MDU Resources Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The MDU Resources Foundation supports Human services, education, arts and culture, health, youth, animals, and other community needs in North Dakota and beyond.
IP TAKE: As foundation president Cory Fong says, MDU Resources is “proud of our community participation, and we will continue to expand that role as our companies continue to grow.” Although MDU directs a significant amount of its grantmaking to North Dakota, it funds organizations working in its issue areas in any region where it or its affiliate companies have a business presence, including parts of Montana, Nevada, Illinois, Maine, Colorado, Alaska, California, Wyoming, Texas, Oregon, and Minnesota.
MDU is an accessible funder that prefers to give a large number of modest grants rather than a few large grants every year. While it does seem to favor its repeat grantees, tax records indicate that it supports a significant number of new grantees each year. This all means that you may find MDU funding to be a reliable contributor to your project budget over the years, but not without a diverse portfolio of other funding sources.
A grant application form is available on MDU’s website and may be submitted by email or mail. MDU only has one grant cycle per year and doesn’t make decisions until several months after the deadline, so make sure you plan ahead when seeking funding.
PROFILE: Established in 1983, the MDU Resources Foundation is a corporate foundation based in Bismarck, North Dakota. MDU dates back to 1924, when it was a small electricity company serving communities on the North Dakota-Montana border. Today, it is a multi-billion-dollar corporation that does business in 44 states. The foundation’s mission is to “share our success and help our neighbors make our communities better places to live and work.”
The MDU Resources Foundation has an accessible and competitive grant program to assist local nonprofits in the regions where MDU operates. It funds nearly any type of nonprofit cause in these regions and does not have strict topical guidelines. MDU requests basic information from nonprofit grantseekers, such as the purpose of the requested grant, program and project brochures, and a tax-exempt status letter. In each grant cycle, MDU provides a diverse mix of grants for different types of causes in North Dakota. Its main issue areas are Health and Human Services, Education, Civic and Community Activities, Culture and Arts, and Environment.
Grants for Education and Youth
MDU’s giving for education supports “private secondary and higher education institutions, education development foundations, economic education programs, and scholarships.” In addition to its general grantmaking, MDU sponsors an employee gift-matching program that will match donations of up to $750 to any institute of elementary, secondary, or higher education. It sponsors numerous scholarships at various universities in its giving regions, as well as employee scholarships of up to $2,000 for children, grandchildren, and spouses of eligible employees.
Grantees include Light of Christ School, Montana State University, Billings Catholic Schools Foundation, The Angel Fund, ACE Mentor Program of Oregon, SD School Mines & Tech Foundation, and United Tribes Technical College.
Grants for Community Development
MDU is committed to “strengthening communities, improving lives” by funding organizations that “create opportunities and meet the needs of communities across the country.” Grantees include River Park Community Foundation, Bismarck Recreation Council, Habitat for Humanity, Boise Metro Chamber Organization, Stanley Park District, and ServeWyoming.
Grants for Arts and Culture
MDU promotes “positive youth development through culture and the arts” by funding local establishments such as “art funds and councils, museums, theaters, libraries, and cultural centers.” Grantees include WYO Theater, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Idaho, Northern Plains Ballet, Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater, and Library Foundation.
Grants for Health and Human Services
MDU’s grants for health and human services support “national and local health and human services agencies, hospitals, youth agencies, and senior citizen organizations.” Grantees include American Heart Association, Wishek Hospital Clinic Association, Welcome House, Tip Your Health Foundation, Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, Food Bank of Alaska, Charles Hall Youth Services, Rocky Mountain Manor, Feeding South Dakota, Arthritis Foundation, Working Against Violence, and Senior Meals & Services.
Grants for Environment
MDU’s grants for environment support organizations that “promote the wise use of resources without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Grantees include Eagle Mount Bozeman, Santa Catalina Island Pony Club, and Environmental Resource Center.
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 and annual reports.
Grantmaking focuses on communities where the company operates, which includes significant giving in its home region of Bismarck, North Dakota.
Other geographic areas of interest are Montana, Nevada, Illinois, Maine, Colorado, Alaska, California, Wyoming, Texas, Oregon, and Minnesota.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. MDU provides a PDF version of its grant application on the foundation website.
MDU does not accept requests from “private individuals, athletic, labor, fraternal, political, lobbying or to regional or national organizations without local affiliation.”
MDU does not accept requests for “loans, venture capital, participation in loan pools, etc.”
Requests to fund “staffing and ongoing operating expenses and purchasing hospital equipment” will receive low priority.
MDU generally will not fund 100% of a project’s total cost and expects grant seekers to have secured other outside funding.
Requests for over $1,000 will be handled by MDU Resources Foundation, while requests for less should be directed to the affiliated company in your region.
Deadline for application is generally October 1 of each year, and the board has its annual meeting each January.
Direct general questions to the staff at Rita.ONeill@mduresources.com or 701-530-1087.
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