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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Minnesota
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 7,484 grantmakers listed 77,630 grants totaling $5.1 billion to 20,451 organizations in Minnesota. 6,844 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 640 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 1,347 are based in Minnesota; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Minnesota organization was $10,000. Hennepin County received the most grants (30,078, from 3,667 funders), followed by Ramsey County (15,754) and St. Louis County (3,217). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (9,950 grants), children & youth (6,100 grants) and health & mental health (6,044 grants).
The Minneapolis Foundation (Minneapolis, MN) funded the most different Minnesota organizations: 1,220, through 1,816 grants with a typical size of $29,050.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Minnesota organizations
Ranked by the number of different Minnesota organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to MN organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Minneapolis Foundation Minneapolis, MN · EIN 41-6029402 | 1,816 | 1,220 | $29,050 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation St Paul, MN · EIN 41-6031510 | 1,115 | 1,115 | $30,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 3 | Otto Bremer Trust St Paul, MN · EIN 41-6019050 | 1,231 | 799 | $60,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | Land O'lakes Foundation St Paul, MN · EIN 41-1864977 | 758 | 510 | $500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | The McKnight Foundation Minneapolis, MN · EIN 41-0754835 | 1,427 | 506 | $75,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | The Richard M Schulze Family Foundation Minneapolis, MN · EIN 46-5588406 | 725 | 393 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota St Paul, MN · EIN 41-1744184 | 387 | 366 | $18,349 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 8 | Communitygiving St Cloud, MN · EIN 36-3412544 | 341 | 341 | $17,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 9 | Fr Bigelow Foundation St Paul, MN · EIN 51-0232651 | 473 | 321 | $30,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Minnesota Power Foundation Duluth, MN · EIN 56-2560595 | 456 | 311 | $1,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund Duluth, MN · EIN 41-0797340 | 566 | 285 | $2,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Kopp Family Foundation Minnetonka, MN · EIN 36-3485918 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 726 | 278 | $2,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Greater Twin Cities United Way Minneapolis, MN · EIN 41-1973442 | 393 | 267 | $53,250 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 14 | Hardenbergh Foundation St Paul, MN · EIN 41-6011826 | 467 | 240 | $15,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Connexus Energy Foundation Ramsey, MN · EIN 84-3918068 | 353 | 233 | $1,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County | 30,078 | 3,667 | $2.1 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Ramsey County | 15,754 | 2,317 | $1.0 billion | Top 5 funders |
| St. Louis County | 3,217 | 370 | $103.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Olmsted County | 2,806 | 1,165 | $326.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Dakota County | 2,258 | 769 | $75.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Anoka County | 1,636 | 530 | $51.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Washington County | 1,484 | 396 | $47.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Stearns County | 1,446 | 309 | $85.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Freeborn County | 1,421 | 705 | $34.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Blue Earth County | 846 | 165 | $23.7 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 9,950 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 6,100 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 6,044 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 4,920 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 3,993 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 3,036 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 1,630 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 1,611 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 1,426 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 700 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 427 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 408 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 232 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Minnesota ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.