100%
Mary’s Pence - Saint Paul, MN - 36 Survey Respondents
"Clear communication, timely and appropriate follow up questions and turnaround for getting answers back."
100%
Blandin Foundation - Grand Rapids, MN - 19 Survey Respondents
"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"
100%
Medica Foundation - Minnetonka, MN - 14 Survey Respondents
"That whole "restricted program funding with new projects only" thing? It might sound like a great idea, but it's actually lousy for most n"
100%
Pohlad Family Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 14 Survey Respondents
"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"
100%
Hugh J Andersen Foundation - Bayport, MN - 12 Survey Respondents
"Their director was very approachable--definitely call or email first. They have been very transparent throughout the process."
100%
Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Minnesota Foundation - St Paul, MN - 8 Survey Respondents
"My relationship with the program officer is nothing but exceptional. I cannot compare the relationship that BCBS MN Foundation program officers have w"
100%
Headwaters Foundation For Justice - Minneapolis, MN - 8 Survey Respondents
"Check out Headwaters website. They offer webinars and in person grant info sessions. Take advantage of those. You get a chance at better understanding"
100%
Mardag Foundation - Saint Paul, MN - 8 Survey Respondents
"Reach out to staff before beginning your request. I have had success with capital requests and general operating requests for Duluth organizations, bo"
100%
Patrick & Aimee Butler Family Foundation - Saint Paul, MN - 8 Survey Respondents
"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"
100%
Hrk Foundation - Saint Paul, MN - 7 Survey Respondents
"HRK Foundation is one of our organization's favorite funders. They take the time to understand the needs of our organization. They have a simplifi"
100%
Frey Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 6 Survey Respondents
"This proposal takes longer than it looks. Plan enough time."
100%
Carolyn Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 5 Survey Respondents
"For their New Haven grantmaking - Make sure you meet the guidelines and focus populations. Try to have organization staff develop a relationship with"
100%
Rbc Foundation Usa - Minneapolis, MN - 5 Survey Respondents
"Call and have a conversation with the Foundation manager. She is very willing to help."
100%
Sundance Family Foundation - Saint Paul, MN - 5 Survey Respondents
"They have a clear and specific funding interest and that allows you to make sure you aren't wasting your resources in applying."
100%
Ordean Foundation - Duluth, MN - 4 Survey Respondents
"After having very little information to go on (a 2015 990) and several unanswered phone calls, I sent a 4-page overview to the foundation. I ended up"
100%
Fred C And Katherine B Andersen Foundation - Bayport, MN - 3 Survey Respondents
"This foundation is accessible and very generous to our organization, but I know it can be challenging to apply if you don't have an existing relat"
100%
Donaldson Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"They are an easy foundation to work with, the application process is a little long from time applied to award notification to award received."
100%
Jay And Rose Phillips Family Foundation Of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"The application was complex but had very clear directions on what was needed to get funded."
100%
Mortenson Family Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"It took us a couple tries to get funded, but we kept at it stubbornly (when we might normally give up) because we were truly a perfect fit for their v"
100%
Northwest Minnesota Foundation - Bemidji, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"The staff at NMF get it. They take the time to talk about your work, think about your impact, and support you with the funds they have available. They"
100%
Xcel Energy Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"Like to fund programs that provide the skills and opportunities for individuals to be successfully employed. Online application is a little more time"
100%
Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Annual deadline in early spring. They accept MN Common Grant application, but have specific instructions on additional attachments, page limits, etc."
100%
Ciresi Walburn Foundation for Children - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Open LOI process. About 5-7 NEW grantees funded annually. They receive over 110 applications but make only about 20-25 grants."
100%
Constellation Fund - Minneapolis , MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"If you can build a relationship here they are the best partner you will have. Very dedicated, treat nonprofit staff like intelligent people, committed"
100%
Economics Laboratory Foundation Ecolab Foundation - St Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Ecolab is a good, solid funder. They say "no" a lot -- their executives can't even get a grant through if it does not align with their gui"
100%
F R Bigelow Foundation Trust 555 - Saint Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Our program officer is very responsive. They like to do site visits and want to see information about how you are serving East Metro, low income resid"
100%
George Family Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Call to get to know them."
100%
James R Thorpe Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Take the time to talk personally with the program officer. Very helpful and informed."
