The McKnight Foundation concentrates on place-based, systems-level change in the Upper Midwest — especially Minnesota — with heavy investments in equitable climate and clean energy transition, affordable housing and housing justice, and community leadership development for BIPOC and Indigenous communities. It also maintains a nationally recognized, long-standing philanthropic commitment to neuroscience research through its Endowment Fund. Their grants favor policy and field-building organizations, regional intermediaries, and repeat multi-year support to organizations that can scale or sustain sector-wide change.
The McKnight Foundation’s grantmaking is defined by a large, repeated commitment to Midwest climate and clean energy advocacy. Across multiple years, it has given $9.6 million awards to the United States Energy Foundation for work to decarbonize the Midwest power, transportation, and building sectors, and it has also backed coalitions with the ability to shape state action in seven states. That climate work sits alongside equally large place-based commitments in Minnesota housing and community wealth building, including a $10 million grant to the Minneapolis Foundation for the GroundBreak Coalition special purpose fund. The foundation also supports arts and cultural preservation through special purpose funds and initiatives such as Seeding Cultural Treasures, while maintaining a long-running neuroscience endowment that funds annual research awards. The result is a portfolio that mixes policy, intermediary support, and field-building with direct support for organizations carrying out regional systems change. It also includes recoverable grants and donor-advised funding, showing a structure that can move capital in more than one way.
In climate and energy, the foundation gave $2 million to Rewiring America Inc. in 2025 to advance equitable electrification in the Midwest through place-based demonstration projects and policy development. It also gave $2 million to New Venture Fund in 2024 to support grantmaking and technical assistance for BIPOC organizing on climate and clean energy in the Midwest. In housing, a $2.5 million recoverable grant to Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota Inc. was used to expedite deployment of newly appropriated Homeownership Investments Grant program resources and leverage expanded support for workforce and affordable homeownership. For cultural work, McKnight gave $2.5 million to Propel Nonprofits for the Seeding Cultural Treasures Initiative, reflecting its support for regional cultural preservation and community-led cultural investment.
Typical grants cluster around $30,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,000 at the median, and $122,000 at the 75th percentile, but the foundation also makes much larger strategic awards for coalitions, intermediaries, and special-purpose funds. Recent records show repeat support across years to organizations such as Youthprise, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, the United States Energy Foundation, and the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, which points to multi-year funding relationships rather than one-off grants. The foundation is a regular funder, funds individuals, and makes program-related investments. Its active programs also indicate that some opportunities accept unsolicited requests, including arts, community, and neuroscience programs.
$153.2M
$2.7B
$189.4M
$209.4M
Most grants fall between $30K and $122K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$30K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$122K
Tonya Allen
Director, President
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Mcknight Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 4,318 | $826.2M | 91.1% |
| 2 | Peru | 47 |
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Concentrated, strategic giving with many repeat, multi-year grants to a core set of intermediaries and advocacy networks (mix of large transformative grants and sustained operating support), heavily weighted to Minnesota/Midwest but with some national partners to advance regional policy goals.
Notable grantees: United States Energy Foundation, The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, Youthprise, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, TakeAction Minnesota Education Fund
Most grants land in Minnesota, which accounts for 72% of recipients in the data, even though the foundation’s headquarters is in Minneapolis. Recent awards also reach San Francisco-based and Washington, DC-based intermediaries that serve Midwest climate work. Specific Minnesota recipient cities include Minneapolis and Saint Paul, with grants to organizations such as the Minneapolis Foundation, Youthprise, Propel Nonprofits, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, and Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota Inc. Outside the US, the recipient distribution includes smaller counts in Peru, the UK, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and other countries.
Its recent grants show repeated support for Midwest climate and clean energy advocacy, Minnesota housing and homeownership infrastructure, cultural preservation through the Seeding Cultural Treasures Initiative, and neuroscience research through its endowment fund. Large awards also support intermediaries and coalitions that can influence systems across multiple states.
Yes. The recent grants list includes repeated awards to the United States Energy Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Youthprise in 2023 and 2024; Greater Minnesota Housing Fund in 2023 and 2024; and the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience in multiple years.
The typical grant size is $30,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,000 at the median, and $122,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list also shows much larger strategic awards, including multimillion-dollar grants to climate, housing, cultural, and neuroscience intermediaries.
Yes. The foundation’s profile indicates that it funds individuals, and its arts programs include the McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships, which provide unrestricted support for midcareer artists and discipline-specific professional development opportunities in Minnesota.
Minnesota is the top state by grant count, with 72% of grants going to recipients in the state. Recent Minnesota recipients include organizations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, alongside statewide and regional intermediaries that work across housing, arts, climate, and community development.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $5.6M |
1.0% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 42 | $10.3M | 0.9% |
| 4 | Kenya | 41 | $6.1M | 0.9% |
| 5 | Niger | 37 | $5.7M | 0.8% |
| 6 | Uganda | 37 | $4.1M | 0.8% |
| 7 | Burkina Faso | 31 | $2.1M | 0.7% |
| 8 | Malawi | 26 | $2.5M | 0.6% |
| 9 | Mali | 26 | $1.9M | 0.6% |
| 10 | Bolivia | 23 | $2.3M | 0.5% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $10,000,000 | 2025 | for the GroundBreak Coalition special purpose fund |
| United States Energy Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $9,600,000 | 2025 | to equitably decarbonize the Midwest by supporting powerful and inclusive coalitions with the ability to transform markets and the economy through state action in seven states |
| Minneapolis Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $5,000,000 | 2025 | for the GroundBreak Coalition special purpose fund |
| Minnesota Home Ownership Center | Saint Paul, MN | $2,200,000 | 2025 | to bridge capacity needs and scale the deployment capacity of GroundBreak Coalition supported down payment assistance products |
| Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund | Washington DC, DC | $2,000,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Rewiring America Inc | Washington, DC | $2,000,000 | 2025 | to advance equitable electrification in the Midwest through place-based demonstration projects and policy development |
| The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience | Minneapolis, MN | $2,000,000 | 2025 | for award programs supporting research in neuroscience |
| Community Foundation of Jackson Hole | Jackson, WY | $1,850,000 | 2025 | for family-directed giving |
| Greater Minnesota Housing Fund | St Paul, MN | $1,750,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Brick By Brick Training & Development Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | $1,500,000 | 2025 | to purchase a 400+ single family rental portfolio of properties and equitably reposition them for homeownership |
| Region Nine Development Commission | Mankato, MN | $1,500,000 | 2025 | to provide technical assistance to cities, counties, and towns in Greater Minnesota applying for federal and state funding and deploying climate and clean energy projects |
| Brick By Brick Training & Development Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | $1,500,000 | 2025 | to purchase a 400+ single family rental portfolio of properties and equitably reposition them for homeownership |
| Youthprise | Minneapolis, MN | $1,500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience | Minneapolis, MN | $1,500,000 | 2025 | for award programs supporting research in neuroscience |
| Local Initiatives Support Corporation | New York, NY | $1,300,000 | 2025 | to support the operations of LISC Twin Cities |
| Fresh Energy | St Paul, MN | $1,215,000 | 2025 | to move Minnesota and the Midwest toward dramatic near-term reductions in carbon pollution through equity-centered policy work, partnerships, and innovation |
| Family Housing Fund | Minneapolis, MN | $1,125,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Innovia Foundation | Spokane, WA | $1,050,000 | 2025 | for family-directed giving |
| Park City Community Foundation | Park City, UT | $1,050,000 | 2025 | for family-directed giving |
| National Philanthropic Trust | Jenkintown, PA | $1,050,000 | 2025 | for family-directed giving |
| Global Philanthropy Partnership | Chicago, IL | $1,000,000 | 2025 | to transform the transportation sector while centering equity, climate, and people |
| Family Housing Fund | Minneapolis, MN | $1,000,000 | 2025 | to support the stabilization of affordable rental housing properties and providers |
| Windward Fund | Washington, DC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | For program support |
| Pillsbury United Communities | Minneapolis, MN | $750,000 | 2025 | to complete Phase 1 of the Pillsbury Creative Commons (PCC) campus redevelopment project |
