Search Through Homelessness Grants 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

Background

The Community Innovation program invests in great ideas and the people who power them across our region.

CI grants and program-related investments (PRIs) fund ideas that have the potential to make our region better for everyone. The idea can be related to any issue that a community believes is important. Through this program, we aim to:

• Develop, test and spread great ideas: CI grants support efforts to develop and test ideas to solve problems and create opportunities, then spread the best ideas across communities.
• Inspire, equip and connect leaders: Great ideas spread through people. CI grants invest in efforts to inspire, equip and connect leaders to more effectively lead change.

The potential for ideas to spread is a key aspect of this program. If an idea works, we want to understand if that idea could spread to other organizations or communities or issues. And if it doesn’t work as hoped, we want to know if there are lessons learned that can help others doing similar work. We also provide funds to help you understand and evaluate those lessons learned.

What We Fund

We fund the development and spread of great ideas. We make grants for ideas as varied as reimagining agricultural finance, Indigenizing tourism and adapting telehealth for people experiencing homelessness. We removed funding caps on our biggest grantmaking program, Community Innovation, and make large commitments to ensure that great ideas get the support needed for success. We tripled our grantmaking through community grant partners to make sure programs are designed with the communities served.

We invest directly in people. We know that change only happens when people make it happen. We invest in individuals through our Bush Fellowship program and by supporting amazing programs that help entrepreneurs thrive in rural areas and grows the next generation of Native leaders and leadership approaches. We also funded the creation of programs that help build generational wealth and support sabbaticals for leaders who are creating and nurturing community change.

We support organizations that support problem solvers. We offer flexible funding to organizations that we hear are the most highly valued by problem solvers in the region. We know we can directly fund only a small fraction of the great efforts happening in our region. And yet we can be even more helpful by supporting the work of organizations that others turn to for help in their own problem-solving efforts. We do this through Ecosystem grants and the Bush Prizes that are operated by our community grant partners.

Grants That Change Lives

The Community Sharing Fund is how the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation responds to emergency needs in our community.

The Fund partners with more than 100 community organizations to identify families and individuals facing short-term financial setbacks. A small grant from the fund can prevent a tailspin that results in unemployment or homelessness.

Mission

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

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

Beliefs

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

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

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

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

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

Building a better tomorrow

At Edina Realty we know real estate is rooted in our communities. And, an investment in our neighborhoods gives us all a better place to call home.

The Edina Realty Foundation offers financial support to non-profit organizations that provide housing and homelessness prevention services in communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Their mission is to support those who serve homeless individuals, children, and families, as well as organizations focused on preventing homelessness.

Since its inception in 1996, the Foundation has raised more than $12 million. Over 95% of funds raised go directly to organizations working to end homelessness.

Our funding is made possible by:

• Agent and employee contributions
• Year-round fundraising events
• Contributions from Edina Realty Home Services

Our Mission

To support and improve the lives of the homeless in the communities we serve.

Everyone deserves a place to call home. 

To support and improve the lives of homeless people in the communities we serve. 

That’s what Edina Realty agents and employees set out to do when they established the Edina Realty Foundation in 1996.

The Edina Realty Foundation offers financial support to non-profit organizations that provide food, emergency shelter, medical care, job readiness training and more to the homeless across Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

More than 95% of all funds raised go directly to organizations that support the homeless or work to prevent homelessness.

Program Areas We Support

• Housing & Shelter
• Programs & Education
• Emergency Services
• Financial Assistance

Laird Norton Family Foundation

The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) is a private family foundation in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to honor and reflect the family’s shared values through giving and engage the family in philanthropy as a platform for strengthening family connections.

Primary Grantmaking Programs  

Our grantmaking reflects the values of the Laird Norton family. We give in program areas that reflect the family's shared interests:

Arts in Education

Our Arts in Education grantmaking program supports equitable educational opportunities for students using arts integrated and culturally informed instruction, including sustained professional development for public school teachers. Funding will be directed toward programs that seek to enhance students’ educational outcomes in public Pre-K through grade 12 classrooms rather than to simply increase participation in, or appreciation for, the arts.

• Our current support focuses on organizations that provide: long-term, push-in, professional development opportunities for public Pre-K through grade 12 teachers and schools; programs that aim to serve students furthest from educational justice; and programs with culturally relevant instruction and are focused on the whole child.

