The D. Eugene and Bonnie L. Nugent Foundation makes recurring, unrestricted mid-size grants to a small set of mission-driven nonprofits, many operating in Minnesota and focused on social services, mental health, disability/children's advocacy, legal access, and support for veterans/first responders. Their pattern of identical, repeated grants suggests a stable roster of preferred partners they trust for general operating support rather than project-restricted funding. The foundation appears to prioritize organizations that provide direct services, systems-change legal work, and research that advances understanding of brain and behavioral health.
Concentrated, repeat giving: multiple identical mid-size unrestricted grants to a small group of core grantees (repeat, two-grant relationships), indicating preference for stable general operating support rather than many one-off or project-specific gifts.
D Eugene and Bonnie L Nugent Foundation Inc shows a clear preference for general-use support to a compact group of recurring nonprofit partners. In 2025, it awarded repeated grants at the same upper tier to organizations working in mental health, legal aid, disability advocacy, survivor support, and veterans’ causes, with several recipients appearing in both 2024 and 2025. That repetition points to a stable, relationship-based grantmaking pattern rather than one-off project funding. The foundation’s largest recent grants were made at the same level to nine organizations, including Jeremiah Program of Minneapolis, Nami Minnesota, Guild, Great North Innocense Project, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Pacer Center Inc, Breaking Free, Brain & Behavior Research, and Mid-mn Legal Aid. The grantees range from direct-service providers to research and advocacy organizations, suggesting support for both immediate assistance and longer-term systems work. Its annual grantmaking is modest in number but concentrated in a small roster of mission-driven groups, many of them in Minnesota and a few in New York.
Mental health and behavioral health are a consistent theme. The foundation gave $27,800 to Nami Minnesota for general use and $15,500 to Brain & Behavior Research for general use, pairing local advocacy with research-oriented support. It also backs services for survivors and families. Breaking Free received $27,800 for general use and $15,500 in the prior year, while Jeremiah Program of Minneapolis received the same two-year pattern of support for general use. Legal access and justice work is another strand. Mid-mn Legal Aid received $27,800 for general use and another $15,500 in 2024, and Great North Innocense Project received the same recurring support. The foundation also funds disability and children’s advocacy through Pacer Center Inc and supports veterans and first responders through Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Recent gifts cluster around a narrow set of amounts: p25 is $15,500, the median is $21,650, and p75 is $27,800. The repeated appearance of the same grantees in both 2024 and 2025 indicates recurring support rather than isolated awards. Grants are listed as general use, which suggests flexible funding rather than project-specific restrictions. The pattern is consistent with a small, relationship-based roster of grantees, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$375K
$5.5M
$1.1M
$417K
Most grants fall between $16K and $28K, with a median of $22K.
25th Percentile
$16K
Median
$22K
75th Percentile
$28K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MN.
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Notable grantees: Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, NAMI Minnesota, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, PACER Center, Tunnel to Towers Foundation
Grant recipients are concentrated in the United States, with all 18 recent grants going to U.S. organizations. Minnesota cities account for most of the named recipients, especially Minneapolis and St. Paul. New York appears through Staten Island and New York City. The top state by grant count is New York, even though many of the named grantees are in Minnesota.
Its recent grants support mental health advocacy and research, survivor services, legal aid and innocence work, disability and children’s advocacy, and veterans’ support. Examples include Nami Minnesota, Brain & Behavior Research, Mid-mn Legal Aid, Pacer Center Inc, and Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Yes. Several grantees appear in both 2024 and 2025, including Pacer Center Inc, Nami Minnesota, Breaking Free, Great North Innocense Project, Jeremiah Program of Minneapolis, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Mid-mn Legal Aid, Brain & Behavior Research, and Guild.
The grant-size distribution centers on mid-sized awards: p25 is $15,500, median is $21,650, and p75 is $27,800. Recent grants are listed as general-use support rather than restricted project funding.
Most recent grants go to U.S. recipients, and the named grantees are concentrated in Minnesota cities such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, with additional grants to Staten Island and New York City in New York.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BREAKING FREE | ST PAUL, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| MID-MN LEGAL AID | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| GREAT NORTH INNOCENSE PROJECT | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| GUILD | ST PAUL, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| NAMI MINNESOTA | ST PAUL, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| JEREMIAH PROGRAM OF MINNEAPOLIS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| PACER CENTER INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL USE |
| GREAT NORTH INNOCENSE PROJECT | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| JEREMIAH PROGRAM OF MINNEAPOLIS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| MID-MN LEGAL AID | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| GUILD | ST PAUL, MN | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| PACER CENTER INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| NAMI MINNESOTA | ST PAUL, MN | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| BREAKING FREE | ST PAUL, MN | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH | NEW YORK, NY | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL USE |
| MID-MN LEGAL AID | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| NAMI MINNESOTA | ST PAUL, MN | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| PACER CENTER INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH | NEW YORK, NY | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| GUILD | ST PAUL, MN | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| JEREMIAH PROGRAM OF MINNEAPOLIS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| BREAKING FREE | ST PAUL, MN | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
| GREAT NORTH INNOCENSE PROJECT | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,500 | 2024 | GENERAL USE |
MID-MN LEGAL AID
$45,000GENERAL USE
GREAT NORTH INNOCENSE PROJECT
$45,000GENERAL USE
GENERAL USE
JEREMIAH PROGRAM OF MINNEAPOLIS
$45,000GENERAL USE
BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH
$30,000GENERAL USE
GREAT NORTH INNOCENSE PROJECT
$27,800GENERAL USE
JEREMIAH PROGRAM OF MINNEAPOLIS
$27,800GENERAL USE
MID-MN LEGAL AID
$27,800GENERAL USE
BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH
$27,800GENERAL USE
MID-MN LEGAL AID
$15,500GENERAL USE
TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION
$15,500GENERAL USE
BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH
$15,500GENERAL USE
JEREMIAH PROGRAM OF MINNEAPOLIS
$15,500GENERAL USE
GREAT NORTH INNOCENSE PROJECT
$15,500GENERAL USE