Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

These questions only reflect our competitive grant opportunity for Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation. For content specific questions, please contact the grant team member in your program area.

Timeline

What is the timeline for the first grant round?

• Today! Register for Grant Portal
• This week! Email a contact from the grant team.
• January 12 at 3 p.m. Application Deadline
• Mid-February Notification of applications moving forward; denial letters sent
• Mid-February – End of March Site Visits
• Mid-May Board decisions
• Early June Award letters and checks

Grant Application

Do I have to fill out a form for each foundation?

• Yes. Grant applications for all three foundations can be found on the grant portal. All three applications are very similar in question and form with some elements differentiated by granting priorities according to each foundation. Feel free to copy and paste where applicable.

Can I preview the grant application?

• Yes. View the application questions before you apply on the grant resources page for the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation.

Funding Amounts

What are the funding limits for each type of request?

• For general operating – up to $40,000 for Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and F. R. Bigelow Foundation, up to $25,000 for Mardag Foundation
• For program – speak to a grant team member
• For capital – speak to a grant team member

Do you fund partial amounts?

• The amount awarded may not always reflect the dollar amount requested.
  • Grants will be right sized to reflect the number of people served in the target geographies.
  • Grants may also be funded partially based on the number of dollars available to grant relative to the number of applications received.

Are specific dollar amounts allocated to each type of grant or priority area?

• Each application is read and reviewed by the grant team and there are no predetermined allocations for grant types or priority areas.

Applying to All Three

Which foundation am I eligible to apply to?

• If your proposed application meets the guidelines for all three foundations, you may be eligible to apply to all three foundations. The grant team will evaluate for goodness of fit with each application submitted. Contact a grant team member for further clarification.

Can we apply for different requests among the three foundations?

• If you are eligible to apply to all three foundations, you can apply to all three for the same request or a combination of requests.

Types of Grants

What type of grant should I apply for?

• For a detailed explanation of our endowment grants available, please see the grant guidelines for Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation.

Can we apply for more than one grant?

• If you have an active grant with one foundation, you are not eligible to apply for another grant from that same foundation, but you may be eligible to apply for a grant from the other two foundations. Example: If you have an active grant with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, you may still be eligible to apply for a grant through F. R. Bigelow Foundation or Mardag Foundation. Contact a grant team member for additional clarification and context.

Do the foundations prioritize one type of request over another?

• No.

Do program grants need to be for new or expanded programs?

• Program grants may be considered for new, expanding or established programs.

Are there any limitations to gen op support?

• For the 2021 granting year, one-year general operating grants from all three foundations will be considered for organizations whose entire operations primarily benefit East Metro residents (at least 50%). In addition, Mardag Foundation will also consider one-year general operating grants to organizations whose entire operations primarily benefit Greater Minnesota residents (at least 50%).

Do you fund planning grants?

• Yes. They would be considered a program grant.

Will you consider matching grants?

• Yes, matching grant requests are eligible.

Geography

What are the geographic areas served through each foundation?

• All three foundations will grant to organizations located in and/or serving residents in Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties. Mardag Foundation will also fund organizations located in and/or serving Greater Minnesota excluding Hennepin, Anoka, Scott and Carver counties.

Do organizations have to be located in Minnesota in order to apply?

• Generally organizations that receive grants are located in Minnesota.

Eligibility

If we were denied in the past, can we reapply?

• Yes, please talk to a grant team member.