Five Things to Know About the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

Saint Paul, the capital of Minnesota, is also a major center for philanthropy in the state. This is where Minnesota’s largest community foundation is located and where thousands of donors pool their charitable dollars to support nonprofits in the Twin Cities and elsewhere in the state. In this article, we take a look at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation (SPMF) and its well-established giving program.

1. It’s the largest community foundation in the state

There are other community foundations in Minnesota, such as the Central Minnesota Community Foundation and Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation, but SPMF is the largest. The funder recently reported over $1.7 billion in combined charitable assets and $90 million in annual giving. In a single year, it gave 8,656 grants to 3,047 organizations to support their operations, projects and initiatives. New grants are going to community organizations working in human services, work development and leadership growth, and support the overarching goal of equity for all Minnesotans.

2. Capacity building is a top priority

Something that makes SPMF stand out among other community foundations is its huge commitment to nonprofit capacity building. Capacity building grants are responsive to community-identified priorities in Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties, known collectively as the East Metro. They fall into one of six funding areas: community connectedness, economic opportunity and security, education, health, housing and transportation, and human services and family support. The funder offers two capacity building grant rounds per year.

3. Four grant funds are accessible

In addition to SPMF’s capacity building support, it has other grant programs with rolling application dates. The Community Sharing Fund is a partnership with nonprofit agencies and case workers to provide emergency funding to people in crisis. These grants are restricted to the East Metro area. The Management Improvement Fund offers grants to small and midsize nonprofits throughout the state and focuses on the needs of BIPOC leadership in the nonprofit sector. These grants aim to improve management and organizational capacity to serve the BIPOC community.

Meanwhile, the J.C. & L.A. Duke Employees’ Assistance Fund provides grants to current and retired employees of 3M and their families after they go through a catastrophic accident or illness and suffer financially. There’s also the Katherine B. Andersen Fund, a permanent fund at SPMF, which supports equity for marginalized people and specific issues the donor cared about, such as education, health, science and the environment.

4. There are two partner foundations

SPMF has two partner foundations, the F. R. Bigelow Foundation and the Mardag Foundation. SPMF administers these foundations’ grant programs, and each one has its own grant priorities. The Bigelow Foundation funds the East Metro region in the areas of arts and culture, community and economic development, education, health, housing and human services. The Mardag Foundation focuses on creating opportunities for low-income and marginalized youth and older adults while also funding capacity building efforts for arts and humanities groups.

5. Resources beyond grantmaking

SPMF is an accessible community funder that offers multiple ways to get involved. The foundation hosts virtual information sessions and Q&A lunch hours to answer grantseeker questions about the grant process prior to application deadlines. It also shares data from past grant rounds to frame grantseeker expectations, such as the fact that it received 310 applications and approved 166 grants for a recent grant cycle, ranging in size from $10,000 to $75,000.

To further its work with the nonprofit community, SPMF supports over 215 nonprofits via endowments and other investment funds. The community funder manages at least 450 nonprofit endowment funds and also supports capacity building resources, including an online platform to connect volunteers and nonprofits and an initiative to boost nonprofits’ fundraising capacity.

Learn more about this funder and others that prioritize giving in the state by browsing our Minnesota funding guide.

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