Climate Change

Climate change is a global, complex challenge facing our world. The goal of our Climate Change program is to help the planet heal and mitigate adverse impacts of climate change for all people, communities, and the natural world. Grantmaking is centered around carbon sequestration work and recognizes organizations as the experts and stewards to advance climate and environmental justice. Grantmaking is focused in the West Coast of the US.

•  We are focused on supporting work that increased the abilities of forests, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands to sequester carbon. Through projects involving healthy forests, blue carbon, and regenerative agriculture, we seek to learn from and follow the lead of communities impacted first and worst as our planet changes. 

Human Services

• Our Human Services grantmaking program supports organizations working directly with youth and young adults (age 12-25) who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, and/or involved with child welfare, juvenile legal or behavioral health systems. Grantmaking is currently only with organizations in King County, WA. 

• Our current support prioritizes organizations that are created and led by the communities they seek to serve, that acknowledge and seek to address racial and social injustice in their work, and that offer programming with the aim of preventing youth and young adult homelessness and creating systems change.

Watershed Stewardship

​Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family. Currently, we prioritize work in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as a few key watersheds in the Western United States, consistent with the Laird Norton family's priorities.

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

About Us

Saving pets. Together.

The Petfinder Foundation has been helping animal shelters and rescue groups since 2003. We are the ONLY national organization that does nothing but give cash and product grants to adoption groups.=

How We Work

Our programs are designed to keep homeless pets physically and mentally healthy so they can find loving forever homes.

Our grants put food in bowls, provide medical care, and help rescue animals from disasters. When pets are in need, we’re there to help.

P.L.A.Y. Pet Beds 

Applications are reviewed and awarded 10 Chill Pads on a monthly basis to specific geographical regions. 

The Petfinder Foundation has partnered with P.L.A.Y. Pet Lifestyle and You through the Warm Bellies Initiative to give luxury beds to shelter pets. P.L.A.Y. joins us in the belief that every pet deserves a warm and cozy place to sleep

Applications are reviewed and awarded 10 Chill Pads on a monthly basis to specific geographical regions. You may apply for this grant program once. Grant applications from this program are reviewed based on the location of your organization and the monthly state awarding schedule below:

• January: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts
• February: Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York
• March - Pennsylvania, New Jersey
• April: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia
• May: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida
• June: Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin
• July: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky
• August: Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi
• September: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming
• October: Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas
• November: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada
• December: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas

About Us

The Northland Foundation is a place-based, publicly supported foundation working within seven Northeast Minnesota counties and all or parts of five Native nations.

Mission & Values

Our mission is to support Northeast Minnesota people and communities working toward a future where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

Integrity. Be solid partners: ethical, reliable, and transparent. Keep the mission and values at the forefront.

Respect. Honor different cultures, traditions, and beliefs. Trust communities to know their own challenges and strengths.

Empowerment. Help ensure people and communities can use their voice and power to shape their own lives for the better.

Inclusiveness. Actively work to reach and reflect the diversity of the people and communities served. Be intentional to break down barriers and bring people together.

What We Fund

Quarterly grants can be used for general operating support and are flexible to help grantees meet their funding needs. General operating grants are only available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that are headquartered and have a staffing presence in our geographic region. Grants may also be used for capacity-building efforts that strengthen the organization or improve service delivery.

Program restricted grants are available for nonprofit organizations that 1) have operations or are headquartered outside our region or 2) are governmental organizations, such as school districts, colleges or universities, or Tribal nations. Program-restricted grants can only be used to support a specific program and associated activities that take place in our service area.

Grant Priorities

The most successful proposals will clearly address one or more of the following five priorities.

Basic Needs

Services and programming that address human needs essential to overall wellbeing. Proposals can address one or more of the following basic needs categories.

