criteria

Does the organization have a pattern of innovative solutions?

• Are these breakthroughs in addressing community needs more effective, equitable or sustainable than existing approaches?
• Did these innovative solutions make a significant difference?
• Could the organization inspire or inform others?

Does the organization have a pattern of using inclusive, collaborative and resourceful processes?

• Inclusive: meaningfully engaging key stakeholders, thoughtfully identifying those needed to create the intended change and, whenever possible, including those directly affected by the problem.
• Collaborative: a true joint effort, with partners willing to share ownership and decision-making as they pursue an innovation together.
• Resourceful: using existing resources and assets creatively to make the most of what a community already has.

Does the organizational leadership foster a culture of innovation?

• Is the organization stable and strong in terms of governance and finance?

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

About the Foundation

James B. Linsmayer was a lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The James B. Linsmayer Foundation was established to further the legacy and memory of James B. Linsmayer by primarily funding/supporting programs in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and human services in the vibrant Twin Cities. The vision of the James B. Linsmayer Foundation is to be recognized as a strategic partner in funding programs in these areas.

Mission

To further the legacy and memory of James B. Linsmayer by primarily funding/supporting programs within the areas of arts and culture, education, health and human services in the vibrant Twin Cities of Minnesota.

Program areas

• Arts, culture, and humanities 
• Education 
• Health 
• Human services

Program limitations

There are no program limitations, but the Foundation has a practice of primarily supporting areas of arts and culture, education, health and human services.

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.

About Our Funding

The information provided on this page applies only to potential grantees located in the state of Minnesota. The Medica Foundation recognizes the importance of supporting the unique health needs of individual communities in our grantmaking.

Our overarching principles:

• Benefits local communities.
• Improves the availability of, access to and/or quality of health care.
• Achieves success or demonstrates effectiveness through measurable outcomes.

Minnesota: Rural Health Grant

We aim to fund community-led solutions that address health equity in rural communities. 

We prioritize proposals that address:

• Culturally-focused care
• Dental health
• Domestic violence and sexual assault services and prevention
• Independent living for seniors
• Maternal and birth health
• Mental health and chemical health
• Primary care for underserved communities
• Sexual health
• Transportation for medical/health appointments

Funding

Individual grants may be awarded between $5,000 - $10,000.

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

What We Fund

Joseph Durda established his Foundation in 1989. Prior to his passing in 1990, he wrote:

" The very basis of the human condition - its tragedy and its triumph - can be found in the entities this Foundation will be supporting. All the poverty that is lessened by a helping hand, all the hunger that is alleviated by the gift of food, all the service that makes heroes of the most humble among us....charity is the supreme virtue, and the great channel through which the mercy of God is passed on to mankind." -- Joseph Durda Sept. 1989

The grant making framework reflects the core priorities of the Foundation, supporting organizations that provide direct services in which the Foundation endeavors to create a positive impact. The following are high priority areas:  

• Charitable giving for the needy, poor and homeless... those needing a helping hand.
• Aid and assistance to orphans and underprivileged youth.
• Services for the disabled and those with disabling health issues.
• Educational support to our young people to help advance their lives.
• Invest in cardiovascular and other medical research.
• Support and assist our military veterans and their families.  

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.