Since the Minot Community Endowment Fund’s inception in 1981, the Charles & Madge Westlie Endowment Fund in 1999, & the T.A. & Anna Solheim Endowment Fund in 2009, over $1.955 million in grants has been awarded. Recent grant awards are listed below.

Grants Awarded in 2022

• Norsk Hostfest Association: $10, 000 for the Norsk Høstfest Family Fun Experience
• Minot Commission on Aging, Inc.:  $7,500 for their Senior Nutrition Program
• Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch:  $5,000 for Horse-Inspired Healing at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
• Magic City Blessing Bank:  $5,000 for the Magic City Blessing Bank
• Mouse River Player Community Theater:  $5,000 for the MRP East Facade Renovation - Door replacement
• Operation Homefront, Inc.:  $5,000 for Holiday Meals for Military 
• Minot Area Homeless Coalition Inc:  $4,000 for Food support due to food insecurity
• Souris Valley United Way:  $4,000 for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library
• Minot State University: $3,500 for Mindscape Commons
• Minot Area Chamber EDC:  $3,000 for Junior Achievement of Minot
• Companions for Children, Inc.: $2,500 for Lunch Pals: School-Based Youth Mentoring
• Hello Sunshine Ice Cream & Books:  $2,500 for operational support
• Jim Hill Middle School:  $1,500 for PBIS incentive funds
• North Dakota Association for the Disabled, Inc:  $1,500 for HELP (Healthcare Equipment Loan Program) 
• Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota:  $1,000 for ND Senior Companions
• Minot Social Club for Exceptional Persons Inc:  $1,000 to be a Sponsor of the Month
• NDstrong:  $5,000 for The Film Dudes Youtube Summer Camp
• Marketplace of Ideas/Marketplace for Kids, Inc.:  $2,500 for Marketplace for Kids Minot Education Day
• Gymagic Gymnastics:  $1,350 for Gymagic Scholarship Fund

Grants Awarded in 2021

• Minot Area Homeless Coalition Inc - $2,500 Direct Services
• Operation Homefront, Inc - $2,500 Holiday Meals for Military
• Companions for Children, Inc - $2,500 Lunch Pals: School-Based Youth Mentoring
• Mouse River Player Community Theater - $5,000 MRP Lobby Renovation
• Minot Rotary Club - $2,500 Rotary 4 Recreation
• Minot Commission on Aging, Inc - $5,000 Senior Nutrition Program
• Project BEE (formerly YWCA Minot) - $4,797 Minot Coordinated Entry Startup
• Minot Area Chamber EDC - $3,000 Junior Achievement
• Minot Rural Fire Protection District - $20,000 New Structural Firefighting Gear
• Magic City Blessing Bank - $5,000 Magic City Blessing Bank
• Minot Social Club for Exceptional Persons Inc - $1,000 Sponsor of the Month
• The Welcome Table - $5,000 The Lord's Cupboard Food Pantry
• Northern Plains Children's Advocacy Center - $3,000 NPCAC Play Therapy
• Gymagic Gymnastics - $2,200 Gymagic Adaptive Gymnastics Classes
• 1,000 Trees for Minot Fund - $2,500 MACF Fiscal Sponsor

Grants Awarded in 2020

• Companions for Children, Inc. - $2,000 for Lunch Pals: School-Based Youth Mentoring
• Minot Area Chamber of Commerce - $3,000 for Junior Achievement
• Minot Area Homeless Coalition Inc - $4,000 for Direct services to the homeless and those about to become homeless.
• Minot Commission on Aging, Inc. - $2,000 for Senior Nutrition Program
• Minot Social Club for Exceptional Persons Inc - $2,000 for Sponsor of the Month / Reopening and Safety Awareness
• Operation Homefront, Inc. - $2,500 for Holiday Meals for Military
• Souris Valley United Way - $2,000 for Souris Valley United Way Backpack Buddies
• The Welcome Table - $2,500 for The Lord's Cupboard Food Pantry
• Domestic Violence Crisis Center - $5,000 for COVID-19 Impact Relief
• Minot Commission on Aging, Inc. - $5,000 for Meals on Wheels
• Trinity Health Foundation - $5,000 for Personal Protective Equipment
• Companions for Children, Inc. - $5,000 for General support
• Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch - $6,000 for IT Stability to Provide Distance Education & Tele-health to Vulnerable Children
• Prairie Grit Adaptive Sports - $6,300 for Operating Costs
• YWCA Minot - $10,000 for COVID-19 Response Emergency Services
• Northern Plains Children's Advocacy Center - $2,000 for Tele-Forensic Interviewing
• The Difference - A Holistic Approach - $2,000 for Healing for Trauma Victims