• Food Security
  • Support for food access programming such as meal services, food banks and food shelves, and child hunger programs (summer meal programs, backpack programs, school-based pantries, etc.).
• Affordable Housing
  • Support for affordable housing programs or services that help increase opportunities for people to access quality affordable housing.
  • Proposals should be for general operating or program support, not construction costs.
  • Examples are programs that provide downpayment assistance, home ownership programming, and landlord/tenant rights education.
• Homeless Services
  • Support for services to people experiencing homelessness such as support for shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, or warming shelters.
• Aging
  • Providing services to help older adults age in place, such as caregiver support, grocery services, or meal services.
• Health and Wellbeing
  • Programs that support the health, wellness, and mental wellbeing of people who otherwise would not have access to these services.
  • Examples are free health clinics, oral health care programs, and mental health services.
• Other Basic Needs
  • Services to people with disabilities, workforce programs, legal services, etc.

Belonging

Inequities exist in our society. Resources and opportunities are often limited based on place (where someone lives), race (skin color or cultural background), and class (economic status). Belonging seeks to support projects and initiatives designed to help everyone, especially those who are under-served or underrepresented in traditional power structures, to gain full and fair access to essentials like quality housing, education, and employment, and generally thrive. This may include broad, community-wide efforts or a specific focus on belonging within our existing priority areas.Domestic and Sexual Violence

Prevention and intervention efforts in relation to domestic abuse and family violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, such as shelter, advocacy, legal, and other supports or visitation programs that provide a place for safe and supervised parental visits.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Early care and education quality and access, parenting education, and supports. Note: the quarterly grant program does not include support for child care start-ups or child care operating expenses, but sometimes there is funding available for these activities through Special Grant Opportunities.

Out-of-School Time

Structured, consistent, and accessible out-of-school time educational programming and activities for broad groups of children and youth delivered by an organization whose primary focus is to serve youth/youth development.

Strategic Approaches that are Encouraged

High-impact programs and projects build in certain strategic approaches that can improve outcomes. We encourage including one or more of the following approaches in work considered for funding

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Actively working to reach and fully reflect the diversity of communities served, facilitate inclusion, and counter systemic inequity.

Multi-Generational

• Considering the needs of multiple generations when addressing an issue. For example, programs for children may include components for parents and guardians.

Collaboration

• Bringing other partners into a program or project in order to tap others’ expertise, expand geographic or demographic reach, and/or improve outcomes.

Systems Change

• Seeking to change public policy and increase the civic engagement of under-represented populations.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Background

F. R. Bigelow 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.

We offer general operating, program and some capital support. The Foundation considers grant applications from nonprofit organizations and public entities fostering a vibrant East Metro region and seeking to achieve racially and economically equitable outcomes in the areas of arts & culture, economic & community development, education & youth development, health, housing and human services.

Funding Priorities

F. R. Bigelow Foundation has six focus areas and will consider proposals that address one or more of the following:

Arts & Culture

Strengthening the arts & culture sector to serve all individuals and all communities across the East Metro region by supporting general operations and capital projects

• The 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., people with disabilities, low-income communities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, formerly incarcerated people, etc.).
• Please note that the Foundation has not historically supported specific productions, performances, exhibits, artist fees, etc. through this application-based process.

Community and Economic Development

Building a strong and vital East Metro through community building, physical development and strengthening support for low-income individuals, families and underrepresented communities through workforce development and training 

• The Foundation seeks to invest and partner in solutions informed and formed by the people facing the highest barriers to wealth creation, economic security and family-sustaining career pathways. In the East Metro, this includes BIPOC, women, veterans, young people, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated people and LGBTQIA+ people.
• Specific priorities for wealth creation include strengthening the entrepreneur ecosystem and increasing local ownership of businesses and homes.
• Regarding economic security, the Foundation recognizes the importance of anchor institutions embedded at the neighborhood level. For workforce development, we will prioritize employment pathways that meet the needs of individuals and employers alike.

Education & Youth Development

Supporting under-served children, youth and young adults by investing in access to high-quality education and youth development both in and out of school from cradle to career

• The Foundation recognizes how important it is for students and young people to feel cared for, protected, valued and seen after a difficult period in their learning and growth. This is complex and urgent work, and the Foundation will prioritize organizations that blend academic, social and emotional support for young people most impacted by educational inequity.
• The Foundation will also prioritize support to organizations working to build a robust early childhood system that gives children and families access to high-quality care and education programs.

Health

Increasing health equity through quality, affordable, culturally relevant services, particularly for low-income, uninsured, under-insured and socially marginalized individuals.