| Pangea World Theater | Minneapolis, MN | $700,000 | 2025 | for capital campaign support to purchase land and a building for the future home of Pangea World Theater |
| Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development | Minneapolis, MN | $600,000 | 2025 | to engage and support interested and affected parties toward equitably implementing the 100% clean energy legislation and reducing emissions from the building, energy, and transportation sectors |
| Lawyers for Good Government | Washington, DC | $575,000 | 2025 | to provide legal support to states, localities, and community organizations in the Midwest to advance climate equity |
| Nexus Community Partners | St Paul, MN | $550,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| St Paul Transportation Management Organization | St Paul, MN | $550,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Meridian Institute | Dillon, CO | $544,000 | 2025 | to support core capacity for a strategic alliance of philanthropic foundations |
| West Central Initiative | Fergus Falls, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota Inc | St Paul, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating and re-granting support to provide leadership development, advocacy, and capacity building support for Habitat for Humanity affiliates across Minnesota |
| Ohio Progressive Collaborative Education Fund | Columbus, OH | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| State Power Fund | Kent, OH | $500,000 | 2025 | to support a year-round civic engagement strategy across the state of Wisconsin |
| The Schott Foundation for Public Education | Cambridge, MA | $500,000 | 2025 | TO IMPROVE LIFE OUTCOMES FOR BOYS AND MEN OF COLOR |
| Marin Community Foundation | Novato, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | to build the capacity ofmember foundations in the Community Foundation Climate Collaborative's Midwest Regional Action Network to implement climate and energy projects and to capitalize a revolving loan fund |
| Minneapolis Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | to support underserved communities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and its 35 tribes, through regranting, in addressing their most significant environmental justice, climate, and public health challenges |
| Shared Capital Cooperative | St Paul, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | to build capacity and increase access to capital |
| Indianapolis Foundation | Indianapolis, IN | $500,000 | 2025 | to seed a collaboration of local and national foundations in Indiana to support strategies and policies at the intersection of environmental justice, federal funding implementation, and democracy |
| Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation | Owatonna, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| BMe Networks | Hollywood, FL | $500,000 | 2025 | For program support |
| Project for Pride in Living Inc | Minneapolis, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for the RE-Seed program, a small property re-positioning revolving fund |
| Potlikker Capital | Dover, DE | $500,000 | 2025 | to leverage loan guarantees to drive investment to BIPOC farming communities, food and farm businesses, and support building a regional cohort to drive demand for climate-smart practices in the Midwest |
| Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund | Washington DC, DC | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Power a Clean Future Ohio | COLUMBUS, OH | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Northland Foundation | Duluth, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Northwest Minnesota Foundation | Bemidji, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Headwaters Foundation for Justice | Minneapolis, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| Initiative Foundation | Little Falls, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | for general operating support |
| New Venture Fund | Washington, DC | $500,000 | 2025 | to support pro-democracy work in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin |
Minneapolis Foundation
$10,000,000for the GroundBreak Coalition special purpose fund
United States Energy Foundation
$9,600,000to equitably decarbonize the Midwest by supporting powerful and inclusive coalitions with the ability to transform markets and the economy through state action in seven states
Minneapolis Foundation
$5,000,000for the GroundBreak Coalition special purpose fund
Minnesota Home Ownership Center
$2,200,000to bridge capacity needs and scale the deployment capacity of GroundBreak Coalition supported down payment assistance products
Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund
$2,000,000for general operating support
Rewiring America Inc
to advance equitable electrification in the Midwest through place-based demonstration projects and policy development
The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience
$2,000,000for award programs supporting research in neuroscience
Community Foundation of Jackson Hole
$1,850,000for family-directed giving
Greater Minnesota Housing Fund
$1,750,000for general operating support
Brick By Brick Training & Development Corporation