100%
John & Denise Graves Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"The John & Denise Graves Foundation is very conscientious about their role as a funder. While they have a specific point of view about improving educa"
100%
Lloyd K Johnson Foundation - Duluth, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"The foundation is great to work with. They are flexible and the staff is easy to approach and to talk to. It is best to call before you submit an app"
100%
Lake Region Arts Council - Fergus Falls, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"The funder is very easy to work with and seeks to educate the grantseeker. They have online webinars available to assist with applications and also to"
100%
March Family Foundation - Edina, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Their funding categories are very clear. Their interest is defined by their past gift allocation. Very responsive to email questions."
100%
Patch Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"I sent an email inquiring about the possibility of funding. I received a kind reply back stating that they don't take unsolicited grant requests."
100%
Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"The person who handles foundation requests has other duties within the firm. He was very receptive to a follow-up phone call."
100%
Sayer Charitable Foundation - Long Lake, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"I received a return call from a board member. The foundation is "winding down" and not funding any new charities."
100%
Slaggie Family Foundation - Winona, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"It's best to contact directly to discuss idea before submitting 1 to 2 page grant proposal. Serves mostly in Winona, Minnesota - great to work wit"
100%
Still Aint Satisfied A Foundation With Attitude - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"There is no "approaching this funder." I just applied and literally its like a google form. This was a first time and I was able to write out"
100%
The Curtis L Carlson Family Foundation - Long Lake, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"They are very focused on their stated priorities, so don't waste your time if you aren't a good fit."
100%
The Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation - Saint Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"I personally have not had experience applying with Hubbard Broadcasting, but I have had a few interactions with their Executive Director over the year"
100%
The Mcneely Foundation - St Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"The Administrator and Grants Manager is very kind and accessible. I got in touch with them easily and was able to have an in-depth conversation about"
100%
United Way Of Hastings - Hastings, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"The application is a lot of work with lengthy guidelines to agree to. Agreements feel bureaucratic and not tailored to the funder. They seem to requ"
100%
Virginia Community Foundation - Virginia, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"It's best to have a phone call or meeting with the Director before applying. Guidelines are not fully clear on what they fund. I found their r"
100%
Walser Foundation - Edina, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Great foundation to work with, transparent and easy to work with!"
100%
West Central Initiative - Fergus Falls, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Make a personal connection first, and beware of their absurd character count limits that are actually more time-consuming than helpful."
97%
Catholic Community Foundation Of Minnesota - Minnesota, MN - 42 Survey Respondents
"We are very grateful for our relationship with Catholic Community Foundation. They have supported some very significant projects for us including impr"
93%
McKnight Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 17 Survey Respondents
"In 2021, there were many unique questions just to move to the second phase - which is full proposal. Then, four more full questions were introduced,"
91%
Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation - Saint Paul, MN - 11 Survey Respondents
"I love working with St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation. They are very in tune with the nonprofits they fund and continually work to make a positive impac"
89%
Richard M Schulze Family Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 21 Survey Respondents
"They're a direct and accessible funder. They've grown rapidly in a relatively short amount of time and have scaled up their staffing and clari"
89%
Minneapolis Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 14 Survey Respondents
"It is fairly easy to have a first contact with the Minneapolis Foundation (contact information is accessible on the website). I've spoken to multi"
89%
Andersen Corporate Foundation - Bayport, MN - 11 Survey Respondents
"Reach to the foundation manager - very responsive and helpful."
83%
Northland Foundation - Duluth, MN - 6 Survey Respondents
"The Director of Grantmaking makes snap judgments about potential grantee organizations based on assumptions that are inaccurate, without nuance and ig"
82%
Otto Bremer Trust - Saint Paul, MN - 46 Survey Respondents
"We were encouraged to apply and our initial conversation with the foundation was positive. The site visit was brutal - the officer laughed at an item"
81%
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"
80%
Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation Inc - Duluth, MN - 10 Survey Respondents
"This funder funds a large geographic area and a broad array of projects so I would suggest reaching out to their grant advisor to discuss your project"
79%
Wells Fargo Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 26 Survey Respondents
"You will not be able to receive funding without having a conversation with the grant officer in the Foundation beforehand. During our conversations th"
75%
Best Buy Foundation - Richfield, MN - 7 Survey Respondents
"Best Buy is no longer giving community grants. This is a disappointment. I do appreciate all they are doing nationally, especially for underserved you"
75%
Cargill Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 4 Survey Respondents
"It took a long time to get an introductory meeting with them, but the meeting was great and really focused on their priority areas, our priority areas"
75%
Carl And Verna Schmidt Foundation - Rochester, MN - 4 Survey Respondents
"It's worthwhile to make an initial call to ascertain interest."