• The Foundation continues to prioritize health organizations that focus on health equity and increasing access to affordable, culturally relevant health services.
• The Foundation hopes to better align its health grants to be inclusive of programs and organizations that serve low-income families, provide free or affordable, culturally relevant services, and holistic care.
• Given the increase in severity, cost of and demand for mental health services, urgent care and/or crisis prevention, access to reproductive health care, trauma-informed health care, and free or reduced services for uninsured or underinsured communities, the Foundation will prioritize these programs and organizations to continue to serve our most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Housing

Improving access for low-income individuals and families to affordable quality housing, preventing and ending homelessness.

• The Foundation embraces the vision for housing justice articulated by the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness.
• The Foundation will prioritize work that ensures the most marginalized people experiencing housing instability and homelessness are able to access housing that is “safe, decent, affordable,” and “free of prejudice” while also receiving the additional support and services they need.

Human Services 

Investing in basic needs for individuals and families, helping them be safe, stable and independent.

• The Foundation will prioritize grants that assist residents in navigating life transitions, finding safety and stability, and promoting independence.
• In addition to supporting work that centers the voices of the people most impacted by an organization’s work, special priority will be given to disability support services, child welfare support services, family and parent support services, food relief and assistance, older adult services, immigration and legal services, and re-entry supports for formerly incarcerated people.

Types of Grants

The Foundation will consider grant applications for:

General Operating Support

• These grants provide flexible funding for nonprofits in which at least 50% of the organization’s services benefit residents in the East Metro (Dakota, Washington and Ramsey counties).

Capital Projects

• The Foundation supports capital projects located in the East Metro with 50% or more of services from that facility benefiting East Metro residents.
• Grants are designed to support investment in buildings, facilities and equipment. Foundation investments are typically limited to buildings owned by nonprofits or held by long-term lease agreement.
• These grants are generally paid over multiple years.

UNICO Foundation

The UNICO Foundation Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) Corporation. This classification by the IRS allows various contributions to the Foundation to be tax-deductible. The Foundation was incorporated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1962. The purpose of the Foundation shall be to receive, accept and make gifts, donations, grants, awards, scholarships, fellowships, and the like, for charitable, scientific, educational, literary and religious purposes.  Every member of UNICO National is also a member of the Foundation. The Foundation also offers specific grants for cancer research & prevention and food bank/shelter. 

Ralph J. Torraco Food Bank/Shelter Fund Grant

Mission: To feed the hungry and provide shelter for those homeless or the indigent.

Funding Criteria: To provide funds through community established food/shelter programs that provide food and shelter to those in need.

The program should not be located in a private home, and must meet all local and State health department regulations. The food/shelter program should have an established track record of providing food and or shelter to low-income clientele. Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens or Shelters should use 100% of the grant to purchase food or provide shelter. The program must be located in the United States and serve people in the United States.

BackgroundWe fund in the state of Minnesota with priority given to the seven-county metro area. We work in settings that serve children who are at-risk or experiencing abuse or neglect, exposed to toxic stress/trauma, or have challenges developing reading, writing and math skills. This includes schools and early childhood settings, non-profit and research organizations, government agencies, collaboratives, and networks. Funding Areas We fund direct service, research, field building, and systems change efforts in the following areas:Building Strong Family Relationships: Prevention and Intervention in Child Welfare

• Supporting children and families with a whole family approach network of community-based initiatives towards preventing child abuse and neglect.
• Keeping children safe at home through parent support and family treatment services. When this is not possible, building connections through family-finding and natural support towards achieving relational permanence.
• Meeting the social emotional needs of foster children & youth and decreasing time to permanency, interrupting the exit to homeless youth services.
• Increasing public awareness of the foster care experience through the elevation of experienced and informed foster youth voice.

Building Supportive Environments that Promote Emotional Safety for Children & Youth

• Programs for preK-12 schools that promote the emotional safety of children and youth.
• School-based small group interventions for children facing shared adverse experiences, e.g.; grief, separation from caregiver.
• Programs that offer children and families tools to talk about emotional and mental health.
• Professional development in trauma-responsive practices for professionals working with children; including resiliency to secondary trauma.