Grants Awarded in 2019

• Domestic Violence Crisis Center - $5,000 Additional Safety
• Full STEAM Ahead - $6,000 After School Enrichment
• Magic City Blessing Bank - $10,000 Operational Support
• UND Center for Rural Health - $2,500 UND R-COOL-Health Scrubs Academy II
• Minot Commission on Aging - $5,000 Senior Nutrution
• Souris Valley United Way - $4,000 Dolly Parton Imagination Library
• Companions for Children - $4,000 Lunch Pals: School-Based Youth Mentoring
• Dream Catchers Baseball - $3,000 Operating Costs
• Minot Area Chamber EDC - $3,000 Junior Achievement of Minot
• Minot Area Homeless Coalition - $4,000 Direct Services
• Northern Plains Children's Advocacy Center - $2,500 Therapy Art/Material Supplies Room
• The Village Family Service Center - $2,500 Supervised Parenting Time & Child Exchange Program
• The Welcome Table - $5,000 Lord's Cupboard Food Pantry
• United School District #7 - $1,000 Elementary Playground Equipment
• YWCA Minot - $5,000 Helping Hand

Minot Community Endowment Fund 2019 Grantees & Advisory Committee

Because of the support from the Minot Community Endowment Fund, Companions for Children provided 33 children in the Minot community with school-based mentoring at two elementary schools in 2017-2018.

Apply for a Grant

• Grants shall be awarded only to those organizations designated by the IRS as 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax exempt groups, or government agencies.
• Grants shall be awarded to organizations within the city of Minot and surrounding communities, as determined by the Advisory Committee.
• Grants to religious organizations are limited to those activities which are non-denominational and serve the entire community (e.g. food pantry, community daycare center, homeless shelter).
• Only one (1) request per organization per year will be considered.
• Deadline for requests is May 31 but may be extended at the discretion of the Advisory Committee. In addition, more than one grant round may take place within the calendar year.
• If the applicant organization is outside of the Minot area, please describe in the narrative section how the project or program will specifically serve Minot area residents. Provide the number of Minot area residents served, if known.
• The grant committee welcomes requests for funding all or a portion of a large project, provided a grant from MCEF provides a significant impact on the project and/or community.
• The grant committee strongly encourages applicants to review the list of past grant awards to get a sense for the size of awards and scope of projects before submitting a request (Grant History tab).

Deadline: May 31   - October 15, 2024 (Fall grant round)

How to Apply

Step 1 - Review

Review the grant guidelines above to make sure your organization qualifies.

Step 2 - Register

Create an account on our Grant Portal. You will need your organization’s name, EIN, and executive officer's name. Be sure to write down your user name (email address) and password.

Step 3 – Complete Your Application

After registering or logging in, you will arrive at the application section. Click “Apply” to the right of the grant program to which you wish to apply. If you do not see your desired grant program on the list, contact our office. (The grant round will open January 1.) You will be able to save your application and return later to complete it.

Click here for more detailed instructions and tips for using our online grant system.

Plan Your Legacy

Making a lasting difference in our community or for future generations may be easier than you realize.  With very simple language in your will or trust, you can help the Minot Community Endowment Fund (MCEF) continue to support important projects and programs in our area forever.

Gifts to MCEF are carefully invested by our partner foundation - the North Dakota Community Foundation - to generate a  permanent source of charitable income.

If you have children or other relatives, you can leave a portion of your estate to them and a percentage to MCEF. Doing so provides for your heirs while honoring your charitable values.

Brothers Russell and Dale Brown left gifts to the communities of Lisbon and Milnor, ND, in their estate plans.

Getting Started

1.  Download our free Estate Planning Guide - it contains helpful information and things to consider as you develop your own unique plan.

2.  Reach out to a Minot Community Endowment Fund committee member to learn more about the charities and needs in our area.

3.  Consider discussing (confidentially) your vision with our NDCF gift planner Kara Geiger.  She has many years of experience helping donors create their charitable vision and better prepare for their discussions with financial planners. You can reach Kara at 701-222-8349 or you can email her at Kara@NDCF.net.

4.  Contact your professional advisors (financial planner, attorney and/or accountant) and ask for help in establishing a charitable gift to our foundation.

5.  Make sure your will or living trust is up-to-date and reflects your charitable goals.

6.  Consider notifying the charitable organizations about the gift you plan to leave them.  They will appreciate your generosity and will want to know what you’d like them to do with your eventual gift if it isn't clear.

Language for Your Will or Living Trust

Susanne Mattheis wished to support several different charitable organizations in Bismarck after she passed. NDCF helped her craft a plan that accomplished her charitable goals and provided long-term support to the Public Library, Symphony Orchestra, and five other local entities.

If you would like to include the Minot Community Endowment Fund in your will, here is some sample language to consider:

“I give and bequeath to the North Dakota Community Foundation (Tax ID Number 45-0336015), a qualified charitable organization under IRS 501(c)(3), located in Bismarck, North Dakota, ___________ (a percentage of the estate, specific dollar amount, or remainder of estate) for the Minot Community Endowment Fund, a permanent component of the North Dakota Community Foundation.”

*  Be sure to contact your legal advisor.

There are many other ways to make a deferred gift to your community, including

• Making NDCF (and your specific community fund) the beneficiary of your life insurance policy, IRA, 401K, or commercial annuity
• Establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity with NDCF
• Other more sophisticated tools, depending on your unique situation

To investigate options and learn more about how other North Dakotans have given back, visit our planned giving website at www.NDCF.net/Plan.