Sauer Family Foundation

About Sauer Family Foundation

A $9 million grant to Fidelity Charitable Trust stands out in The Sauer Family Foundation’s recent record and points to a funder that makes a few very large, deliberate awards. The rest of the recent grant list reinforces that pattern: a $3 million grant went to V3 Sports, and several six-figure gifts followed to Minnesota organizations working in child welfare, education, family support, and community services. The foundation’s giving is not broad-based; it centers on targeted investments that appear to support both direct service organizations and larger philanthropic or institutional vehicles. Recent grants show a strong Minnesota orientation, with Minneapolis and Saint Paul appearing often, alongside county agencies and local nonprofits in the state. Within that landscape, the foundation backs organizations serving children, youth, and families, including family resource centers, foster-care and child-welfare systems, literacy and educational success, and workforce pathways tied to Minnesota’s children. A smaller set of grants also supports youth sports and recreation, suggesting that athletics is one part of a larger portfolio rather than the sole emphasis. The overall picture is of a foundation that concentrates capital in a limited number of recipients and uses sizable grants to support specific institutions and programs.

What Sauer Family Foundation Funds

Child welfare and family support are central themes in the foundation’s programmatic giving. In one recent example, it gave $408,530 to Scott County Department of Health and Human Services Child Welfare for child welfare work, and another grant of $362,025 went to Mitchell Hamline School of Law Child Protection Program. Those awards sit alongside support for foster and family stability efforts such as a $242,560 grant to Foster Advocates. Education is another clear area. The foundation gave $528,000 to Wallin Education Partners and $420,706 to University of Mn Foundation, while a separate grant of $185,000 went to Way to Grow. It also funds family resource infrastructure through grants to county and community partners, including $223,300 to Morrison County Health and Human Services and $190,200 to Carver County. Youth sports and recreation appear through a major $3 million grant to V3 Sports, showing that the foundation also makes large investments in athletic development and community recreation capacity.

How Sauer Family Foundation Gives