
The Sit Investment Associates Foundation concentrates its giving on large, local investments that build community infrastructure in Minnesota. Grants are directed to capital and operating support for civic institutions—especially sports/recreation facilities, university building projects, and veterans’ cultural organizations—often in the Twin Cities area. The foundation makes few but sizable gifts and shows repeat support for preferred partners.
A $785,000 operating grant to the University of Minnesota Foundation for the Connecting Carlson Building Project is the clearest window into Sit Investment Associates Foundation’s approach: it backs local institutions with large, place-based support, often for capital or operating needs. The foundation’s recent giving also shows repeated commitments to V3 Sports, including grants of $500,000 in 2024, $250,000 in 2025, and $250,000 in 2023, pointing to relationship-based funding rather than one-off awards. Across the recent grants list, its dollars flow to civic and educational organizations, veterans’ history groups, food access providers, and community recreation efforts. Those awards are typically operating grants, and they are concentrated in Minnesota organizations, especially in the Twin Cities area. The foundation’s profile fits a funder that supports visible community infrastructure and recurring local partners, rather than a broad national portfolio. Recent gifts to the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, Second Harvest Heartland, and Sharing & Caring Hands show that the foundation funds both cultural institutions and basic-needs organizations, with an emphasis on institutions serving Minnesota communities.
The foundation’s community infrastructure work includes recreation, campus projects, and civic organizations. In recreation, it gave $500,000 to V3 Sports in 2024 and another $250,000 in 2025, both designated as operating support. In higher education, it supported the University of Minnesota Foundation with $150,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2023, alongside the larger $785,000 Connecting Carlson Building Project gift. Veterans’ history is another visible area: the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum received $250,000 in 2024, $200,000 in 2023, and $150,000 in 2023. The foundation also funded food and human services organizations such as Second Harvest Heartland, Food Group The, and Loaves & Fishes, all through operating grants.
Typical grants are modest to mid-sized, with a p25 of $2,000, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $20,000, even though the recent grants list includes much larger operating gifts. The pattern is relationship-based: several recipients appear in multiple years, including V3 Sports, the University of Minnesota Foundation, and the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum. The foundation is an operating grantmaker rather than a program-related-investment funder, and its active grant pages include community grants, scholarships, fellowships, and general grantmaking. Unsolicited applications are accepted for the community grants program and for grant opportunities pages tied to nonprofit support.
$3.2M
$42.2M
$4.4M
$3.3M
Most grants fall between $2K and $20K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$20K
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving with a small number of large grants; repeat funding to select local grantees and preference for capital/operating support for community infrastructure rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: V3 Sports, University of Minnesota Foundation (Connecting Carlson Building Project), Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum
Grantmaking is highly local: 89% of grants go to recipients in Minnesota, and every grant in the recipient-country distribution is in the US. Minneapolis appears frequently, with grants to organizations such as V3 Sports, Sharing & Caring Hands, Loaves & Fishes, and the University of Minnesota Foundation. Other Minnesota recipients include Little Falls, Brooklyn Park, New Hope, Owatonna, and Roseville. Indiana is the top state by grant count, indicating some giving beyond the HQ state, but the recipient mix remains overwhelmingly Minnesota-centered.
Recent grants go mainly to Minnesota nonprofits and institutions that support community infrastructure: universities, recreation facilities, veterans’ history organizations, food access groups, and civic or cultural institutions. Examples include the University of Minnesota Foundation, V3 Sports, the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, Second Harvest Heartland, and Sharing & Caring Hands.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years. V3 Sports received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025; the University of Minnesota Foundation appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum received grants in 2023 and 2024.
The distribution centers on smaller awards: p25 is $2,000, median grant size is $5,000, and p75 is $20,000. The recent grants list also includes larger operating gifts, such as $785,000 to the University of Minnesota Foundation and $500,000 to V3 Sports.
Yes for some programs. The foundation’s community grants program accepts unsolicited applications, and its grant opportunities pages also indicate unsolicited grant submissions are accepted for grant funding to nonprofits and community organizations.