Building Educational Success for Children: Literacy Skills and Specific Learning Disabilities in Reading PreK – 12th Grade

• As the Sauer Family Foundation approaches its planned sunset in 2027, we will continue to partner with current grantees on this important work.
• To ensure substantial investment in what has shown successful outcomes in this funding area, we will no longer accept unsolicited inquiries or applications for Educational Success funding.

Building a Workforce that Reflects the Diversity of Minnesota’s Children: Racially Equitable Career Pathways in our Funding Areas

• As the Sauer Family Foundation approaches its planned sunset in 2027, we will continue to partner with current grantees on this important work.
• To ensure substantial investment in what has shown successful outcomes in this funding area, we will no longer accept unsolicited inquiries or applications for Diverse Workforce funding.

Our Mission

Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless believes that every Minnesotan should be free from hunger and homelessness. We make an impact by partnering with those who serve people in need, growing donor engagement and increasing awareness.

Community Impact Grant

The Community Impact Grant is targeted toward organizations serving adults, families, and youth experiencing food and housing insecurity throughout Minnesota. The primary goal is to ensure that these providers of crisis services have the tools, equipment, and infrastructure necessary to best serve those in need. Preference is given to agencies that provide services for people who are currently experiencing homelessness – on the street or in shelters.

Mission

The fund supports initiatives that:

• Increase community awareness of global interdependence
• Encourage progressive social change
• Broaden democratic participation, particularly to assure continued freedom of expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment
• Fight racism, sexism and discrimination of all kinds
• Promote justice
• Promote access to universal health care
• Promote the well-being of all people

The fund encourages co-sponsorship and co-funding of projects.

Other objectives of the fund include:

• Increasing citizen understanding of world cultures, political and social systems and international trade
• Highlighting the need for population control
• Addressing problems of less-developed countries
• Contributing to the preservation of the environment
• Examining the validity of military expenditures
• Fostering justice and human rights.

Examples

The following are representative but not exclusive examples of projects:

• Lectures in support of peace and justice
• News articles
• Sister city relationships, particularly with countries with which the United States may be on unfriendly terms
• Foreign exchanges of postsecondary faculty or students
• Awards to individuals for university or graduate-level study in the United States or abroad on subjects related to peace and justice
• Projects that explore innovative ideas for solutions to problems of hunger and homelessness, or that provide emergency aid to people dealing with these issues in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin

The following are representative but not exclusive examples of possible grant recipients:

• Colleges and universities in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin as well as Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan
• Finnish-American organizations
• The Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• Organizations that support Native American treaty rights
• Organizations concerned with health care for low-income people
• International organizations working on programs with local implications, such as national security, population, refugees or the environment

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.

About Us

Our Mission

To transform lives in our community by uniting people and organizations to maximize donor impact.

Our Vision

The United Way of Bemidji Area will be a recognized leader connecting people, resources and ideas to create a thriving community characterized by measurable and long-lasting improvements in education, income, and health.

United Way impact areas open to funding are:

 Youth Opportunity (Education)

• Preparing young people to realize their potential from cradle to career
  • Examples: childcare and early childhood education, in-school, after-school, and summer learning, family engagement, literacy development, college and career readiness

Financial Stability (Basic Needs)

• Creating a stronger financial future for every generation
  • Examples: adult education, job training, and career pathways, financial education and coaching, food security, homelessness prevention, affordable housing, and homeownership, benefits access

Healthy Community (Health)

• Improving health and wellbeing for all
  • Examples: healthcare access, maternal and child health, health spaces and physical activity, mental health support, substance misuse, recovery, and prevention

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

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.

Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation

The Butler Family Foundation seeks to foster safety, opportunity, and growth for individuals and families by supporting effective nonprofit organizations in the arts, environment, and human services.

Community Grants

The Butler Family Foundation's Community Grants Program awards two-year grants for general operating support or for specific projects and programs. Organizations applying for grants in the arts or human services must work in the urban cores of Saint Paul or Minneapolis or in the East Metropolitan suburbs. Organizations applying for grants in the environment may work anywhere in Minnesota.