67%
Securian Foundation - St Paul, MN - 10 Survey Respondents
"Your application is a shot in the dark. Don't count on the foundation to communicate with you."
67%
Marbrook Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 6 Survey Respondents
"They are difficult to reach. We got an email response back about 4 days before the proposal deadline."
67%
Travelers Foundation - St Paul, MN - 6 Survey Respondents
"The application was not too difficult, however the lack of feedback received for why the application was not accepted was non-existent. Our organizati"
67%
Athwin Foundation - Edina, MN - 4 Survey Respondents
"Invite only, but they will surprise you with things like a mid-year update out of the blue (with no history of this an no warning in the award letter)"
63%
Bush Foundation - St Paul, MN - 32 Survey Respondents
"My perception about how Bush is approaching the community innovation grants is that they only want to fund innovation work AFTER you've done the e"
60%
Medtronic Communities Foundation - Fridley, MN - 7 Survey Respondents
"Grant application does not allow you to share your story. Many questions cannot be answered as no profits are able to collect such data."
55%
Greater Twin Cities United Way - Minneapolis, MN - 12 Survey Respondents
"they have simplified grant processes and are very responsive during application."
50%
Cla Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"Must be invited to apply but any CLA employee can nominate. We applied unsuccessfully in 2017. They provided oral and detailed written feedback includ"
50%
Rochester Area Foundation - Rochester, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"They have made some changes - significantly streamlined the pre-proposal, which is appreciated, but I was disappointed to learn that they require not"
50%
Wca Foundation - Eden Prairie, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"Run your grant idea by the ED before applying."
40%
Shavlik Family Foundation - White Bear Lake, MN - 5 Survey Respondents
"Read and believe the guidelines. These folks are tech people and they are quite clear what they like and don't like. Using tech to drive institut"
37%
Target Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 9 Survey Respondents
"I wouldn't know where to tell them to start because other than the guidelines, Target Foundation has no accessible information or staff."
33%
Northwest Area Foundation - Saint Paul, MN - 8 Survey Respondents
"It's literally impossible to email this foundation. I've tried sending emails from both my work account and personal gmail account multiple ti"
14%
Margaret A Cargill Foundation - Eden Prairie, MN - 13 Survey Respondents
"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"
0%
Mankato Area Foundation - Mankato, MN - 3 Survey Respondents
"Grateful to see their quick mobilization of funds during COVID-19 relief. Application was very simple and we quickly heard back. However, in follow-up"
0%
Albany Mutual Telephone Foundation - Albany, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"This is an awesome opportunity for non-profit's in the AFC service area. ( Stearns County) They have benefited many clubs and groups in our com"
0%
Edina Realty Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"Each Edina Realty office has a very different process. Your best bet is to call the office, find out the appropriate representative, and their process"
0%
Grotto Foundation Inc - Arden Hills, MN - 2 Survey Respondents
"The funding priorities are now extremely narrow, so I would suggest reaching out to staff before submitting any requests."
0%
Azule Foundation - Eagan, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"It cannot be trusted."
0%
Deluxe Corporation Foundation - St Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"For decades the foundation was led by an amazing individual who invested time and energy into developing relationships with nonprofits in the foundati"
0%
General Mills Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"About 95% of the information they have on their website is PR/Strategic Communications about them (but very little helpful information for a nonprofit"
0%
Huelsmann Foundation - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Apply with caution. We received a phone call and were invited to apply for funding. After reviewing the website, it didn't seem like our organizat"
0%
Musser Fund - St Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"We have tried inviting them to our events, but they only have a general email, and we have received no response. Visit their website for the contents"
0%
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council - St. Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"MRAC purports to support innovation, equity, community-led projects, and collaborations between artists and non-arts orgs, but their process is incred"
0%
Tigerlion Arts - Minneapolis, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"They are unable to walk and chew gum at the same time. Incapable of demonstrating the attention to detail required to apply and abide by a standard co"
0%
Think Small - St Paul, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"Very bureaucratic organization. You need to call the foundation the first time you apply. Must be in Parent Aware and staff need to be registered in t"
0%
United Way Of 1000 Lakes - Grand Rapids, MN - 1 Survey Respondents
"You really have to consider whether working with this funder will ultimately be worth it for your agency. Their application, reporting requirements, a"