Home | Grant Seeking Assistance | Applying Research to Practice | Contact Us

Community Foundation Grants

Intermediate District 287 & Northeast Metro 916 Grants and Research Office (GRO)

Local community foundations and community groups can be a great source of funding for small projects ($1,000 to $10,000) or emergency funding of an existing program. Developing relationships with a foundation/community representative is essential for tapping into this resource. Set up a meeting with a community foundation board member or staff, or attend a community meeting to learn more about their program focus and what educational areas or youth issues they are interested in supporting.

Be sure to check the geographic area for community funders. Usually they fund schools and other non-profits in a specific area and for certain types of programs. Community Service groups like Kiwanis, the Rotary Club, or the Lions can be very helpful, but don’t forget other community funders. Three large community foundations in Minnesota each manage many smaller community foundations—to learn more about these donor funds, click here. Make sure to coordinate requests from your school district or check with your supervisor and/or the grant coordinator for the district.

What is a Community Foundation?

A community foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that is endowed by the community. That means donors from the community give money (charitable gifts) to a foundation for the purpose of making the community stronger. The community foundation invests the money so the assets can grow into a charitable endowment. The interest and dividends earned on the endowments are given back to the community through grants. Today, community foundations are the fastest growing sector in philanthropy, with an increasing number of people looking to put their charitable dollars to work meeting community needs.
--Minnesota Community Foundation web site

Click on profiles below to learn about these community foundations:

Many school leaders have developed relationships with their local Rotary, Kiwanis or Lions. Check these web sites to learn more:

The three largest community foundations in Minnesota have specific funding initiatives listed on their web sites. Send in a short description of your project so that their staff can share it with potential donors through one or more of their donor advised funds.

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS of COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS

Your school may be able to find a major donor to provide between $1,000 to $10,000 for a specific project by sending a two-page letter of inquiry to your local community foundation.

Large donors often donate to community foundations who manage their special fund and ensure that grants go to causes specified by the donor.

Hundreds of donors have established charitable funds with one of the three large community foundations: The Minneapolis Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation or the Minnesota Community Foundation. Their charitable interests are broad and diverse. Donors often rely on the expertise of Foundation staff to identify nonprofit organizations and programs that match their interests.

A good example is the Connections Grant program of the Minneapolis Foundation which now serves all Minnesota Communities. The Connections Grants program supports “systems change work” or programs/projects that are small in focus. Others specify that the grant money is support for “one time only,” time sensitive projects, or for a new/unique opportunity.

Minnesota nonprofits wishing to connect with other funding opportunities through The Minneapolis Foundation are encouraged to submit a letter of inquiry. Preference is given to requests for funding that address a special need or project with clear and measurable results. Letters of inquiry should be no more than two pages and must answer all of the questions on the web site. Letters of inquiry are reviewed and referred to potential donors on an on-going basis. Your request remains active for one year. Please limit your submission to one letter of inquiry per year. You will only be notified if a grant has been approved.