The American-Scandinavian Foundation is a publicly-supported not-for-profit organization committed to promoting educational, cultural and professional exchange between the United States and the Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. ASF offers fellowships, cultural grants, internships/training, publications, exhibitions and other public programs reinforcing the strong relationships between the two regions.
A $178,680 scholarship grant to the United Nations International School in 2024 stands out in The American-Scandinavian Foundation’s recent giving. That award sits alongside a second, smaller scholarship grant to the same school in 2023, showing sustained support for education tied to Scandinavian exchange. The foundation’s work also reaches public culture and folk arts: it funded North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota, for a public project, and supported community-based Nordic traditions through grants to places such as Buxton in Bloom Grue Chruch Project in North Dakota and Finlandia University in Michigan. ASF’s grantmaking is centered on educational, cultural, and professional exchange between the United States and the Nordic countries, with awards used for fellowships, public programs, lectureships, translation, and heritage-based community projects. Recent grants also show support for institutions that host audiences or participants rather than individual applicants alone, including universities, cultural nonprofits, and schools. The pattern points to a funder that moves between large scholarship support and smaller project grants while keeping a consistent connection to Nordic cultural and educational exchange.
Education is a clear thread in ASF’s grantmaking. In 2024, the foundation gave $178,680 to the United Nations International School for scholarships, and it followed with a $92,608 scholarship grant to the same school in 2023. For public cultural programming, ASF awarded $50,000 to North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota, for a public project. Nordic folk arts are another recurring theme: it supported Buxton in Bloom Grue Chruch Project in Buxton, North Dakota, with $44,900 for folk arts work, and it gave $35,175 to Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan, for the same purpose. The foundation also backs literature and translation through its translation prizes and competition program, which awards cash prizes and publication opportunities for translations of Nordic authors.
ASF’s typical grant size in the dataset sits at a $22,000 p25, $26,725 median, and $47,450 p75, but the recent awards range from $12,000 to $178,680. The grant list shows repeat support across years, including the United Nations International School in both 2023 and 2024. ASF is a regular funder with a national giving scope, and the active programs show that it accepts unsolicited applications across several grant types. Some awards are structured as fixed program grants, while others are fellowship-style awards or host-institution awards with set stipends.
$296K
$50M
$4.2M
$4.7M
Most grants fall between $22K and $47K, with a median of $27K.
25th Percentile
$22K
Median
$27K
75th Percentile
$47K
About 18% of grants go to recipients in MI.
EDWARD P GALLAGHER
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Grants are distributed nationally across the United States, with the highest concentration in Michigan by count. New York recipients account for 18% of grants in the dataset, reflecting support to organizations in the foundation’s headquarters state as well as elsewhere. Recent awards reached New York City, Grand Marais, Minneapolis, Hancock, Duluth, Ironwood, Dallas, and Northfield. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the provided grant list, with 11 grants to U.S. organizations.
ASF funds scholarships, public cultural programming, folk arts, lectureships, translation prizes, fellowships, and community projects tied to American and Nordic exchange. In the active programs, awards support nonprofit public events, visiting lectureships at U.S. colleges, and folk arts preservation in the Upper Midwest.
The typical grant size in the dataset is $22,000 at the 25th percentile, $26,725 at the median, and $47,450 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also show a wider range, from $12,000 to $178,680.
Yes. The United Nations International School received ASF scholarship grants in both 2023 and 2024, at $92,608 and $178,680. That repeat funding shows at least some multi-year support rather than strictly one-time awards.
Yes. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications, including Public Project Grants, Nordic Folk Arts grants for public programs and community projects, Visiting Lectureships, ASF Fellowships & Grants for Americans, ASF AT SOM Fellowship in Architecture, Translation Prizes, and ASF Fellowships for Scandinavians.
The foundation gives nationally in the United States, with the highest grant count in Michigan and 18% of grants going to recipients in New York. Its program geography also includes Scandinavia for some awards, and the Upper Midwest for Nordic folk arts work.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL | NEW YORK, NY | $178,680 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| NORTH HOUSE FOLK SCHOOL | GRAND MARAIS, MN | $50,000 | 2024 | PUBLIC PROJECT |
| Finlandia Foundation Twin Cities Boys of America | Northfield, MN | $25,500 | 2024 | public project |
| FINNFEST 2023 | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $24,000 | 2024 | PUBLIC PROJECT |
| IRONWOOD THEATRE INC | IRONWOOD, MI | $17,925 | 2024 | PUBLIC PROJECT |
| UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL | New York, NY | $92,608 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| Buxton in Bloom Grue Chruch Project | Buxton, ND | $44,900 | 2023 | Folk Arts |
| Finlandia University | Hancock, MI | $35,175 | 2023 | Folk Arts |
| Folklore Village Farm Inc | Dodgeville, WI | $26,725 | 2023 | Folk Arts |
| Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX | $20,000 | 2023 | Public Project |
| Nordic Center of Duluth | Duluth, MN | $12,000 | 2023 | Folk Arts |
UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
$178,680SCHOLARSHIPS
NORTH HOUSE FOLK SCHOOL
$50,000PUBLIC PROJECT
Finlandia Foundation Twin Cities Boys of America
$25,500public project
FINNFEST 2023
$24,000PUBLIC PROJECT
IRONWOOD THEATRE INC
$17,925PUBLIC PROJECT
UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
$92,608SCHOLARSHIP
Buxton in Bloom Grue Chruch Project
$44,900Folk Arts
Finlandia University
$35,175Folk Arts
Folklore Village Farm Inc
$26,725Folk Arts
Southern Methodist University
$20,000Public Project
Nordic Center of Duluth
$12,000Folk Arts
Current and upcoming funding from American-Scandinavian Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Public programs grants must be nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations. Artist fellowships are for master artists/practitioners of traditional skills in the Upper Midwest.
Deadline: September 15, 2026
Who can apply: Competition open to all U.S. colleges and universities. The lecturer must be a Norwegian or Swedish citizen and a scholar or expert appropriate to the host department or program.
Deadline: Competition is annual; submission/deadline dates vary by cycle (site shows past submission dates such as Jan 1 or Feb 15 in different cycles).
Who can apply: Open to U.S. colleges and universities; lecturer must be a Norwegian citizen and scholar/expert in a relevant field.
Deadline: Submission date January 1, 2027; decisions announced April 1, 2027.
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