2004 Minnesota Grants Directory

The 2004 Minnesota Grants Directory is designed to help grantseekers by providing an overview of the state's most active foundations and giving programs. The Directory includes basic information about 74 community foundations, corporate giving programs, and private foundations.

Each funder profile includes the name, address, phone number, fax number, Web site, and e-mail at which to contact the foundation for more information. Key staff members are also listed to provide some insight as to whom should receive inquiries. Information on the foundations' giving priorities, geographic focuses, types of grants available, and a sample list of previous grant recipients may provide grantseekers with enough background to identify those funders that may have an interest in their programs. The Directory also includes 2004 applications and inquiry deadlines and application procedures for each funder to aid in planning for the next year's fundraising goals.

Information presented in the financial summary for each foundation and corporate giving program includes summary tables and grant history graphs obtained from IRS tax returns for the most recent year filed with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Charities Division. Where possible, the activity area breakdown is based on the foundation's own activity area definitions and categorizations.

Foundation’s, similar to most charities, are tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service under Section 501(c)(3). This book is divided into the most common types of giving programs accepting proposals from nonprofits: private foundations, community foundations, and corporate giving programs. 

Funders profiled in the 2003 Minnesota Grants Directory

Community Foundations
Minnesota Community Foundation
PFund (formerly Philanthrofund)
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota 
Headwaters Foundation for Justice (formerly Headwaters Fund) 
Minneapolis Foundation 
The Saint Paul Foundation
Rochester Area Foundation 
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation 
Southwest Minnesota Foundation 
West Central Initiative 
Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation 
Northwest Minnesota Foundation 
Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation 
Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation 
Northland Foundation 
Central Minnesota Community Foundation 
Initiative Foundation 

Corporate Giving Programs
3M Foundation 
ADC Foundation 
American Express Philanthropic Program - Minnesota 
Bayport Foundation 
Bemis Company Foundation 
Best Buy Children’s Foundation 
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation 
Cargill Foundation 
Deluxe Corporation Foundation 
Ecolab Foundation 
General Mills Foundation 
Graco Foundation 
Jostens Foundation 
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Land O’ Lakes Foundation 
Medtronic Foundation 
Minnesota Mutual Foundation 
Qwest Foundation 
The St. Paul Companies, Inc. Foundation 
Star Tribune Foundation 
Target Foundation 
TCF Foundation and Corporate Giving Program 
U.S. Bancorp Foundation 
Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota 
Xcel Energy Foundation 

Private Foundations
Andersen Foundation 
Hugh J. Andersen Foundation 
Athwin Foundation 
James Ford Bell Foundation 
F. R. Bigelow Foundation 
Blandin Foundation 
Otto Bremer Foundation 
Bush Foundation 
Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation 
Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation 
Carolyn Foundation 
Charlson Foundation 
Albert W. Cherne Foundation 
Edwards Memorial Trust 
Grotto Foundation 
Hallett Charitable Trusts 
HRK Foundation 
Jerome Foundation 
Kopp Family Foundation 
Marbrook Foundation 
Mardag Foundation 
The McKnight Foundation 
McNeely Foundation 
Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco 
The Laura Jane Musser Fund 
Northwest Area Foundation 
Ordean Foundation
The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation
Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation
Margaret Rivers Fund 
St. Croix Foundation 
The Sheltering Arms Foundation 
James R. Thorpe Foundation 
Tozer Foundation 
The Wasie Foundation 
Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation 

Nearly every funder listed in the 2004 Minnesota Grants Directory publishes detailed guidelines, application procedures, and an annual report. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits encourages grantseekers to use this publication to identify funders likely to be interested in a particular organization or program. Although the information included in the Directory is as current and accurate as possible at the time of publication, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits highly recommends contacting the funder for a copy of its most recent guidelines, as names, deadlines, addresses, phone numbers and interest areas can change at any time.

Other Fundraising Resources

National Foundations Factbook More about the National Foundations Factbook

Fundraising workshops
MCN offers various fundraising workshops throughout the year. Visit our events calendar to learn more about upcoming events.
MCN Events Calendar

Info Central: Charitable Fundraising
This section of this Web site gives basic information about fundraising in Minnesota, FAQs, tips and samples, and more.
Info Central: Charitable Fundraising