Boreal Waters Community Foundation connects generosity with possibility to support bold ideas, local leadership, and long-term solutions across northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, helping communities thrive and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Focus Areas
Arts and cultureEducationEnvironment and biodiversityHuman servicesAnimal welfareEconomic opportunityHousingFood securityHealth and well-beingYouth and familiesCommunity developmentHuman rightsEquity and justiceClimate resilience
About Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation
A defining feature of Duluth-superior Area Community Foundation’s recent giving is its use of community funds to back local, place-based work across northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. The foundation’s public grantmaking shows a mix of larger program-support awards and targeted funds for education, human services, community development, and environmental conservation. It also supports multi-year and multi-purpose community opportunity funding, alongside smaller named funds for narrowly defined needs.
One of the largest recent awards went to Cloquet Educational Foundation for program support, while Chum in Duluth received a substantial human-services grant. The foundation also made a major grant to the University of Minnesota Foundation, reflecting its interest in education-linked support and community benefit. Other recent awards reached organizations working on housing, youth services, and economic development in Duluth, Grand Marais, Ashland, and other communities in its service area.
Its grant list includes both broad community investments and more specific initiatives, such as support for belonging, transformation, biodiversity, and educational opportunity. That mix shows a funder that combines regional responsiveness with themed grantmaking, often through programs designed for local nonprofits and community partners.
What Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation Funds
Education appears in several forms, from school and scholarship support to youth enrichment. Recent grants include $85,118 to Duluth Children’s Museum Inc for education and $79,069 to Marshall School for education.
Housing and economic opportunity also show up repeatedly. The foundation gave $94,726 to One Roof Community Housing for human services and $92,500 to Family Freedom Center for community economic development.
Environmental and conservation work is another clear strand. Through its Biodiversity Fund, the foundation supports habitat preservation, restoration, species and ecosystem protection, environmental change adaptation, research, and education in the Duluth-Superior region.
Human services remain a major part of the portfolio. A 2025 grant of $256,361 to Chum was categorized as human services, alongside support for organizations serving basic needs, advocacy, and community care.
How Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.2M
Total Assets
$118M
Total Revenue
$6.4M
Total Expenses
$7.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $8K and $23K, with a median of $11K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$11K
75th Percentile
$23K
Geographic Reach
Regional7 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Deep Analysis
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children and youth (including teens)pregnant and parenting young mothers/teensNative American communities / Northeast Minnesota residentshomeless and housing-insecure individuals (including youth)people with disabilities / differently abledpet owners and people served through animal-related outreachincarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals (jail ministry/ reentry)
Funding Style
program supportcapacity buildingscholarship supportunrestricted / operating supportcapital campaign / capital funding
Topics
early childhood education and outdoor enrichmentyouth development, afterschool & summer programsdental access and preventive oral health serviceshousing stability and equitable green housingworkforce training and scholarships (CNA, engineering, STEM)environmental conservation and invasive species removalanimal welfare and pet retention programs
Typical awards are modest to mid-sized rather than large institutional grants: the p25 is $8,008, the median is $11,454, and the p75 is $23,400. That said, recent grantmaking also includes higher-dollar program and operating awards, especially through community funds and themed initiatives. The foundation is a public charity, not a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Several recipient organizations appear in multiple years, including Chum, University of Minnesota Foundation, Head of the Lakes United Way, Marshall School, and YWCA of Duluth, which suggests recurring relationships rather than one-off awards. Many grants are listed as program support, unrestricted-style support, or capital/campaign support.
Where Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation Makes Grants
Most grants land in Minnesota, with 78% of awards going to recipients in the HQ state. Wisconsin is the top state by grant count overall, reflecting the foundation’s cross-border regional scope. Duluth appears often in the recent-grants list, alongside Cloquet, Grand Marais, Two Harbors, Minneapolis, and Ashland. On the Wisconsin side, recent awards reached Ashland and Odanah. The grant distribution is entirely domestic: all 327 recorded grants went to U.S. recipients.
Frequently Asked Questions About Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation
What kinds of organizations does the foundation support?
The foundation supports nonprofits and community organizations working in education, environment and conservation, human services, arts and culture, housing and economic opportunity, and scholarships or higher education. Its active programs also point to work in belonging, transformation, biodiversity, animal-assisted therapy, and local community needs.
Does the foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Yes, several active programs accept unsolicited requests, including the Community Opportunity Fund, Biodiversity Fund, Area of Interest Grants, and the Regional Affiliate Community Funds. The Animal-Assisted Therapy Fund is listed as not accepting unsolicited requests.
What is the typical grant size?
Across the foundation’s grantmaking, the p25 is $8,008, the median is $11,454, and the p75 is $23,400. Some active programs are set much higher, such as Community Opportunity Fund grants at $25,000–$50,000 and the 2026 Transformation cycle at $0–$100,000.
Does the foundation make repeat grants to the same organizations?
Yes. Several organizations appear more than once in the recent-grants list, including Chum, University of Minnesota Foundation, Head of the Lakes United Way, Marshall School, and YWCA of Duluth. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards.
What geographies does the foundation prioritize?
Its giving is regional, with strong concentration in Minnesota and a significant share in northwestern Wisconsin. Active programs focus on northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin, and the Boreal Waters Community Foundation service area, while local affiliate funds serve places such as Cook County, Eveleth, and the Two Harbors area.
Current and upcoming funding from Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Open nowRolling / open intakeAward: $5K – $10K
Unity Fund
African Heritage communitiesRacial equityEconomic opportunity+4 more
Who can apply: Organizations and grassroots efforts must center African Heritage individuals and communities and serve eligible Northland communities. For the 2026 Juneteenth opportunity, applicants had to be eligible IRS-classified organizations serving Duluth, Superior, Hermantown, Proctor, Rice Lake, or the Iron Range.
Deadline: The general 2026 proposal process opened February 23, 2026. The special Juneteenth 2026 opportunity closed April 20, 2026 at 5 PM CST. The portal indicates Unity Fund requests may be accepted on a rolling basis.
Who can apply: Eligible organizations must serve communities within the Boreal Waters Community Foundation service area; priority is given to historically marginalized communities and locally trusted, community-led organizations.
Deadline: The 2026 LOI period was May 4-June 1, 2026; full applications closed July 30, 2026. Annual cycle.
Who can apply: Applicants must serve the relevant affiliate service area and meet the foundation’s eligible organizational classifications; individual affiliate funds may have additional geographic requirements.
BiodiversityHabitat conservationSpecies protection+4 more
Who can apply: Specific eligibility and grant criteria are to be provided in the fund guidelines. The 2027 calendar identifies this as a spring LOI opportunity for work in the Duluth-Superior region.
Deadline: The 2027 LOI window is February 8-March 8, 2027.
Deadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
