Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Andersen Foundation broadly supports higher education institutions across the United States, as well as some major hospitals, health-related non-profits and smaller community organizations in Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

IP TAKE: The Andersen Foundation offers general operating and program specific support. Though it does not appear to be an accessible funder, since it does not have a website and only accepts applications by mail, the Anderson Foundation likes to cultivate close relationships with its grantees. It considers unsolicited applications rather than scoping organizations to fund, requiring some extra networking.

Though not a listed interest, it tends to support higher education outfits that are religious and private, but this is not a hard and fast rule.

PROFILE: Formerly known as the Andersen Foundation, the Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation was established in Minnesota in 1959. Fred C. Andersen inherited Andersen Corporation, a window and door manufacturer, in 1914. The foundation mainly supports higher education institutions that do not accept federal funding, youth organizations, aging centers and services, healthcare organizations and hospitals.

Grants for Higher Education

Little is known about this funder’s specific priorities. It regularly makes grants in the millions of dollars to the University of Minnesota. Otherwise, it primarily supports colleges and universities around the United States that do not accept or are ineligible for federal funding. Past grantees include Alice Lloyd College, Huntington University, Nichols College, Boston University, Cedarville University, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Thomas Aquinas College, Christendom College and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.

Grants for Public Health and Diseases 

The Andersen Foundation gives generously to hospitals and medical institutions in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the Mayo Clinic, Gillette Children’s Hospital, Ladd Memorial Hospital, and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Saint Paul, Minnesota. The foundation maintains a broad approach to disease-related work and does not prioritize specific diseases. Instead, the foundation funds a variety of disease-related organizations, research institutions, health care centers, and hospitals across the country. The foundation maintains a low public profile; according to its tax filings, past disease-related grantees include the American Lung Association, the Mayo Foundation, and the University of Minnesota’s cardiovascular program. 

Grants for Mental Health

The Andersen Foundation recently gave over $1 million to Amery Hospital in Wisconsin for the remodeling of its behavioral health clinic.

Other

The Andersen Foundation is a major supporter of Boy Scouts of America, and a Scout Camp in Houlton, Wisconsin is named after founder Fred C. Andersen. It has also been known to give relatively modest donations to arts and culture causes and humanitarian outfits in Wisconsin and Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities area. Grantees include Ordway Center for Performing Arts, the International Institute of Minnesota, Disabled Veterans Rest Camp Association, FamilyMeans, and the YMCA of the Greater St. Paul Area. 

Important Grant Details:

The Andersen Foundation made over $37 million in grants in a recent year, with grants generally ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. While the foundation’s higher education funding supports institutions nationwide, its funding in other fields mainly centers around Minnesota and Wisconsin, especially the Twin Cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Andersen accepts unsolicited grant proposals and requests for funding by mail. Deadlines for submissions are March 18, July 22, and October 21. Applicants must include a detailed description of their project, amount requested, most recent annual report and/or audited financial statement and a copy of their IRS determination letter.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Fred and Katherine Anderson Foundation

Attention: Mary Gillstrom

Andersen Foundation

P.O. Box 80

Bayport, MN 55003

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