The mission of Freshwater is to inspire and empower people to value and preserve water.
Freshwater Society’s recent grantmaking is built around water work that is project-specific and often hands-on, with many awards aimed at marketing support, technical support, and staff support for grant projects. The largest recent grant, $387,448 in 2025 to Bolin-Zweig in Golden Valley, points to a funder willing to make sizable commitments when a project needs substantial implementation support. The same pattern shows up in other awards that are tied to project execution rather than unrestricted funding. The foundation also uses recurring grants to support organizations over time. Carleton College in Northfield received $33,317 in 2025 after a $23,847 grant in 2024 for technical support for the same general type of project work. Minnesota Land Trust I in St Paul received $20,000 in 2025 and $10,000 in 2024, both for organizational support for subaward staff during grant projects. That mix of large, targeted awards and repeated support suggests a funder focused on moving water-related work forward through practical assistance. Its mission is to inspire and empower people to value and preserve water, and that mission is reflected in grants tied to implementation, capacity, and project support across water-related organizations.
Freshwater Society supports water work through several practical channels. In project implementation, it gave $387,448 to Bolin-Zweig in Golden Valley for marketing support for a grant project, showing that communications can be part of water-program delivery. Technical assistance is another recurring theme. Carleton College in Northfield received $33,317 for technical support for a grant project in 2025, and Water 365 in Milwaukee received $23,874 for the same type of support. The foundation also funds organizational capacity tied to subawards. Marine Area Community School in Marine on St Croix received $28,200 for organizational support for subaward staff during a grant project, while Black Swamp Conservancy in Perrysburg received $10,000 in 2024 and another $10,000 in 2025 for the same purpose. These grants align with focus areas such as water quality, groundwater governance, drinking water safety, water policy, community engagement and education, research, water reuse and recharge, and water workforce development.
$110K
$4.9M
$1.4M
$2M
Most grants fall between $10K and $24K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$24K
Michelle Stockness
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Typical grant sizes cluster in the low tens of thousands, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $23,867. The pattern includes both larger project-support awards and repeated grants to the same recipients across 2024 and 2025, indicating ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. Freshwater Society appears to use restricted, project-specific funding and support for implementation, including staff support and technical assistance. The foundation funds organizations, not individuals, and the listed recent grants are all to US recipients.
Freshwater Society gives most often in Minnesota, which accounts for 44% of its grants, but the recent recipient list also reaches Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. In Minnesota, recipients include Golden Valley, Northfield, Marine on St Croix, and St Paul. Outside the state, Milwaukee appears twice, while Midland and Bay City in Michigan and Perrysburg in Ohio each appear in the recent grants. All listed recent grants go to US organizations.
The foundation’s listed focus areas include water quality, groundwater governance, drinking water safety, water policy, community engagement and education, research, water reuse and recharge, and water workforce development. Recent grants also show support for project implementation, technical assistance, and organizational capacity tied to water-related work.
Typical awards cluster around $10,000 to $23,867. The reported distribution is p25 at $10,000, median at $20,000, and p75 at $23,867, which suggests many grants are in the low tens of thousands even though some project-support awards are much larger.
Yes. The recent grants show repeated support across years for several recipients. For example, one organization in Northfield received grants in both 2024 and 2025, and another in St Paul received grants in both 2024 and 2025 for organizational support tied to subaward staff during grant projects.
The recent grant list shows funding to colleges, community schools, conservancies, land trusts, and other partner organizations involved in water-related projects. The foundation funds organizations rather than individuals, and the active scholarship program is a Minnesota high school contest award rather than an individual grantmaking stream.
No. Minnesota is the top state by grant count at 44%, but the recent grants also go to organizations in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. The recipient country distribution is entirely US-based in the data provided.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Freshwater Society that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: The content does not specify formal eligibility requirements. Cleanup coordinators need no special qualifications, and cleanups should generally take place at accessible public shorelines, riverbanks, or neighborhood streets in Minnesota.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK SWAMP CONSERVANCY | PERRYSBURG, OH | $30,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT |
| LANDMARK CONSERVANCY INC | MENOMONIE, WI | $20,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT |
| LITTLE FORKS CONSERVANCY | MIDLAND, MI | $20,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT |
| SAIGNAW BASIN LAND CONSERVANCY | BAY CITY, MI | $20,000 | 2026 |
| ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT |
| MINNESOTA LAND TRUST | ST PAUL, MN | $20,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT |
| Bolin-Zweig | Golden Valley, MN | $387,448 | 2025 | Marketing support for grant project |
| Carleton College | Northfield, MN | $33,317 | 2025 | Technical support for grant project |
| Water 365 | Milwaukee, WI | $23,874 | 2025 | Technical support for grant project |
| Landmark Conservancy Inc | Menomonie, WI | $20,000 | 2025 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Little Fork Conservancy | Midland, MI | $20,000 | 2025 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Saginaw Basin Land Trust | Bay City, MI | $20,000 | 2025 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Minnesota Land Trust I | St Paul, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Black Swamp Conservancy | Perrysburg, OH | $10,000 | 2025 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Bolin-Zweig | Golden Valley, MN | $66,000 | 2024 | Marketing support for grant project |
| Marine Area Community School | Marine on St Croix, MN | $28,200 | 2024 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Carleton College | Northfield, MN | $23,847 | 2024 | Technical support for grant project |
| Hamline University | St Paul, MN | $10,727 | 2024 | Technical support for grant project |
| Saginaw Basin Land Trust | Bay City, MI | $10,000 | 2024 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Black Swamp Conservancy | Perrysburg, OH | $10,000 | 2024 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Minnesota Land Trust I | St Paul, MN | $10,000 | 2024 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Little Fork Conservancy | Midland, MI | $10,000 | 2024 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Landmark Conservancy Inc | Menomonie, WI | $10,000 | 2024 | Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project |
| Water 365 | Milwaukee, WI | $7,700 | 2024 | Technical support for grant project |
BLACK SWAMP CONSERVANCY
$30,000ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT
LANDMARK CONSERVANCY INC
$20,000ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT
ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT
SAIGNAW BASIN LAND CONSERVANCY
$20,000ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT
ORGANIZATION SUPPORT FOR SUBAWARD STAFF DURING GRANT PROJECT
Bolin-Zweig
$387,448Marketing support for grant project
Water 365
$23,874Technical support for grant project
Landmark Conservancy Inc
$20,000Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Black Swamp Conservancy
$10,000Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Bolin-Zweig
$66,000Marketing support for grant project
Marine Area Community School
$28,200Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Black Swamp Conservancy
$10,000Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Landmark Conservancy Inc
$10,000Organizational support for subaward staff during grant project
Water 365
$7,700Technical support for grant project
