Getting to Know the FM Area Foundation in North Dakota and Minnesota

The geographic reach of local community foundations rarely crosses state lines, but the FM Area Foundation is an exception to that rule. This community funder supports communities in both North Dakota and Minnesota and has over 60 years of experience in the region.

To guide Upper Midwest grantseekers, here are a few things to know about the FM Area Foundation.

Two counties of focus

Cass County in North Dakota and Clay County in Minnesota are the FM Area Foundation’s two geographic focus areas. The grantmaker is based in Fargo, North Dakota, so a significant number of grants stay in and around the city of Fargo.

Five areas of interest

At the FM Area Foundation, the five broad areas of grantmaking are as follows: arts, culture and creativity; basic human needs; community building; education; and women and children. Arts grantmaking involves grants for festivals, opera, public art and theater. Basic human needs grants address the issues of homelessness, affordable childcare, mental health and hunger.

Community building grants have gone toward housing for the homeless, animal shelters and Habitat for Humanity projects. The foundation supports education through grants that advance diverse curriculums, provide childcare services and teach children about the environment. The economic well-being of women, children in need of care and women in leadership are the focuses of The Women’s Fund, which is an endowed fund of the FM Area Foundation.

Details about the funding process

If your nonprofit works in this part of the Upper Midwest region, here are a few other important details to keep in mind as you approach this foundation for support.

Keep grant requests between $500 and $15,000.
Only request single-year grants.
Be prepared for a four-step evaluation process.
The grant application turnaround time is about three months.
Reach out to a program officer before submitting an application.

How to secure a grant

The FM Area Foundation manages over 450 funds for the local community, and each of them have their own backstory and purpose. Note that the donor-advised funds and designated funds held here are not open to unsolicited grant requests.

This funder has an accessible online application process and a yearly application cycle. In the past, the cycle has opened up in early March with an application deadline in mid-April and award announcements in late June.

To learn more about this community foundation, check out IP’s full profile of the FM Area Foundation, which is part of our Upper Midwest & Plains Funding Guide.

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