Its active programs point to community development, education, diversity, equity & inclusion, nonprofit capacity, and professional development. The recent grants show these themes in practice through support for scholarship, fellowship, and general nonprofit grant programs.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION - CONNECTING CARLSON BLDG PROJECT | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $785,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| V3 SPORTS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $250,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| FEDERATED INSURANCE FOUNDATION | OWATONNA, MN | $200,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| FOOD GROUP THE | NEW HOPE, MN | $150,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND | BROOKLYN PARK, MN | $150,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| SHARING & CARING HANDS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $120,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| VOCALESSENCE - BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE CAMPAIGN PLEDGE | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $90,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| LOAVES & FISHES | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $85,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| SALVATION ARMY - NORTHERN DIVISION | ROSEVILLE, MN | $85,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| PEOPLE SERVING PEOPLE INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $75,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| COMMONBOND COMMUNITIES | SAINT PAUL, MN | $60,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| TWIN CITIES PUBLIC TELEVISION (TPT) | SAINT PAUL, MN | $50,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | SAINT PAUL, MN | $50,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| TWIN CITIES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | SAINT PAUL, MN | $50,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| AMERICAN PANCREATIC ASSOCIATION | LEAWOOD, KS | $50,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY | SAINT PAUL, MN | $40,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| PROJECT PREP OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - UPPER MIDWEST HIGH SCHOOL ELITE | BLOOMINGTON, MN | $40,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE | SAINT PAUL, MN | $40,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN INVESTMENT MANAGERS (AAAIM) 2024 | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $35,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| INTERFAITH OUTREACH & COMMUNITY PARTNERS | PLYMOUTH, MN | $30,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| PROJECT FOR PRIDE IN LIVING | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $30,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| PRISM | GOLDEN VALLEY, MN | $30,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| GREATER TWIN CITIES UNITED WAY | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $30,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| VOCALESSENCE | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $30,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| ORDWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS | SAINT PAUL, MN | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| PILLSBURY UNITED COMMUNITIES | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS - NORTHERN CHAPTER | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| WALLIN EDUCATION PARTNERS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $23,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| MARIE SANDVIK CENTER INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS | ST PAUL, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| COMMUNITY EMERGENCY SERVICES | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| GREATER MINNEAPOLIS CRISIS NURSERY | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA | SAINT PAUL, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| MINNESOTA OVARIAN CANCER ALLIANCE (MOCA) | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| PATHWAYS TO CHILDREN | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| CONCORDIA LANGUAGE VILLAGES | MOORHEAD, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| NAZ - NORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION - MASONIC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| NORTHERN STAR SCOUTING - GENERAL OPERATING | FORT SNELLING, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES - UPPER MIDWEST | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| SUMMIT ACADEMY OIC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $12,500 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY | GOLDEN VALLEY, MN | $11,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| MINNESOTA COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATION | SAINT PAUL, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| PACER CENTER | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| MINNESOTA ADULT & TEEN CHALLENGE | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| FRASER | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| GLOBAL MINNESOTA | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CHINA CENTER DIRECTOR'S FUND | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION - CONNECTING CARLSON BLDG PROJECT
$785,000OPERATING
FOOD GROUP THE
$150,000OPERATING
OPERATING
VOCALESSENCE - BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE CAMPAIGN PLEDGE
$90,000OPERATING
SALVATION ARMY - NORTHERN DIVISION
$85,000OPERATING
AMERICAN PANCREATIC ASSOCIATION
$50,000OPERATING
PROJECT PREP OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - UPPER MIDWEST HIGH SCHOOL ELITE
$40,000OPERATING
ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN INVESTMENT MANAGERS (AAAIM) 2024
$35,000OPERATING
MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART
$35,000OPERATING
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
$25,000OPERATING
AMERICAN RED CROSS - NORTHERN CHAPTER
$25,000OPERATING
MARIE SANDVIK CENTER INC
$20,000OPERATING
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS
$20,000OPERATING
SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
$20,000OPERATING
MINNESOTA OVARIAN CANCER ALLIANCE (MOCA)
$20,000OPERATING
PATHWAYS TO CHILDREN
$15,000OPERATING
CONCORDIA LANGUAGE VILLAGES
$15,000OPERATING
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION - MASONIC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
$15,000OPERATING
NORTHERN STAR SCOUTING - GENERAL OPERATING
$15,000OPERATING
ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY
$11,000OPERATING
MINNESOTA ADULT & TEEN CHALLENGE
$10,000OPERATING
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CHINA CENTER DIRECTOR'S FUND
$10,000OPERATING