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    5. Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation
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    Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

    Active
    SAINT PAUL, MNWebsite6516420127EIN: 41-60329843 filings on record

    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

    The foundation’s grant size profile is high-dollar and tightly clustered, with a p25 of $329,875, a median of $342,000, and a p75 of $1,633,360. That distribution fits the recent record, which includes one very large institutional grant alongside several six-figure awards. The structure is mixed: it operates as a regular funder, not an individual-giving vehicle or a program-related-investment funder. Its grantmaking shows continuity across years. The recent list includes grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and the recurring Saint Paul recipient suggests multi-year funding in some form. The active programs also show two different modes: unsolicited legacy grants and proactive trustee-directed or collaborative grantmaking. The foundation’s legacy program explicitly supports annual operating or project grants, not capital campaigns or endowments.

    Open Grant Opportunities

    Current and upcoming funding from Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.

    Open nowRolling / open intakeAward: $1K – $3K

    Legacy Grants

    arts and humanitiescommunicationseducation+4 more

    Who can apply: Nonprofit organizations whose work aligns with the foundation's mission, legacy grant focus areas, and other restrictions/deadlines. Applicants must complete an eligibility quiz before receiving access to the application form and submission instructions.

    Deadline: No specific deadline stated on the accessible page; applicants are directed to review restrictions and deadlines after determining fit.

    Financial Snapshot

    Annual Giving

    $5.8M

    Total Assets

    $0

    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

    About 100% of grants go to recipients in MN.

    Funding intensity
    Low
    High
    Headquarters

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    Where Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation Makes Grants

    Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Minnesota: 100% of reported grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and Minnesota is also the top state by grant count. Recent recipients include Minneapolis and Saint Paul, showing a Twin Cities focus rather than a statewide spread. The active programs reinforce that pattern, with legacy grants aimed at Minnesota and the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with four reported grants to U.S. recipients.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Elmer L & Eleanor J Andersen Foundation

    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.

    Latest 990 Filing

    2025

    Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.

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    Deadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.

    Recent Grants

    Most recent grants reported to the IRS.

    RecipientLocationAmountYearPurpose
    THE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATIONMINNEAPOLIS, MN$5,483,4392025SEE SCHEDULE A
    SEE ATTACHMENT 1ST PAUL, MN$350,0002025SEE ATTACHMENT
    SEE ATTACHMENT 2ST PAUL, MN$334,0002024SEE ATTACHMENT
    SEE ATTACHMENT 2ST PAUL, MN$317,5002023SEE ATTACHMENT

    THE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION

    $5,483,439
    MINNEAPOLIS, MN2025

    SEE SCHEDULE A

    SEE ATTACHMENT 1

    $350,000
    ST PAUL, MN2025

    SEE ATTACHMENT

    SEE ATTACHMENT 2

    $334,000
    ST PAUL, MN2024

    SEE ATTACHMENT

    SEE ATTACHMENT 2

    $317,500
    ST PAUL, MN2023

    SEE ATTACHMENT