The North Dakota Bar Foundation concentrates its giving on improving access to justice and supporting legal infrastructure across North Dakota, with significant investments in court improvement, civil legal aid, and legal education. It also consistently funds victim-service organizations and training programs addressing domestic/sexual violence, housing discrimination, and LGBTQ+/intercultural law enforcement training. Grants are focused within the state and frequently support operational/program needs, training, and student scholarships tied to the legal profession.
North Dakota Bar Foundation Inc. centers its grantmaking on access to justice in North Dakota, with repeated support for legal services for low-income residents and for the court system itself. Legal Services of North Dakota appears as a major recipient across multiple years, including a $82,000 grant in 2023 and a $80,000 grant in 2025 to support legal services to the poor, alongside additional court-improvement funding in 2025. The foundation also backs legal education and the legal profession through scholarships, stipends, and support for law students and a law professorship at the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation. Its recent awards also show a steady commitment to legal-adjacent services that affect vulnerable communities. Grants have supported domestic and sexual violence programs, fair housing work, mock trial participation, intercultural and LGBTQ+ training for law enforcement and schools, and training resources for child victims. The pattern suggests a funder working through legal institutions, bar organizations, and community nonprofits rather than through individual grants. That mix points to a foundation focused on the legal infrastructure of the state as well as specific protections for people facing civil legal and safety issues.
Civil legal aid is a core thread. In 2025, the foundation gave $80,000 to Legal Services of North Dakota to support legal services to the poor, and another $18,838 for the North Dakota Court Improvement Program focused on access to justice. Domestic violence services are another recurring area. Safe Alternatives for Abused Families received $46,800 in 2025 for programs and training for victims of domestic violence, while the North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition received $17,497 that same year for support of victims of domestic and sexual violence. The foundation also funds legal education and student development. The Und Alumni Association and Foundation received $20,200 in 2023 for scholarships and stipends for law students and support for a law professorship, plus $8,000 in 2025 for scholarships and stipends. Fair housing and civil-rights training appear as smaller but specific grants, including $10,000 to High Plains Fair Housing Center for housing discrimination support and $10,000 to North Dakota Human Rights Coalition for intercultural development and LGBTQ+ training.
$218K
$703K
$301K
$271K
Most grants fall between $10K and $20K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$20K
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Relatively concentrated, in-state giving with a few repeat core grantees receiving the largest shares (notably Legal Services of North Dakota). Grants skew toward program and capacity support, training, and targeted scholarships rather than broad national funding—mix of several larger multi-grant relationships and smaller one-off awards.
Notable grantees: Legal Services of North Dakota, UND Alumni Association and Foundation (Stenehjem Scholarship), Safe Alternatives for Abused Families, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, State Bar Association of North Dakota
Grant size clusters around a relatively narrow band: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $20,000, and the 75th percentile is $20,200. A few larger awards sit above that range, but most recent grants are near the middle of the distribution. The foundation’s grantmaking is not limited to one-off gifts: Legal Services of North Dakota, the Und Alumni Association and Foundation, and the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition each appear in more than one year. As a public charity, it gives through program and operating support, stipends, scholarships, training, and project-specific awards rather than program-related investments. No application process details are provided in the grant data.
All recent grants in the dataset went to recipients in North Dakota, so the recipient-country mix is entirely domestic and the state distribution is fully concentrated in ND. Bismarck appears frequently, including grants to Legal Services of North Dakota, the North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition, the North Dakota Supreme Court, and Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Dakota. Other recipient cities include Devils Lake, Grand Forks, and Fargo. The pattern is statewide, but the named organizations suggest a mix of legal, advocacy, and education partners across multiple North Dakota communities.
It most often funds access to justice and legal infrastructure in North Dakota. Recent grants support legal services to the poor, the North Dakota Court Improvement Program, domestic and sexual violence services, legal education, fair housing work, and training for law enforcement and schools.
The grant-size distribution is tight: p25 is $10,000, median grant size is $20,000, and p75 is $20,200. That suggests many awards cluster around the $10,000 to $20,200 range.
No. In the recent grant data provided, 100% of grants went to recipients in North Dakota, and the top state by grant count is ND.
Yes. Legal Services of North Dakota appears in multiple years, as do the Und Alumni Association and Foundation and the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. That pattern indicates recurring support rather than only isolated awards.
