Faegre Drinker Foundation predominantly supports civil legal aid, bar associations, and access-to-justice initiatives while also funding immigrant/refugee services, community relief, and select Twin Cities arts institutions. Their portfolio shows a legal-sector tilt—national and state legal services, pro bono infrastructure, and legal education—complemented by recurring gifts to United Ways, disaster/humanitarian response, and local cultural organizations. Grants are often repeated to the same organizations, indicating ongoing partnerships rather than one-off donations.
Faegre Drinker Foundation’s recent giving centers on access to justice, with repeated general-support grants to legal aid organizations, bar foundations, and pro bono capacity builders. The largest listed awards include $78,000 to Greater Twin Cities United Way in 2025 and 2024, alongside $75,000 to World Central Kitchen in 2023, showing a pattern that combines legal-sector support with emergency relief. The foundation also returns to the same recipients across years, including Fund for Legal Aid - Mid Minn Legal Aid and Volunteer Lawyers Network, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. Its portfolio reaches beyond direct legal services. Recent grants also support immigrant and refugee advocacy, including Advocates for Human Rights and Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, as well as community institutions such as Walker Art Center Inc. The giving pattern is broad enough to include statewide legal services in Colorado and Indiana, national legal infrastructure in Washington, DC, and Minnesota-based nonprofits in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Across the recent grants list, the common thread is flexible general support for organizations working on legal access, humanitarian response, and selected civic and cultural priorities.
Civil legal aid is the clearest throughline in the foundation’s portfolio. It gave $47,500 to Fund for Legal Aid - Mid Minn Legal Aid in 2025 and the same amount in 2024, plus $35,625 to Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado in 2023 and $34,500 to Indiana Legal Services Inc in 2024. The foundation also backs pro bono and legal education infrastructure. Equal Justice Works received $41,000 in 2025 and $18,750 in both 2024 and 2023, while Chicago Bar Foundation was funded at $17,189 in 2023 and $15,832 in 2024. Immigrant and human-rights work appears regularly too. Advocates for Human Rights received $26,667 in 2024, $21,667 in 2023, and $20,000 in 2025, and Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota received $17,500 in 2023. The list also includes humanitarian response, such as $50,000 to HIAS in 2023.
Typical grants cluster in the low five figures: p25 is $9,750, median is $12,000, and p75 is $29,288. The recent list shows repeat awards to the same organizations across multiple years, including United Way, legal aid groups, and pro bono intermediaries, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. The foundation appears to make general-support grants, and the available data describes its approach as unrestricted or core organizational funding. Its grantmaking is regional, with a strong concentration in Minnesota recipients, but it also funds organizations in other states.
$706K
$1.4M
$1.6M
$867K
Most grants fall between $10K and $29K, with a median of $12K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$12K
75th Percentile
$29K
ANDREW HUMPHREY
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Concentrated, repeat support focused on the legal sector: multiple mid-sized grants (many in the $15k–$135k range) and recurring multi-year or multi-grant relationships with core grantees across states; geographically distributed but retains a Minneapolis/Twin Cities cultural and community presence.
Notable grantees: Volunteer Lawyers Network, Equal Justice Works, World Central Kitchen, Walker Art Center, Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado
Most grants go to recipients in the United States. Minnesota receives the largest share of awards, at 40% of grants, with repeated recipients in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Other frequent recipient cities include Washington, DC; Denver; Indianapolis; Chicago; and Des Moines. The list also shows grants to organizations in Los Angeles and Iowa, indicating a regional footprint that reaches beyond the HQ state.
The recent grants list shows a strong legal-services orientation: civil legal aid groups, bar foundations, pro bono infrastructure, and legal education organizations. It also funds immigrant and refugee services, community relief groups, and select arts institutions in the Twin Cities.
The foundation’s listed grant-size distribution is p25 $9,750, median $12,000, and p75 $29,288. Recent awards include several larger general-support grants as well as many gifts in the low five figures.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Greater Twin Cities United Way, World Central Kitchen, Fund for Legal Aid - Mid Minn Legal Aid, Volunteer Lawyers Network, Equal Justice Works, Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado, Indiana Legal Services Inc, and Advocates for Human Rights.
Minnesota is the top state by grant count, with 40% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent Minnesota recipients include organizations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, alongside recipients in other states such as Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, California, and Washington, DC.
The recent grants are labeled general support across the list, and the foundation’s profile data describes its approach as general operating support, unrestricted support, and core organizational funding.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRO BONO INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, WA | $90,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GREATER TWIN CITIES UNITED WAY | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $78,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DISABILITY RIGHTS NORTH CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $60,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS | WASHINGTON, DC | $55,667 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GREAT NORTH INNOCENCE PROJECT | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FUND FOR LEGAL AID | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VOLUNTEER LAWYERS NETWORK | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $41,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | BOONE, IA | $35,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LEGAL AID FOUNDATION OF COLORADO | DENVER, CO | $28,975 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INDIANA LEGAL SERVICES INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| IMMIGRANT LAW CENTER OF MINNESOTA | ST PAUL, MN | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WALKER ART CENTER INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MINNESOTA PRIVATE COLLEGE FUND | ST PAUL, MN | $12,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $11,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COLORADO LAWYERS COMMITTEE | DENVER, CO | $10,374 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TUBMAN CENTER | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,166 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ACLU OF PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL VETERANS LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM | ARLINGTON, VA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ERIN'S HOUSE FOR GRIEVING CHILDREN | FORT WAYNE, IN | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MINNESOTA JUSTICE FOUNDATION | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY NETWORK | WESTMINSTER, CO | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA | DES MOINES, IA | $7,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UPTOWN PEOPLE'S LAW CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $6,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CATHOLIC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MN | ST PAUL, MN | $6,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GREATER TWIN CITIES UNITED WAY | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $78,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $70,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FUND FOR LEGAL AID | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $47,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS | WASHINGTON, DC | $41,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VOLUNTEER LAWYERS NETWORK | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $41,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LEGAL AID FOUNDATION OF COLORADO | DENVER, CO | $28,975 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INDIANA LEGAL SERVICES INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| IOWA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL | DES MOINES, IA | $24,042 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| IMMIGRANT LAW CENTER OF MINNESOTA | ST PAUL, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WALKER ART CENTER INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $13,509 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILADELPHIA BAR FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MINNESOTA PRIVATE COLLEGE FUND | ST PAUL, MN | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TUBMAN CENTER | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,167 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INDIANA BAR FOUNDATION | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ERIN'S HOUSE FOR GRIEVING CHILDREN | FORT WAYNE, IN | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ACLU FOUNDATION OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
PRO BONO INSTITUTE
$90,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT
WALKER ART CENTER INC
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COLORADO LAWYERS COMMITTEE
$10,374GENERAL SUPPORT
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NATIONAL VETERANS LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MINNESOTA JUSTICE FOUNDATION
$7,500GENERAL SUPPORT
IOWA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL
$24,042GENERAL SUPPORT
WALKER ART CENTER INC
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PHILADELPHIA BAR FOUNDATION
$12,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT