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Foundations that fund nonprofits in North Dakota
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 818 grantmakers listed 7,578 grants totaling $347.6 million to 3,030 organizations in North Dakota. 700 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 118 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 128 are based in North Dakota; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a North Dakota organization was $7,372. Cass County received the most grants (2,307, from 276 funders), followed by Grand Forks County (913) and Burleigh County (759). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (950 grants), health & mental health (782 grants) and children & youth (711 grants).
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation (Fargo, ND) funded the most different North Dakota organizations: 460, through 714 grants with a typical size of $1,450.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most North Dakota organizations
Ranked by the number of different North Dakota 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 ND organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation Fargo, ND · EIN 36-3606394 | 714 | 460 | $1,450 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 2 | North Dakota Community Foundation Bismarck, ND · EIN 45-0336015 | 521 | 386 | $14,391 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 3 | Great Plains Food Bank Fargo, ND · EIN 47-2229589 | 399 | 227 | $27,405 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 4 | The Barry Foundation Fargo, ND · EIN 20-5767275 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 390 | 137 | $1,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation Corporation Fargo, ND · EIN 45-6010377 | 205 | 137 | $15,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 6 | Otter Tail Power Company Foundation Fergus Falls, MN · EIN 83-2710944 | 145 | 117 | $2,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Myra Foundation Grand Forks, ND · EIN 45-0215088 | 223 | 109 | $5,903 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | Otto Bremer Trust St Paul, MN · EIN 41-6019050 | 149 | 108 | $65,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | Land O'lakes Foundation St Paul, MN · EIN 41-1864977 | 197 | 106 | $833 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Alex Stern Family Foundation Fargo, ND · EIN 45-6013981 | 177 | 105 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Midcontinent Foundation Minneapolis, MN · EIN 36-3556764 | 122 | 102 | $1,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | The Tom and Frances Leach Foundation Bismarck, ND · EIN 45-6012703 | 192 | 91 | $10,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Bnsf Railway Foundation Fort Worth, TX · EIN 26-1635887 | 116 | 84 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 14 | Offutt Family Foundation Fargo, ND · EIN 26-6574983 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 90 | 80 | $5,250 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Minot Community Foundation Minot, ND · EIN 01-0589927 | 102 | 78 | $15,250 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 2,307 | 276 | $73.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Grand Forks County | 913 | 193 | $34.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Burleigh County | 759 | 221 | $85.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| Ward County | 368 | 68 | $11.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Stutsman County | 261 | 68 | $9.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Morton County | 148 | 41 | $5.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Stark County | 147 | 43 | $3.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Richland County | 119 | 41 | $1.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Williams County | 115 | 34 | $6.2 million | Top 5 funders |
| Rolette County | 96 | 42 | $3.2 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 | 950 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 782 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 711 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 679 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 485 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 283 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 226 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 204 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 155 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 95 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 46 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 34 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 10 | 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 North Dakota ($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.