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:

• Benefit the communities Medica serves
• Advance health equity
• Build trust and collaboration with grantee partners and create mutual accountability between funders and nonprofits
• Improve the availability of, access to, and/or quality of health care
• Achieve success or demonstrate effectiveness through measurable outcomes

Minnesota: Early Childhood Health Grant

We seek proposals that support early intervention programs that foster optimal growth and development for children from birth through age 12. We prioritize proposals that strategically align their work to advance health equity for the following communities:

• Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
• Immigrants and refugees
• Individuals experiencing homelessness
• Individuals living in rural areas
• LGBTQ+
• Youth in or aging out of foster care

We'll prioritize proposals that address:

• Abuse prevention
• Culturally-focused care
• Early childhood health workforce
• Maternal health and birth equity (e.g., prenatal/perinatal care and doula support)
• Oral health
• Parenting skills
• Primary care and immunizations
• Social-emotional learning

Funding

Individual grants may be awarded up to $100,000.

Background

Established in 2005, the C.H. Robinson Foundation is a Minnesota nonprofit corporation as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is funded by C.H. Robinson and creates a long-term resource for giving back to our communities through the support of other Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. We work with a trust company that provides support to charitable organizations to provides checks and balances while ensuring compliance with Internal Revenue Service guidelines and corporate tax law.

Through general operating and program grants to organizations that address hunger, provide shelter, support K-12 education and develop workforce, the C.H. Robinson Foundation helps strengthen the greater metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Giving Priorities

The C.H. Robinson Foundation Twin Cities Grants Program is focused on strengthening our local communities and supporting basic needs of hunger, shelter, education and workforce development.

To be considered for a Twin Cities grant from the C.H. Robinson Foundation, your charitable organization must meet one of our giving priorities:

Hunger

• Serving the local community through food shelves/pantries/banks
• Providing meal service or food programs targeted to specific needs of senior citizens, youth, people living with life threatening illnesses, etc.

Shelter

• Providing transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Offering emergency shelter for those facing homelessness or domestic violence
• Supplying essential household items and furniture for those in need

Education

• Improving educational opportunities for k-12 for students facing barriers to success
• Developing youth to become successful, productive adults through core educational programming
• Supporting systemic improvements to advance education outcomes for students, schools and educators
• Cultivating talent for successful careers in supply chain and technology

Workforce Development

• Strengthening pathways to quality jobs for low-income workers
• Supporting strategies that move low-wage workers into higher wage jobs including bridge, upskilling, and credentialing
• Improving the quality of low-wage occupations
• Building the capacity of workforce and education organizations to prepare for the future needs of the labor market
• Additional consideration may be given for:
  • Workforce development and talent pipeline initiatives for supply chain and logistics
  • Workforce development and talent pipeline initiatives for technology

Background

In 2022, the Northwest Continuum of Care embarked on a project called the Racial Equity Accountability Project (REAP). Members of the REAP team serve as the decision-making body for the Northwest Continuum of Care’s (NWCoC) board of directors. Membership of the REAP team is primarily comprised of individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color, as well as individuals that have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity in Northwest Minnesota’s regional homeless response system.

The purpose of this grant is to provide grants out to the community working to improve outcomes for individuals who have experienced homelessness.

These goals include:

• Increasing cultural competency of NWCoC staff:
  • Grant expenses can cover costs associated with providing and organizing training and professional development for staff working with those living through homelessness
• Developing stronger relations between those living through homelessness and supportive housing staff
  • This can be accomplished by providing more culturally relevant events and opportunities for the community to express their cultural identify and provide healing
  • Examples include sweat lodges, traditional ceremonies, drum circles, talking circles, community meals, and support groups
  • Events related to specific cultural and racial identifies
• Improving outcomes for individuals living through homelessness by increasing stabilization:
  • Providing job training and acquisition opportunities for individuals leaving homelessness
  • Covering costs needed to maintain stable housing and employment
    • Clothing stipends, furniture stipends, food stipends, hotel vouchers, utility payments, vital document fees, vehicle insurance fees, gas vouchers, or any other services that would improve stable housing outcomes
  • Covering grant expenses related to educational development, business development, or any other form of professional development/entrepreneurship:
    • Professional development training/certifications, scholarship and loan application costs, business development, professional development for individuals living through homelessness, certifications needed to maintain or achieve employment, etc.

Our Priorities

We focus our resources on the communities where we work and live. Our funds are for innovative projects and programs that create measurable impacts in our areas of emphasis.

