Tom and Frances Leach Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Tom and Frances Leach Foundation supports the arts and humanities, education, human services, medical sciences, health, and social sciences in North Dakota.
IP TAKE: This is an accessible private foundation that is one of the largest funders in North Dakota and that has a broad statewide focus. It is relatively transparent about its grantmaking, publishing a list of recent grantees on its website. It accepts unsolicited applications, but it may be competitive for new grantseekers, as tax filings indicate that the majority of its funding goes to recurring grantees each year.
PROFILE: Established in 1955, the Tom and Frances Leach Foundation is a private foundation based in Bismarck, North Dakota. This is the foundation of Thomas Witt and Frances Van Valkenburgh (Land) Leach, who once owned North American Royalties in the oil and gas property investment industry. Mrs. Leach created this foundation after the death of her husband in 1966 with the stated mission to “create an institution that would ‘promote the public welfare’ with private means,” and the foundation is governed by a board of directors today, following Mrs. Leach’s death in 1981. The foundation aims to "carry on the business of oil and gas property investments for the development and production in the Williston Basin area.” The Leach Foundation’s giving areas include arts and humanities, education, human services, medical sciences, health, and social sciences.
Grants for Education
The Leach Foundation’s education grantmaking supports “high-performing schools and evidence-based programs that have the capacity to make dramatic educational gains for all students,” from early childhood all the way to undergraduate education. One featured grantee in this space is the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, an institution in Medora, ND, that is still in the planning stages, but intends to “provide thought-provoking programming and original content that will help amplify its mission and vision far beyond Medora,” including “a traveling speaker series, a podcast, and a publishing program, as well as a K-12 curriculum and a scholars program.” Other grantees include North Dakota’s Gateway to Science, Junior Achievement of Bismarck Mandan, Bismarck State College Foundation, University of Jamestown, and University of Mary.
Grants for Public Health, Mental Health, and Diseases
The Leach Foundation broadly funds facilities, clinics, and hospitals in the Bismarck-Mandan and Western North Dakota Areas in order to “increase and improve the availability of superior medical care.” It also supports mental health care in the region by “sponsoring education, advocacy and community service programs.” Finally, it provides disease-specific support be funding specific projects at research hospitals and clinics. One featured grantee in this area is the Bismarck Cancer Center, which received funds to augment its patient care services with offerings like “lodging and transportation assistance, massage and physical therapy, dietary care, emotional and spiritual support, yoga classes, art therapy, equine therapy, and support groups.” Other grantees include Sanford Health Foundation West, Burleigh County Council on Aging, Tracy’s Sanctuary House, and Heartview Foundation.
Grants for Human Services
The Leach Foundation’s grants for human services broadly fund efforts to improve the quality of life of North Dakota residents whose lives are affected by “lack of financial resources, emotional crises, disabling conditions, or an inability to protect themselves.” It funds groups providing human services related to homelessness, addiction, domestic violence, abuse, hunger, and disabilities. One featured grantee in this area is AID, Inc., which works to support the “low-income working poor” of Morton and Burleigh Counties through financial and non-financial assistance. Other grantees include Abused Adult Resource Center, Great Plains Food Bank, Home on the Range, Bismarck Meals on Wheels, Guardian & Protective Services, and 31-8 Project.
Grants for Arts & Culture
The Leach Foundation’s grants for arts and humanities aim to enrich its giving region by “helping them discover their cultural assets, building audiences and promoting the excellence of the creative sector.” One featured grantee in this area is the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, which supports “history, education, and entertainment businesses that allow the traveling public to fully enjoy the beautiful North Dakota Badlands.” Another is Northern Plains Dance, which is seeking to “grow its educational outreach efforts, seek partnerships with other performing arts organizations, and create performances that are accessible for audiences new to the dance art form.” Other grantees include Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater, Dakota Stage Limited, Central Dakota Children’s Choir, and Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range between about $5,000 and $100,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by viewing its recent grantees or examining its recent tax records.
Grantmaking focuses on North Dakota and specifically in the Bismarck-Mandan area.
Grant applications are accepted online. The foundation no longer accepts applications by mail.
The foundation will not accept applications from individuals or for-profit businesses.
Deadlines generally fall at the end of June, and recipients are informed by the end of the year.
All proposals are reviewed by the foundation’s Grant Coordinator before being presented to the board of directors, who make the final decisions.
The foundation will accept only one application per organization per year.
Review the foundation’s grant guidelines before applying. Direct general questions to the staff at leachfoundation@midconetwork.com 701-255-0479.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
