3m Foundation-
Saint Paul, MN -
20 Survey Respondents
"3M Foundation favors supporting organizations across different giving streams. We have a board member who works at 3M, and engage more employees in gr"
"Atkinson Foundation is managed by Pacific Foundation Services. I reached out via email to the person managing Atkinson and got a prompt reply! She&"
"Near impossible to understand how to get a larger grant. Seem to match the guidelines in a significant way, but gift stays (at best) low and flat year"
"My biggest criticism of this funder is that their grantmaking is opaque. They have a list of grantees they work with and if your organization is outsi"
"We have had a relationship with Blandin since May 2018. We were turned down from a grant but given access to much needed consultation. Since that ti"
"My relationship with the program officer is nothing but exceptional. I cannot compare the relationship that BCBS MN Foundation program officers have w"
"Puget Sound leadership is a total disaster and the Seattle senior manager possesses bad judgement. At the 2019 STEM Summit she was bragging about Boei"
"We had a site visit from a board member and program officer. One hour tour and review of our application. Went really well, I think they were impresse"
"Only apply if you can demonstrate (within tight application character limits) that the process by which you've identified a community issue has ac"
"For their New Haven grantmaking - Make sure you meet the guidelines and focus populations. Try to have organization staff develop a relationship with"
"Catholic Community Foundation is a wonderful organization to work with. Our school was invited to participate in a marketing grant during the 2017-201"
"The funder's healthcare Program Officer makes herself very accessible via email, cell phone and face to face meetings. Although she is very busy,"
"Foundation staff are very approachable and helpful. Foundation has donor-advised funds as well as general funding opportunities, technical assistance"
"Be sure you understand the gaps in service provision that exists in the community for which your project plans to address. Have clear goals and objec"
"It is a good idea to contact their program officers first to confirm you application matches their priority areas. The staff is very responsive and"
"Be ready to discuss racial equity in depth. It's a priority for them, and they will ask. Sadly, other forms of diversity and inclusion are barely"
"Rigid online format requirements can be difficult to comply with. With the small grants, the time required to gather, organize and input figures, bot"
"Check out Headwaters website. They offer webinars and in person grant info sessions. Take advantage of those. You get a chance at better understanding"
"We have been funded by this organization for multiple years. They are great to work with and have an easy to use online process. I wish more funders h"
"I work with a grant-making organization that made a grant to JCNI that was to be used for a particular purpose, within a particular time frame, and th"
"Macarthur is a large foundation and our program officer had a large and diverse portfolio of grantees. When applying a grantee should weigh the likeli"
"Before starting the application to the Kenneth King Foundation be sure to have your Colorado Common Grant Application (CGA) template done. Then, you w"
"I very much appreciated how responsive the people at the Trust were from our first call all the way through the process. It is an in-depth process, bu"
"The application process was clear, and we had a delightful visit with the program officer to share some more information about our project. He was tho"
"A collective groan went up when this foundation was mentioned in a Dec. 2018 gathering of several hundred Twin Cities grantseekers. And given their l"
"They are accessible, but their RFP process and application / reporting requirements are massive time-sucks. More importantly, they are in love with th"
"We have never applied this is our first time because we were told too by FESS. We find the application dates confuse us if we applied to the correct p"
"Work to engage the employees at the foundation, they are wonderful to work with and great partners! They prefer to focus on projects with significant"
"Be sure to get everything their program officers assert down in writing. They are struggling to align their new staff with their new direction. You"
"Call and talk to the program officers at the foundation before you move forward with a grant request. They are very transparent, straight shooters who"
Mary’s Pence-
Saint Paul, MN -
24 Survey Respondents
"Mary's Pence is an organization living its mission by serving and empowering women leaders. I would recommend visiting their website and schedulin"
"The Director of Grantmaking makes snap judgments about potential grantee organizations based on assumptions that are inaccurate, without nuance and ig"
"Love this funder. They are very responsive to questions and work on solutions to make the project work. Everyone at the organization is kind and pas"
"The troubles that the trustees, and the foundation in general, are now experiencing have filtered down to to negatively impact the nonprofits who need"
"Program staff is great, they provide good guidance for what they'll fund, and they take time to learn from their grantees. Plus they show up at ev"
"While I have had a tremendously positive experience working with the Peery Foundation to date, I am concerned that they have recently let go all of th"
"The Tower Foundation is professional, transparent and caring in its process to apply and in its engagement with grantees. They ask great questions an"
"Quirky and frequently unpredictable. Many of the grants are made for specific individual donors, so there aren't consistent priorities or processe"
"Pierce focused its giving on organizations that serve the homeless community. Foundation staff are responsive and give honest assessments of its givin"
"The Pohlad Family Foundation is a rare jewel among funders. They seek to find out your true needs and trust their grantees. The grants and reporting p"
"The amount of hoops they make you jump through for a $1000 grant is pretty ridiculous. They don't give you more than one grant, so it is literally"
"They are very responsive and willing to assist in giving guidance on the grant application if needed. The application is very straightforward and doe"
"We have found the program staff at the Rasmuson Foundation to be extremely approachable and helpful. We have been working with them for many years and"
"Our experience with RWJF was fantastic. We received funding for a three-year project, with the project officer always available for questions and ann"
"Mission priorities are clear and the application process is thorough but easily followed - just be sure to allow time. As with all grantors, it's"
"I would contact the staff members at the foundation to really understand their mission (which has changed) first and then start the application proces"
"This was when they were of the fiscal sponsor for the East Bay foundation on aging. I am very glad that you spray foundation has left SFF because whe"
"To get started I went on-line and got their phone number. I gave them a call and told them what we had in mind and they encouraged me to apply. Ques"
"It is easy to get a meeting however, they are very specific about what they are funding. Their properties on their website did not match what they are"
"Definitely call before you send in a proposal or an LOI. Staff is helpful in this regards, and are very clear about what they will or will not fund."
"Very arduous application and data tracking metrics. Application consisted of over 20 requested documents, with multiple requirements for large data up"
"The application was not too difficult, however the lack of feedback received for why the application was not accepted was non-existent. Our organizati"
"As a corporation funding from its headquarters, it is important to have the local branch manager knowledgeable on your organization and aware of the g"
"The online application is a nightmare. Various prompts appear as you move through 17 pages; prompts are not always clear or specific to what you just"
"The Foundation changed its funding priorities several years ago and is now very narrowly focused on what they will fund. Under their equity lens, they"
"You will not be able to receive funding without having a conversation with the grant officer in the Foundation beforehand. During our conversations th"
"This funder is a caricature of inefficient philanthropy, and tends to spends its time and resources theorizing instead of deploying resources to empow"
"We Raise is very open and friendly. They understand the power dynamics as a funder and seek to level the playing field as much as possible to understa"