The Foundation will consider requests from qualified organizations to support operating budgets and capital fund programs for the construction, refurbishment or purchase of buildings, structures, equipment or physical enhancements.

Education

Especially early childhood education initiatives and programs that support schools of higher learning with special interest in curricula and capital improvements in the study of business, political science, economics, engineering, and natural/physical sciences as they relate to the energy and industrial industries. 

Health and Human Services

Including initiatives and programs that help individuals and families struggling with daily living challenges, including hunger, poverty, domestic violence, homelessness, and disabilities.

Community, Civic, and Cultural Development

Programs and projects that focus on local, regional, or statewide economic and cultural development, including efforts that increase awareness of culture and the arts and encourage their growth, particularly for regions or populations that would otherwise be unable to participate.

Environment

programs that emphasize sustainability, preservation, environmental education, and stewardship of our land, water, and air with an emphasis on collaborative programs that strengthen ties between businesses and communities.

Background

Established in 2005, the C.H. Robinson Foundation is a Minnesota nonprofit corporation as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is funded by C.H. Robinson and creates a long-term resource for giving back to our communities through the support of other Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. We work with a trust company that provides support to charitable organizations to provides checks and balances while ensuring compliance with Internal Revenue Service guidelines and corporate tax law.

The C.H. Robinson Foundation contributes to organizations that make a positive impact on our people, communities, industry, and planet. Through general operating and program grants to nonprofit organizations, our approach to giving is informed by community input, partner dialogue, and regional needs.

Focus Areas

The Foundation's Strategic Industry Grants program funds organizations that:

• Diversify the supply chain and logistics workforce
• Support carriers and drivers
• Provide education in transportation and logistics
• Support environmental sustainability in transportation and logistics

Best Life Community Awards

Nominate a nonprofit that you support with your time, talents, or money to receive a grant.

Funding

The winner will be awarded $10,000!

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.  

Family Supportive Housing Grant Program

The Minnesota Department of Human Services, through its Homelessness, Housing, and Support Services Division (STATE), is seeking Proposals from qualified Responders to provide family supportive housing. The term of any resulting contract is anticipated to be for eighteen (18) months, from January 1, 2026 until June 30, 2027. STATE may extend the contract up to a total of five (5) years.

The Family Supportive Housing (FSH) Grant was created in 2025 through the 2025 Minnesota Legislature, with the intent to help families and children maintain safe and stable housing in a family supportive housing setting. Family supportive housing means housing that:

• Is permanent (not time limited),
• Is affordable for those at or below thirty percent (30%) of the area median income,
• Offers family support services to residents to maintain housing stability, and 
• Is available to families with multiple barriers to obtaining and maintaining housing.

This includes, but is not limited to, those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, those with mental illness, substance use disorders or other disabilities, and those referred by child protection services.

Funding Availability

• A one-time total appropriation of $700,000 is available under this RFP to be distributed to eligible applicants as follows: 
• At least 40 percent of the funds must be awarded to eligible organizations serving families outside the seven-county metropolitan area.  
• At least 10 percent of the funds may be awarded to Minnesota Tribal Nations

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a donor-supported foundation, invests for economic growth in south central and southeastern Minnesota, serving a 20-county region which includes 175 communities and one Native nation. SMIF’s key interests include entrepreneurship, early childhood development and community vitality. SMIF invests through grantmaking, lending, trainings and more.

We got our start in the farm crisis of the 1980s to help diversify Greater Minnesota economies and ensure vibrant communities for future generations. 

Taylor Rural Improvements Grant

The Taylor Rural Improvements Grant seeks to support capital projects that can make a big impact in the vibrancy of small towns. SMIF offers up to $30,000 for projects in communities located in our 20-county region with populations under 10,000. Applications must be for capital projects to provide essential services to underserved populations within the community.

For this grant round we will consider projects that fall under the following essential services categories: food, clothing, shelter, transportation or internet accessibility.

Examples of projects include, but are not limited to: refrigerator/freezer or loading dock for food shelf, upgrades to community owned thrift store, new furniture for a homeless shelter, computers or hot spots for libraries, or a bus that provides transportation for underserved community members to school or medical appointment.

Requirement

25% cash or in-kind match (For example, if applicant is seeking $30,000, they must have $7,500 cash in-hand or in-kind before SMIF will release any awarded grant funds.)