Women'S Foundation of Minnesota
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About Women'S Foundation of Minnesota
The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota invests in ending systemic inequities and driving innovation for gender and racial justice by investing in innovative community-based, community-led solutions to ensure equal opportunity and pathways to economic security for girls, women, gender‑expansive people, and families across Minnesota.
Focus Areas
Economic justiceLeadership & community powerSafety (ending gender-based violence)Holistic well-being & reproductive justiceYouth leadership (Innovators program)Donor-advised funds and community fundsRapid response funding for immigrant/refugee communities
Who They Fund
women and girls (including young women/teen girls)students and scholarship recipientsaspiring entrepreneurs/small business founders (esp. women)
About Women'S Foundation of Minnesota
Women's Foundation of Minnesota centers young women, women, gender-expansive people, and families in Minnesota through grantmaking that ties economic security to safety, leadership, and reproductive justice. One of its clearest patterns is support for pathways into work and wealth: Minneapolis College Foundation received $200,000 for a We Thrive grant, while Dunwoody College of Technology received $200,000 for scholarships and student expenses. The foundation also backs community-led responses to urgent needs, including $100,000 to Hope Community through an EDAF withdrawal and $70,000 to Ain Dah Yung Center for general operating and safety fund support. Its portfolio includes both large institutional awards and smaller microgrants, as well as program-related investments, which signals a mix of grantmaking tools rather than a single funding model. Recent awards also show repeat support for organizations over multiple years, suggesting sustained relationships with some recipients. Across these gifts, the foundation uses funding to support education, leadership development, safety, and community-organized solutions aligned with gender and racial justice.
What Women'S Foundation of Minnesota Funds
Economic justice is a major theme. The foundation gave $150,000 to Minnesota State Community & Technical College for a We Thrive renewal and $100,500 to Neighborhood Development Center Inc for an entrepreneurship grant, linking workforce development with entrepreneurship and wealth-building. In education and scholarship support, it awarded $200,000 to Bemidji State Alumni & Foundation for scholarships and student expenses and another $200,000 to Minnesota North College for the same purpose. Safety and violence prevention also appear in the grant record: YWCA St Paul received $144,122 for general operating support and area of greatest need, while Ain Dah Yung Center received $70,000 for a safety fund grant aligned with its proposal. The funder also supports reproductive justice through its Reproductive Freedom Fund, a $50,000 grant program focused on access, health, abortion, contraception, and maternal health.
How Women'S Foundation of Minnesota Gives
Typical grants cluster around a mid-sized range: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $20,000, and the 75th percentile is $30,000. That said, the foundation also makes much larger awards, including six-figure program, scholarship, and operating grants. The recent record shows repeated support to the same organizations across years, including Dunwoody College of Technology, Minnesota North College, Minnesota State Community & Technical College, Friends of Saint Paul College, and YWCA St Paul. The foundation uses a mix of general operating support, restricted program support, scholarship funding, sponsorships, and program-related investments. One active program, WFMN Innovators, accepts unsolicited submissions; other listed programs do not.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.9M
Total Assets
$39.4M
Total Revenue
$9.1M
Total Expenses
$8.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $30K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$30K
Geographic Reach
Local10 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Gloria Perez
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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