NDCF News & Reports
NDCF Statewide Greatest Needs Grant Applications Due July 31
June 28, 2024 - The North Dakota Community Foundation is now accepting applications for grants from its Statewide Greatest Needs Fund. Eligible organizations in the state include those designated by the IRS as 501(c)(3) non-profit tax exempt groups, government agencies, such as a park district or school district, or an organization that has one of the above acting as its fiscal sponsor.
Applications are submitted online at www.NDCF.net/receive/SWGN. The NDCF Board of Directors will review the applications and make final decisions at their fall meeting. Grants are generally $5,000 or less and delivered in late October.
Established in 1976, the North Dakota Community Foundation manages over $138 million in assets for the betterment of North Dakota communities and citizens. It has awarded a total of over $105 million in grants since its inception. More information is available at www.NDCF.net or by calling 701-222-8349.
Stromsodt, Geiger, and Heinen Recertified as CFREs
May 22, 2024 — The North Dakota Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Development Directors Amy Stromsodt, Kara Geiger, and John Heinen have all been recertified by CFRE International as Certified Fund Raising Executives
Individuals granted the CFRE credential have met a series of standards set by CFRE International which include tenure in the profession, education, and demonstrated fundraising achievement. They have also passed a rigorous exam testing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fundraising executive, and have agreed to uphold Accountability Standards and the Donor Bill of Rights.
Download the full news release here.
NDCF Surpasses $138 Million in 2023
May 7, 2024 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) has announced that it surpassed $138 million in net assets in 2023. The organization was founded in 1976 to improve the quality of life of North Dakotans through charitable giving and promoting philanthropy.
NDCF currently manages more than 900 charitable funds, including 69 local community foundations in the state and over 150 scholarship funds for North Dakota students. It also administers organizational endowment funds, donor-advised funds, school foundations, and special interest funds for individuals and nonprofit organizations across North Dakota. It has awarded more than $105 million in grants since its inception. The organization has offices in Bismarck, Larimore, Dickinson, and Wahpeton, North Dakota.
Download the full news release here.
Download the 2023 Annual Report here.
Otto Bremer Trust Selects the North Dakota Community Foundation as Philanthropic Intermediary Partner for New Community Responsive Fund
The Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust based in St. Paul, Minn. Created in 1944 by business and community leader Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting an enhanced quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
North Dakota Community Foundation will administer and distribute $1,500,000 in grants of up to $75,000 to local nonprofits; applications now open.
February 23, 2024, Bismarck, ND — The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) has been selected by the Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) as a philanthropic intermediary partner to administer and distribute funds through its new Community Responsive Fund. Under the new partnership, NDCF will work closely with OBT to administer $1.5 million in funds for grants up to $75,000 to support local organizations that directly respond to immediate challenges and opportunities in the state.
NDCF will serve as a local expert to ensure that the Otto Bremer Trust is increasing the positive impact in the regions it serves by providing guidance on and administering grants from OBT directly to the organizations within North Dakota that are providing effective services and programs.
Download the full news release here . . .
Scott Nicholson
NDCF Welcomes Nicholson and Wadsworth
January 11, 2024— Scott Nicholson and Nicole Wadsworth have joined the staff of the North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF).
Nicholson is the organization’s new Development Director for Southeastern North Dakota and will be establishing an office in Wahpeton. A graduate of North Dakota State University with a degree in Business Administration, Nicholson was previously the Community Banker Team Lead at Bremer Bank in Breckenridge. He has served on the Richland-Wilkin Community Foundation’s Advisory Committee for two years.
Nicholson will be replacing Jana Berndt as the Development Director for the Richland Wilkin Community Foundation (RWCF). Berndt has served in that role on a part-time basis since November of 2020.
Nicole Wadsworth
Nicole Wadsworth is the new Executive Assistant for NDCF’s office in Dickinson, North Dakota. She has an associate’s degree from Dickinson State University and is currently working toward her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Wadsworth has previously worked as an Office Manager for companies in North Dakota and California. She will assist with organization, reporting, and other administrative tasks of NDCF’s Dickinson office, which supports communities, donors, and funds in western North Dakota.
NDCF Announces More Than $383,000 in Grant Awards from Second Round of Grid United's Community Investment Program
Bismarck, ND., December 12, 2023 – The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) is pleased to announce it has awarded $383,689 in grants from the Grid United Community Investment Program (CIP) to nonprofit organizations in southwestern North Dakota in its second grant round.
The CIP will support the six North Dakota counties in which Grid United’s North Plains Connector – a transmission line connecting the U.S. eastern and western electric grids in Montana and North Dakota – will be located. These counties are Golden Valley, Slope, Hettinger, Grant, Morton, and Oliver.
NDCF utilized the local community foundations under its umbrella in this part of the state to distribute the CIP grant dollars. Each community foundation has an advisory committee of five to nine residents who know and understand the needs in their area. Committees reviewed grant applications and recommended awards to those projects and programs that would have the greatest impact.
The grant awards for the second grant round by community . . . download the full news release here
NDCF Celebrates Impact of Local Community Foundations
November 8, 2023 ─ The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) is celebrating the work of its local community foundations during National Community Foundation Week, November 12-18. Community Foundation Week, created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush, recognizes the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community problems.
“Our local community foundations understand area needs and are in the best position to address the issues their community faces,” said Kevin Dvorak, President and CEO of NDCF. “They are a valuable tool in funding projects and programs and provide a way for residents to give back to their area, with built-in flexibility to meet the changing needs of the community.”
NDCF currently administers community endowment funds for 69 local community foundations in North Dakota, as well as a variety of other types of charitable funds including scholarships, donor-advised funds, and organizational endowment funds, which support specific charities in the state.
Download the full news release here.
NDCF AWARDS $207,850 IN GRANTS
October 23, 2023 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation has awarded $207,850 in grants from its Statewide Greatest Needs (Unrestricted) Fund to 56 organizations across the state working to improve the quality of life for state residents.
“Our philosophy has always been to let the people in North Dakota tell us what they need, we don’t tell them what WE think they need,” said Kevin J. Dvorak, President & CEO of NDCF. “These grant awards represent a wide variety of projects and programs across our state that improve the quality of life for area residents and we are happy to help fund them.”
The NDCF Board of Directors reviewed and discussed 87 grant applications at their meeting in September to make the determination of awards. Grant awards are listed below by general area of the state. If the location is not obvious in the organization name, it has been added.
