A Look at the Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation’s Minnesota Grantmaking
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Photo: MarynaG/shutterstock
Many readers will have heard of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, a significant source of funding for education, the environment, civil society and the Flint area of Michigan. There is, however, another Mott-related philanthropy focused on Minnesota that nonprofits there should get to know.
Aimee Butler was the daughter of Charles Stewart Mott and created a private family foundation with her husband, Patrick, in 1951. The Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota and focuses its attention on human services, the environment and the arts. This couple was active with the foundation during their lifetimes, and it is run by their descendants today. Their daughter, Kate Butler Peterson, has been a major contributor to the foundation and is particularly interested in the arts and the environment.
This is a good foundation to know for organizations in Saint Paul, Minneapolis and the East Metropolitan suburbs because Butler’s community grants program is particularly accessible. Community grants are two-year contributions of $20,000 to $30,000 for both program and general operating support. The foundation’s arts and human services grants are narrower in scope and limited to the Twin Cities area. However, its environmental grants are broader and span the entire state of Minnesota.
A point to bear in mind about these community grants is that Butler has very specific interests within those three broad categories. Arts opportunities are mostly for programs that involve musical instrument instruction for youth and access to the arts for non-traditional audiences. Human services giving centers on domestic violence, chemical addiction, affordable housing and rehabilitative services for prostituted people. Environmental grants go toward responsible land and water use and educating youth about environmental protection.
In addition to its community grants, the Butler Family Foundation also awards special project grants. These are larger gifts of $100,000 or more for capital campaigns, major program innovations and systems change initiatives. Butler only awards special project grants to organizations that have previously received a community grant from the foundation, the Petersham Fund or the Regranting and Nonprofit Technical Assistance Fund. Aside from these opportunities for current grantees, Butler invites selected organizations to apply for grants based on special interests.
For its community grants, the Butler Family Foundation usually accepts applications between December and April each year. The funder uses an online application system that is straightforward and accessible for both first-time and returning grantseekers. Just keep in mind, however, that Butler seeks to build long-term relationships with its grantees and awards only a limited number of grants to new organizations each year.
To learn more about this foundation, check out IP’s full profile of the Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation in our Upper Midwest and Plains funding guide.
