What kinds of work does the foundation support?

Its active programs point to social change work in Minnesota, with current focus areas in political power and process, environmental justice, and civil/human rights. It also supports arts and humanities, communications, education, environment, human services, and libraries through its legacy and trustee-directed grant programs.

Does the foundation accept unsolicited applications?

Yes, through its Legacy Grants program. That program is described as unsolicited and is open to nonprofits working in Minnesota and the Twin Cities metropolitan area in fields such as arts and humanities, education, environment, human services, and libraries.

What is the typical grant size?

The foundation’s grant sizes are large and fairly concentrated: p25 is $329,875, median is $342,000, and p75 is $1,633,360. The recent record includes a very large 2025 grant and several awards in the mid-$300,000 range.

Where does the foundation give most often?

It gives most often in Minnesota. All reported grants go to recipients in Minnesota, including recent awards in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and the geographic scope is listed as local.

Are its grants usually one-time or recurring?

The record suggests some recurring funding. Grants appear in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and the recent list includes repeat Saint Paul funding across multiple years, indicating that at least some awards follow a multi-year pattern.

Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

Name: Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

Active

SAINT PAUL, MNWebsite6516420127

About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

The Andersen Foundation makes highly concentrated, place-based philanthropy: its single reported grant is a large, unrestricted-looking award to The Minneapolis Foundation. That pattern suggests the foundation prefers to channel resources through a local community foundation to support civic and cultural needs in the Twin Cities rather than operating its own grantmaking. The use of a community foundation intermediary implies flexibility to fund local arts, cultural, and community initiatives in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region.

Focus Areas

Unrestricted support to local community foundation (Minneapolis Foundation)Support for Twin Cities arts and cultural initiatives via intermediary fundingLocal philanthropic infrastructure and community grantmaking in Minneapolis–Saint Paul

Giving Approach

Single, large grant directed to a community foundation intermediary — concentrated, likely one-time or infrequent, and intended to enable local, flexible grantmaking rather than direct project-specific funding.

Notable grantees: The Minneapolis Foundation

About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

A single five-million-dollar grant to The Minneapolis Foundation defines the Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation’s recent giving. That 2025 award, paired with a small set of other Minnesota grants, shows a funder that channels substantial resources through local institutions rather than spreading gifts broadly. The foundation’s active programs point to a blend of legacy support and trustee-directed philanthropy: one program is unsolicited and tied to arts, humanities, education, environment, human services, and libraries in Minnesota and the Twin Cities, while another is directed by family trustees for community-based work across the country. The recent record also indicates a strong local orientation. All reported grants go to U.S. recipients, and the foundation’s Minnesota work includes awards in Saint Paul as well as Minneapolis. Its legacy-oriented grantmaking appears to favor general operating or project support rather than capital campaigns or endowments, which helps explain the mix of large institutional funding and smaller discretionary awards. For researchers, the Andersen Foundation looks like a place-based family foundation with a structured set of grant programs and a clear preference for established community channels.

What Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Funds

The foundation supports social change work in Minnesota through a proactive program focused on political power and process, environmental justice, and civil/human rights. It also maintains a legacy grant program for Minnesota and the Twin Cities metropolitan area that covers arts and humanities, communications, education, environment, human services, and libraries. In the latest grant record, one Minnesota award went to a Saint Paul recipient through an attachment-based grant of $350,000. Another Saint Paul grant of $334,000 appears in the prior year’s record, suggesting that some of the foundation’s funding is repeated through internal or trustee-directed channels rather than a one-time award. The program descriptions also show that legacy grants are intended for general support or projects, not capital campaigns or endowments. A trustee-directed stream extends the foundation’s traditional program areas to community-based work across the country, while still following foundation guidelines.

How Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Gives

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$5.8M

Total Assets

Total Revenue

$995K

Total Expenses

$6M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $330K and $1.6M, with a median of $342K.

25th Percentile

$330K

Median

$342K

75th Percentile

$1.6M

Geographic Reach

Local1 state funded

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
THE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION	MINNEAPOLIS, MN	$5,483,439	2025	SEE SCHEDULE A
SEE ATTACHMENT 1	ST PAUL, MN	$350,000	2025	SEE ATTACHMENT
SEE ATTACHMENT 2	ST PAUL, MN	$334,000	2024	SEE ATTACHMENT
SEE ATTACHMENT 2	ST PAUL, MN	$317,500	2023	SEE ATTACHMENT

Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

Focus Areas

Giving Approach

About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

What Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Funds

How Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

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Frequently Asked Questions About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

What kinds of work does the foundation support?

Does the foundation accept unsolicited applications?

What is the typical grant size?

Where does the foundation give most often?

Are its grants usually one-time or recurring?

Recent Grants

Open Grant Opportunities

Legacy Grants

Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

Focus Areas

Giving Approach

About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

What Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Funds

How Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

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Where Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Makes Grants

Frequently Asked Questions About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

What kinds of work does the foundation support?

Does the foundation accept unsolicited applications?

What is the typical grant size?

Where does the foundation give most often?

Are its grants usually one-time or recurring?

Recent Grants

Open Grant Opportunities

Legacy Grants