Recipients include legal aid providers, a court system body, domestic-violence service organizations, a bar association, a fair-housing center, a human-rights coalition, a children’s advocacy network, and a university alumni and foundation organization tied to law student support.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $80,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR |
| SAFE ALTERNATIVES FOR ABUSED FAMILIES | DEVILS LAKE, ND | $46,800 | 2025 | PROGRAMS AND TRAINING FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE |
| LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $18,838 | 2025 | FOR THE NORTH DAKOTA COURT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM - ACCESS TO JUSTIC |
| NORTH DAKOTA DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE COALITION | BISMARCK, ND | $17,497 | 2025 | SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE |
| STATE BAR ASSOCIATION OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $14,992 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE A STIPEND TO THE WINNING SCHOOL OF THE MOCK TRIAL TO ATTEND THE NATIONAL COMPETITION |
| NORTH DAKOTA HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION | FARGO, ND | $10,000 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE TRAINING IN INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LGBTQ+ TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS. |
| HIGH PLAINS FAIR HOUSING CENTER | GRAND FORKS, ND | $10,000 | 2025 | HOUSING DISCRIMINATION SUPPORT |
| UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND FOUNDATION | GRAND FORKS, ND | $8,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS FOR LAW STUDENTS; SUPPORT FOR A LAW PROFESSORSHIP |
| CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTERS OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $6,000 | 2025 | TRAINING VIDEOS FOR CHILDREN VICTIMS |
| NORTH DAKOTA SUPREME COURT | BISMARCK, ND | $5,400 | 2025 | RURAL ATTORNEY SUPPORT |
| LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $30,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR |
| UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND FOUNDATION | GRAND FORKS, ND | $14,700 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS FOR LAW STUDENTS; SUPPORT FOR A LAW PROFESSORSHIP |
| LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $10,000 | 2024 | FOR THE NORTH DAKOTA COURT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM |
| NORTH DAKOTA HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION | FARGO, ND | $10,000 | 2024 | TO PROVIDE TRAINING IN INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LGBTQ+ TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS. |
| LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $82,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR |
| UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND FOUNDATION | GRAND FORKS, ND | $20,200 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS FOR LAW STUDENTS; SUPPORT FOR A LAW PROFESSORSHIP |
| UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND FOUNDATION | GRAND FORKS, ND | $20,000 | 2023 | STENEHJEM SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT |
| LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA | BISMARCK, ND | $10,000 | 2023 | FOR THE NORTH DAKOTA COURT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM |
| NORTH DAKOTA HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION | FARGO, ND | $10,000 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE TRAINING IN INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LGBTQ+ TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS. |
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA
$80,000TO SUPPORT LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR
SAFE ALTERNATIVES FOR ABUSED FAMILIES
$46,800PROGRAMS AND TRAINING FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA
$18,838FOR THE NORTH DAKOTA COURT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM - ACCESS TO JUSTIC
NORTH DAKOTA DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE COALITION
$17,497SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION OF NORTH DAKOTA
$14,992TO PROVIDE A STIPEND TO THE WINNING SCHOOL OF THE MOCK TRIAL TO ATTEND THE NATIONAL COMPETITION
NORTH DAKOTA HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION
$10,000TO PROVIDE TRAINING IN INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LGBTQ+ TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
HIGH PLAINS FAIR HOUSING CENTER
$10,000HOUSING DISCRIMINATION SUPPORT
SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS FOR LAW STUDENTS; SUPPORT FOR A LAW PROFESSORSHIP
CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTERS OF NORTH DAKOTA
$6,000TRAINING VIDEOS FOR CHILDREN VICTIMS
NORTH DAKOTA SUPREME COURT
$5,400RURAL ATTORNEY SUPPORT
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA
$30,000TO SUPPORT LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR
SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS FOR LAW STUDENTS; SUPPORT FOR A LAW PROFESSORSHIP
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA
$10,000FOR THE NORTH DAKOTA COURT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
NORTH DAKOTA HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION
$10,000TO PROVIDE TRAINING IN INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LGBTQ+ TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA
$82,000TO SUPPORT LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR
SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS FOR LAW STUDENTS; SUPPORT FOR A LAW PROFESSORSHIP
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH DAKOTA
$10,000FOR THE NORTH DAKOTA COURT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
NORTH DAKOTA HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION
$10,000TO PROVIDE TRAINING IN INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LGBTQ+ TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS.