Shepherds Saint Paul’s vision for river access by leading advocacy and private fundraising for projects and programs along Saint Paul’s Mississippi River corridor to connect people to the river and build environmental stewardship, community health, and economic development.
Great River Passage Conservancy’s recent grantmaking centers on one large planning award: $449,000 to the City of Saint Paul to lead schematic design for the River Learning Center. That grant shows how the funder works in practice: it backs pre-development work, public facilities, and river-oriented projects that can move from concept into design. The Conservancy’s stated role is to shepherd Saint Paul’s vision for river access along the Mississippi River corridor, with an emphasis on connecting people to the river and strengthening environmental stewardship, community health, and economic development. The organization’s work is closely tied to Saint Paul’s riverfront and park system, and its active programs show a mix of project investment, fiscal sponsorship, planned giving, and a citywide initiative focused on riverfront reconnection. In that context, the Conservancy functions less like a conventional grantmaker with a broad external portfolio and more like a local civic intermediary that assembles resources, supports planning, and advances specific public projects. The River Learning Center award is the clearest recent example of that approach.
The Conservancy supports riverfront parks, trails, and public learning spaces through planning and design grants. In environmental and river-learning work, it gave $449,000 to the City of Saint Paul for schematic design of the River Learning Center, including site analysis and design concepts. Its focus also extends to civic and community planning around the Mississippi River shoreline within Saint Paul. The Great River Passage Initiative is built around reconnecting the community to shoreline parks, trails, and historic sites, with attention to cultural and historical preservation and environmental stewardship. Project investment is another core theme. Through its active programs, the Conservancy pools funds for park projects and public space activation, including efforts that create opportunities for community engagement and economic development related to river uses.
The only listed recent grant is $449,000, which matches the p25, median, and p75 grant size, indicating a single-grant pattern in the available data. The foundation is a public charity and gives locally, with 100% of grants going to recipients in Minnesota. Its active programs suggest it combines grantmaking with fiscal sponsorship, planned giving, and pooled project investment rather than operating as a broad, open application funder. Several of those programs accept unsolicited proposals, while the Great River Passage Initiative does not.
$10K
$302K
$445K
$361K
Most grants fall between $449K and $449K, with a median of $449K.
25th Percentile
$449K
Median
$449K
75th Percentile
$449K
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All listed grants went to recipients in Minnesota, and the recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. The named grant recipient is in Saint Paul, where the Conservancy’s work is concentrated along the Mississippi River shoreline, parks, trails, and historic sites. Its active programs also point to Saint Paul-wide park projects and riverfront initiatives, making the city the clear geographic center of its funding and project activity.
It supports riverfront parks and trails, environmental stewardship, cultural and historical preservation, public learning spaces, and community health and wellbeing. Its active programs also include project investment, fiscal sponsorship, and planned giving tied to Saint Paul parks and Mississippi River shoreline work.
The available data shows a single grant size across the distribution: p25, median, and p75 are all $449,000. That indicates the recent grant record on file is centered on one $449,000 award.
Yes for some programs and no for others. Fiscal Sponsorship, Project Investment, Planned Giving Opportunities, and Parks Giving Day accept unsolicited requests or donor participation, while the Great River Passage Initiative does not accept unsolicited proposals.
The grant record is entirely local: 100% of grants go to recipients in Minnesota, and the recipient country distribution is 100% U.S. The named recent grant went to the City of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, MN.
It describes its role as shepherding Saint Paul’s vision for river access along the Mississippi River corridor, connecting people to the river and building environmental stewardship, community health, and economic development.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Great River Passage Conservancy that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Groups seeking to advance park and public space projects in Saint Paul; must demonstrate project purpose and capacity to work with the Conservancy. Specific criteria are described in the Conservancy’s fiscal sponsorship materials (PDF linked).
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Bird Collective | Saint Paul, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | The purpose of the grant to Urban Bird Collective is to increase community engagement with the East Side River District. The $10,000 grant is to be used in 2024 for the following activities at Pig's Eye Regional Park and surrounding areas. * 6 birding hikes / surveys for BIPOC specific communities * 1 kayak trip that explores Pig's Eye Lake * Participation in a Bioblitz community event * Connecting members of the community, particularly on the East Side, to the Pig's Eye Task Force meetings |
| City of Saint Paul | Saint Paul, MN | $112,350 | 2024 | Great River Passage Conservancy was the recipient of funds that were received for the purpose of working with the City of Saint Paul to conduct planning for Saint Paul's River Learning Center. |
| City of Saint Paul | Saint Paul, MN | $449,000 | 2023 | The $449,000 was for the City of Saint Paul to lead the schematic design process for the River Learning Center. Schematic design includes site analysis, exploring design concepts, providing a general overview of the basic features and programming, and getting a general idea of the look and feel of the project. |
Urban Bird Collective
$10,000The purpose of the grant to Urban Bird Collective is to increase community engagement with the East Side River District. The $10,000 grant is to be used in 2024 for the following activities at Pig's Eye Regional Park and surrounding areas. * 6 birding hikes / surveys for BIPOC specific communities * 1 kayak trip that explores Pig's Eye Lake * Participation in a Bioblitz community event * Connecting members of the community, particularly on the East Side, to the Pig's Eye Task Force meetings
City of Saint Paul
$112,350Great River Passage Conservancy was the recipient of funds that were received for the purpose of working with the City of Saint Paul to conduct planning for Saint Paul's River Learning Center.
City of Saint Paul
$449,000The $449,000 was for the City of Saint Paul to lead the schematic design process for the River Learning Center. Schematic design includes site analysis, exploring design concepts, providing a general overview of the basic features and programming, and getting a general idea of the look and feel of the project.