About North Dakota Community Foundation
The North Dakota Community Foundation concentrates its giving on local community infrastructure, education (especially tribal and rural schools/colleges), and faith-based/senior care services across North Dakota, with particularly large investments in Dickinson-area projects. Grants include both capital and program support for municipal projects, parks, emergency services, K–12 and higher-education institutions (notably tribal colleges), and Lutheran health/care organizations, reflecting a mix of civic, cultural and faith-rooted priorities.
Focus Areas
Municipal and community infrastructure in Dickinson and rural ND (e.g., city projects, parks, recreation)Tribal and rural higher education (United Tribes Technical College, Sitting Bull College, tribal community colleges)K–12 rural and faith-based schools (Lutheran schools and small district support)Faith-based senior care and congregational health services (Lutheran care centers, nursing/home services)Public safety and local services (volunteer fire departments and county public school districts)
Giving Approach
Concentrated, place-based giving with a mix of large single grants and repeated multi-year/multi-grant support to the same beneficiaries; a small number of very large grantees account for a substantial share of total giving while many grants target local civic, educational and faith organizations.
About North Dakota Community Foundation
A defining feature of North Dakota Community Foundation is its repeated support for tribal higher education in North Dakota. In the recent grants list, it backed United Tribes Technical College, Sitting Bull College, Turtle Mountain Community College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, and Candeska Cikana Community College, showing a sustained pattern of support for Native-serving institutions across the state. That same local orientation extends beyond education: the foundation also funds municipal projects, parks and recreation, public safety, and faith-based human services. The foundation’s grantmaking reaches both large capital-style awards and smaller program grants. Dickinson appears as a recurring place in the recent list, with support for city projects, parks, and local cultural institutions. Elsewhere, grants reached schools, fire departments, community foundations, and care organizations, indicating a broad civic portfolio rather than a single program area. Several awards are marked for program support, while others are not, suggesting a mix of operating and project-based support within North Dakota communities. Its public-facing work is local in scope, and the recipient list is overwhelmingly concentrated in the state.
What North Dakota Community Foundation Funds
Tribal and rural education is a clear theme. The foundation gave $322,741 to United Tribes Technical College for program support and $203,967 to Sitting Bull College for program support, while earlier grants also went to Turtle Mountain Community College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, and Candeska Cikana Community College. Civic infrastructure and public amenities are another area of support. The City of Dickinson received $1,218,025 in 2023 and another $161,990 in 2024 for program support, and Dickinson Parks and Recreation received $325,000 in 2023. Faith-rooted education and care also appear in the grant list. Oak Grove Lutheran School received $150,000 in 2024 and again $150,000 in 2025, and Gaia Home in Bismarck received $443,801 in 2024 for program support. Public safety and local services show up as well, with Arthur Fire Department receiving $196,440 in 2024 and $120,000 in 2025 for program support.
How North Dakota Community Foundation Gives
The foundation’s recent grants cluster around a median size of $11,000, with a lower quartile of $7,670 and an upper quartile of $22,798. The recent list also includes much larger awards, showing that smaller community grants and large project awards can sit in the same portfolio. Program support appears frequently in the recent grants table, alongside awards without that label. Recipients also repeat across years, including the City of Dickinson, Oak Grove Lutheran School, United Tribes Technical College, Sitting Bull College, and Arthur Fire Department, pointing to ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation is a mixed community foundation, and it funds at the community and project level through multiple grant programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.6M
Total Assets
$188.3M
Total Revenue
$34.8M
Total Expenses
$13.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $8K and $23K, with a median of $11K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$11K
75th Percentile
$23K
Geographic Reach
Local9 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
KEVIN DVORAK
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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