$1,500,000to purchase a 400+ single family rental portfolio of properties and equitably reposition them for homeownership
Region Nine Development Commission
$1,500,000to provide technical assistance to cities, counties, and towns in Greater Minnesota applying for federal and state funding and deploying climate and clean energy projects
Brick By Brick Training & Development Corporation
$1,500,000to purchase a 400+ single family rental portfolio of properties and equitably reposition them for homeownership
Youthprise
$1,500,000for general operating support
The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience
$1,500,000for award programs supporting research in neuroscience
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
$1,300,000to support the operations of LISC Twin Cities
Fresh Energy
$1,215,000to move Minnesota and the Midwest toward dramatic near-term reductions in carbon pollution through equity-centered policy work, partnerships, and innovation
Family Housing Fund
$1,125,000for general operating support
Innovia Foundation
$1,050,000for family-directed giving
Park City Community Foundation
$1,050,000for family-directed giving
National Philanthropic Trust
$1,050,000for family-directed giving
Global Philanthropy Partnership
$1,000,000to transform the transportation sector while centering equity, climate, and people
Family Housing Fund
$1,000,000to support the stabilization of affordable rental housing properties and providers
Windward Fund
$1,000,000For program support
Pillsbury United Communities
$750,000to complete Phase 1 of the Pillsbury Creative Commons (PCC) campus redevelopment project
Pangea World Theater
$700,000for capital campaign support to purchase land and a building for the future home of Pangea World Theater
Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development
$600,000to engage and support interested and affected parties toward equitably implementing the 100% clean energy legislation and reducing emissions from the building, energy, and transportation sectors
Lawyers for Good Government
$575,000to provide legal support to states, localities, and community organizations in the Midwest to advance climate equity
Nexus Community Partners
$550,000for general operating support
St Paul Transportation Management Organization
$550,000for general operating support
Meridian Institute
$544,000to support core capacity for a strategic alliance of philanthropic foundations
West Central Initiative
$500,000for general operating support
Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota Inc
$500,000for general operating and re-granting support to provide leadership development, advocacy, and capacity building support for Habitat for Humanity affiliates across Minnesota
Ohio Progressive Collaborative Education Fund
$500,000for general operating support
State Power Fund
$500,000to support a year-round civic engagement strategy across the state of Wisconsin
The Schott Foundation for Public Education
$500,000TO IMPROVE LIFE OUTCOMES FOR BOYS AND MEN OF COLOR
Marin Community Foundation
$500,000to build the capacity ofmember foundations in the Community Foundation Climate Collaborative's Midwest Regional Action Network to implement climate and energy projects and to capitalize a revolving loan fund
Minneapolis Foundation
$500,000to support underserved communities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and its 35 tribes, through regranting, in addressing their most significant environmental justice, climate, and public health challenges
Shared Capital Cooperative
$500,000to build capacity and increase access to capital
Indianapolis Foundation
$500,000to seed a collaboration of local and national foundations in Indiana to support strategies and policies at the intersection of environmental justice, federal funding implementation, and democracy
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
$500,000for general operating support
BMe Networks
$500,000For program support
Project for Pride in Living Inc
$500,000for the RE-Seed program, a small property re-positioning revolving fund
Potlikker Capital
$500,000to leverage loan guarantees to drive investment to BIPOC farming communities, food and farm businesses, and support building a regional cohort to drive demand for climate-smart practices in the Midwest
Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund
$500,000for general operating support
Power a Clean Future Ohio
$500,000for general operating support
Northland Foundation
$500,000for general operating support
Northwest Minnesota Foundation
$500,000for general operating support
Headwaters Foundation for Justice
$500,000for general operating support
Initiative Foundation
$500,000for general operating support
New Venture Fund
$500,000to support pro-democracy work in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin
Financiamiento actual y próximo de Mcknight Foundation al que tu organización sin fines de lucro podría postularse.
¿Quién puede postularse? Operating and project grants are available to organizations in Minnesota; applicants must generally be IRS tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, with very few exceptions. Government entities may apply for innovative projects.
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