Mission

The Elmer L. & Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation improves the quality of life through effective family grantmaking, honoring the legacy of its founders and investing in social change.

Andersen Foundation Legacy Grants

Since 1957, the Elmer L. & Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation has funded a broad range of organizations across many categories – arts and humanities, communications, education, the environment, human services and libraries.

The categories of giving have reflected the wide-ranging interests of the founders. In recent years, while the grantmaking program has been expanded to include other types of giving where the broad focus has narrowed to support for a few promising organizations, the Foundation continues to honor the legacy of the founders through support of organizations working within the traditional areas of interest.

The legacy grant focus area is the only type of grant area where we accept unsolicited grant proposals. You can learn more about the legacy grant program and whether your organization might be a good fit for this opportunity.

Focus Areas

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

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

Home

Children and families are better positioned to thrive and succeed in a home that is safe and permanent. Access to sustainable low-income housing is increasingly challenging for low- to moderate-income families. In response, our giving supports efforts that connect individuals and families with sustainable housing opportunities.

Access to safe, affordable energy-efficient housing

We provide financial support to assist people in developing stability in their lives through access to safe, sustainable and accessible homes. Examples of grant support include:

• Organizations that preserve, rehabilitate, renovate or construct affordable housing developments for low- and moderate-income families, individuals, seniors, veterans, and special-needs populations
• Organizations that provide transitional housing as a direct stepping stone to permanent housing
• Organizations that focus on veterans housing and homeownership
• Construction of green homes for low- and moderate-income communities
• Clean energy retrofit programs for low- and moderate-income housing developments
• Organizations that provide access to renewable energy
• Improving waste management systems to include recycling and composting programs

Homeownership education

Owning and maintaining a home requires significant financial knowledge, tools and resources. We support programs that assist low- and moderate-income homebuyers and existing homeowners. Examples of grant support include:

• Homebuyer education
• Pre- and post-purchase counseling and coaching
• Homeownership-retention programs designed to provide foreclosure counseling

Work

We know that a strong small business environment and an educated workforce ensure the prosperity of our communities and reduce the expanding wealth gap for communities of color. We provide grant support to programs and organizations that help small businesses thrive, allow people to succeed in the workforce, provide pathways to higher education and gain greater financial literacy.

Investing in the workforce

We fund organizations that provide training for small business development, as well as programs that support individuals across all skill and experience levels, to ensure they have the capability to gain employment that supports individuals and their families. Examples of grant support include:

• Small business technical assistance programs
• Job skills, career readiness training programs with comprehensive placement services for low- and moderate-income individuals entering or reentering the labor force

Providing pathways for educational success

• To address the growing requirements for post-secondary education in securing competitive jobs in the workplace, we support:
• Organizations and programs that help low- and moderate-income and at-risk middle and high school students prepare for post-secondary education at a community college, university, trade or technical school and career readiness
• Programs and initiatives at post-secondary institutions that support access to career and educational opportunities for low- and moderate-income and diverse students

Teaching financial well-being for work and life

Financial well-being is not only critical for financial stability, it’s crucial in helping individuals be successful in the workplace. Examples of grant support include programs that positively impact:

• K-12 and college student financial literacy
• Adult and workforce financial literacy
• Senior financial fraud prevention
• Military service member and veteran financial literacy

Supporting the green economy through workforce development

The green economy is fast becoming an area of opportunity for workforce development programs. Funding support includes:

• Reskilling or retraining for jobs in renewable or clean energy
• Building and maintaining infrastructure to support renewable energy, including EV charging stations and bike/transportation programs

Play

Play brings joy, and it’s just as necessary for adults as it is for kids. But in low-income areas there are often limited spaces for play and fewer people attending arts and cultural events. That’s why we invest in community programming that supports ways for children and adults to play and create.

Access to artistic and cultural programming and arts education

Our investments ensure economic vitality and accessibility to the arts in local communities, as well as support for arts education. Examples of grant support include:

• Programs that provide access to cultural activities, visual and performing arts, zoos and aquariums and botanic gardens for individuals and families living in underserved communities
• Funding for local arts organizations that enhance the economic vitality of the community
• Programs that provide funding for arts-focused nonprofit organizations that bring visual and performing arts programming to low- and moderate-income K-12 schools and youth centers

Supporting learning through play

Many young people across the country do not have the resources or access to enjoy the benefits of active play. Supporting active play-based programs and projects for K-12 students located in or serving low- and moderate-income communities fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration and impacts the overall vitality of the communities we serve. Funding support includes:

• Support for organizations that build or expand access to active play spaces and places that help K-12 students learn through play and improves the health, safety and unification of neighborhoods in low- and moderate-income communities
• Programs that focus on using active play to help young people develop cognitive, social and emotional learning skills to become vibrant and productive citizens in low- and moderate-income communities

Outdoor places to play

Environmental stewardship enhances and improves the livability of our communities. Supporting efforts to preserve, protect and enhance outdoor spaces is now part of our Play pillar of giving. Funding support includes:

• Cleanup efforts in community spaces, including (but not limited to) beaches, rivers, and streams
• Protecting green spaces within the community, including planting trees, mangroves and seagrass
• Programs that support community, native and/or pollinator gardens, including community composting

History of the Foundation

Fern Pachel formed the Pachel Foundation with the assistance of the Biga family in 2007. Fern and her sister Elsie lived together in the Twin Cities until Elsie’s death in 1977. They took good care of their parents who lived on 19th Avenue East in Duluth. They also traveled to many countries, including Cuba. Elsie wisely advised Fern to put a little money away every paycheck. They successfully invested in the stock market starting in the 1950’s. The interest income is used to support many nonprofits in the state of Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

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

Priority is placed on projects that: 

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

Projects must demonstrate:

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

Funds will be available for: 

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

What the Program will Cover:

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

GIG Fund

Flexible support to help arts and culture organizations grow their capacity, fund artist engagements, and build community.

What is the GIG Fund?

Arts Midwest’s Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund provides financial support to arts organizations for rebuilding and re-imagining creative engagement in their communities amidst the challenging uncertainty affecting all corners of the creative sector. Whether your organization is recovering, starting anew, or doing your best to hold steady, this flexible support opportunity will help you grow by investing in your capacity to gather your community to experience the power of creative expression together. Funds are intended for organizations to build their capacity by having multiple points of access to support presenting performing and visual artists of high artistic merit, virtually or in-person.

Read more guidelines about Project Requirements 

THE LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND was established by the estate of Laura Jane Musser of Little Falls, Minnesota to continue the personal philanthropy which she practiced in her lifetime.

Intercultural Harmony Grant

The LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND would like to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between groups and citizens of different cultural backgrounds within defined geographical areas through collaborative, cross-cultural exchange projects. Projects must be intercultural and demonstrate intercultural exchange, rather than focused on just one culture.

Priority is Placed on Projects that . . .

INCLUDE members of various cultural communities working together on projects with common goals

BUILD positive relationships across cultural lines

ENGENDER intercultural harmony, tolerance, understanding, and respect

ENHANCE intercultural communication, rather than cultural isolation, while at the same time honoring the unique qualities of each culture

Projects must demonstrate:

• Need in the community for the intercultural exchange project
• Grassroots endorsement by participants across cultural lines, as well as their active participation in planning and implementation of the project
• The ability of the organization to address the challenges of working across the cultural barriers identified by the project
• Tangible benefits in the larger community

Available Funds

Planning (up to $5,000) 

These funds may support costs like: consultant or staff time, meeting costs, mailings, secretarial support, refreshments, local travel, childcare, etc. Note: This stage is optional and not a required phase prior to applying for or receiving an implementation grant. If an organization receives a planning grant from the Musser Fund, this in no way implies a commitment on the part of the Musser Fund to provide the organization with any subsequent implementation support after their planning activities are completed.

Implementation (up to $25,000)

These funds are available to implement collaborative cross-cultural exchange projects. The projects should result in a tangible outcome within at least the first 18 months.

Outcomes

Outcomes should include:

• A demonstration of intercultural exchange between cultures
• Increased comfort in interaction between the groups and individual citizens addressed by the project
• Harmonious shared use of public space and community facilities
• Continued cooperation by the participants or communities addressed by the project

Intercultural Harmony projects can be carried out in a number of areas, including (but not limited to):

• Community service
• Youth activities
• The arts

What the program will cover

• New programs or projects within their first three years
• The planning or implementation phase of a project

Mardag Foundation has three primary interest areas for its grantmaking.

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

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

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

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

The Foundation supports organizations directly serving low-income older adults who may also be experiencing other forms of marginality (e.g., BIPOC, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, etc.).

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

Building capacity to improve community vitality through Arts and Culture

The Foundation shares Grantmakers in the Arts’ view that “[a]ll peoples, their cultures, and their art contribute to the meaning and understanding of our humanity and should be honored and celebrated.” Priority will be given to arts and culture organizations that seek to amplify narratives and voices across BIPOC communities and other communities experiencing marginalization (e.g., older adults, people with disabilities, low-income children/youth/families, members of the LGBTQ+ community, etc.). 

Laura Jane Musser  was born June 4, 1916, the child of Drew Musser and Sarah "Sally" Walker Musser. She lived in Little Falls, MN all of her life at the family home, Linden Hill. Upon her death in 1989 at the age of 73, The Laura Jane Musser came into being to continue on with some of her interests in life, including the arts and helping children, as expressed in the guidelines.Rural Arts ProgramGeneral Operating Support Program In recognition of Laura Jane Musser's life-long commitment to excellence in the arts, and with awareness that pivotal and life-changing experience can occur for individuals through introduction to and participation in the arts, the Laura Jane Musser Fund hopes to encourage and excite a wider population to appreciate, learn, and participate in the arts.  The Musser Fund hopes to assist nonprofit arts organizations in rural communities to develop, implement or sustain exceptional artistic opportunities for adults and children in the areas of literary, visual, music, and performing arts. Priority is placed on organizations that:

• Increase access to the arts through scholarships, hands-on activities, community venues, workshops, discounts and other innovations;
• Demonstrate capacity to engage their community in the creation of art;
• Demonstrate support from their community (through volunteerism, membership, in-kind, or other types of support).

Grantees that request second and third years of support will be asked to report on their progress toward the goals they articulated in their previous year's application, especially in the following areas:

• Increasing access to their services;
• Increasing their organizational sustainability;
• Increasing support from their community. 

NOTE: If you have not received funding from Travelers in the past but believe your organization qualifies for funding according to our guidelines, please send an inquiry email to the appropriate contact. Full applications are due at the deadlines above.

The January deadline is invite-only for Connecticut.

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.