FM Area Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Fargo Moorhead Area Foundation supports arts and culture, basic human needs, community building, education in select regions of North Dakota and Minnesota.
IP TAKE: Describing itself as “a tremendous example of what good can be achieved when a few people combine their time, talent, and courage and take a few small steps towards a great, new and unchartered journey,” the Fargo Moorhead Area Foundation is a regional funder providing modest grants to organizations operating in select regions of North Dakota and Minnesota, namely Cass County and Clay County. It broadly funds a range of programs, from human services to arts and culture, serving residents of its giving area.
This is a relatively transparent funder that publishes reports on its grantmaking approach and investment strategy, but it is not the most accessible funder, as it only accepts applications for a limited number of its grant offerings. The majority of its grantmaking seems to be conducted through the donor-advised funds it manages, which are by invitation only, although grantseekers are welcome to contact foundation staff to discuss potential opportunities.
For organizations looking to expand their impact, the FM Area Foundation also offers capacity building grants and services.
PROFILE: The Fargo Moorhead Area Foundation is a community foundation based in Fargo, North Dakota, founded in 1960 by a group of “community-minded leaders” led by attorney Art Cupler. Cupler and his wife left funding in their wills to establish the foundation’s first scholarship fund, and the foundation now manages over 400 individual funds to give back to the community. The foundation’s stated mission is to “help donors maximize their philanthropy to create a vibrant community full of opportunities for everyone.”
The FM Area Foundation conducts its philanthropy through several avenues. It accepts funding from donors to create and manage Donor Advised Funds, as well as Designated Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Scholarship Funds, Unrestricted Funds, Nonprofit Agency Funds, and Supporting Organization Funds. It also conducts Impact Investing by granting substantial loans to local initiatives that “generate both a social and financial return.” It offers Nonprofit Agency funds that provide “professional investment and asset management to help nonprofits manage complex gifts from donors.” Finally, it conducts traditional grantmaking in the issue areas of Arts, Culture & Creativity, Basic Human Needs, Community Building, Education, and Women’s Fund.
Grants for Arts & Culture
The FM Area Foundation’s grants for Arts, Culture & Creativity support organizations that “inspire imagination and innovation through arts and culture.” It supports arts and culture organizations that range from festivals to opera, public art, and more. Past local grantees include the FM Opera Company, Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre, Detroit Lakes Community and Cultural Center, Becker County Historical Society, Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Rourke Art Gallery Museum, and Gooseberry Park Players.
Grants for Community Development
The FM Area Foundation conducts community development grantmaking through its issue areas of Basic Human Needs, which aims to build “ladders out of poverty” for residents of its giving regions, and Community Building, which is dedicated to “fostering initiatives that strengthen the community.” Basic needs grants address poverty in the Fargo-Moorhead area and focus on homelessness, affordable childcare, mental health, food, and rural communities, while Community building grants have funded housing projects, veterinary care, and other local challenges. Past grantees include Churches United for the Homeless, Down Home, Afro American Development Association, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Hope Inc., and Harvest Hope Farm.
Grants for Education
The FM Area Foundation’s education giving is dedicated to “lifting lives through learning.” Education grants fund learning opportunities for students with special needs, out-of-school activities, and efforts to reach at-risk youth. The foundation also manages over 60 scholarship funds for area students. Many of the scholarships are targeted at students graduating from specific high schools or planning to attend specific universities in the area, while others are aimed at students pursuing specific majors, such as nursing, STEM, music, graphic design, or business. Other education grantees include Detroit Lakes Public Schools, Inspire Innovation Lab, St. Francis De Sales Parish, Detroit Lakes Dollars for Scholars, and Probstfield Farm Living History Foundation.
Grants for Women & Girls
The FM Area Foundation’s grantmaking for women and girls is conducted through its Women’s Fund and is dedicated to “empowering women and children.” According to the New American Consortium for Wellness and Empowerment, the FM Area Foundation’s Women’s Fund primarily focuses on “women in leadership, children in need of care, and the economic well-being of women and their families.” Grantees include Immigrant Development Center, New American Consortium for Wellness and Empowerment, Lakes Crisis and Resource Center, and Synergy and Leadership Exchange.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range between about $500 and $15,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records.
Grantmaking focuses on Cass County, North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota. Applicants must operate and have an office in one of these counties.
The foundation only provides one-year grants and only accepts one request per applicant per year.
Requests for general operating expenses, capital needs, or funding for existing programs will not be accepted.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits with an online application system.
Deadline usually falls in April, with decisions announced in mid-June.
It also encourages nonprofits to reach out to a foundation program officer to discuss a specific request or project.
Grants from Donor-Advised Funds are by invitation only, but grantseekers may contact Director of Philanthropy Lexi Oestreich at lexi@areafoundation.org to discuss available opportunities.
Deadlines for scholarship applications generally fall in February or March of each year.
Direct general questions to the Lexi Oestreich at 701-234-0756 or via online form.
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