What kinds of organizations does Great Plains Food Bank fund?

The recent grants show support for emergency food pantries, rescue missions, church-based food ministries, community centers, and tribal food pantries. Examples in the data include pantry providers in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Mandan, Belcourt, and West Fargo, all funded to distribute food directly to individuals.

What is the typical grant size?

The grant-size distribution is p25 $13,097, median $29,984, and p75 $103,421. Recent awards also include much larger food-distribution grants, especially to partner pantries that move substantial inventory to local households.

How concentrated is the giving geographically?

The foundation gives most often in North Dakota, and 94% of grants go to recipients in that state. The recent grants list also includes a smaller number of awards in Moorhead, Minnesota, while the overall scope is local.

Can organizations apply through an open partner process?

Yes. The active Food Assistance Partnership and Partner Agency Program both accept unsolicited applications from community organizations such as pantries, meal sites, schools, churches, and other nonprofits that want to partner for food and distribution support.

Does Great Plains Food Bank support commodity food access?

Yes. One active program is Commodity Transfer / USDA Commodities Access, which describes how partner agencies can access donated and government commodity food products through Great Plains Food Bank.

Great Plains Food Bank

Name: Great Plains Food Bank — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActiveFood, Agriculture & Nutrition

Fargo, NDWebsite7012326219

About Great Plains Food Bank

Great Plains Food Bank concentrates its giving on emergency food distribution and pantry support across North Dakota (and nearby communities), funding local food pantries, rescue missions, and faith-based social ministries. Grants are often earmarked to supply food inventory and operational support to front-line providers, including tribal pantry programs and regional Salvation Army/YWCA hubs. The foundation favors direct service organizations that operate neighborhood-level food assistance and meal programs.

Focus Areas

Funding local emergency food pantries across North Dakota (e.g., Emergency Food Pantry, Dorothy Day locations)Support for faith-based food ministries and church-run pantries (e.g., Spirit of Life Catholic Church, Our Lady of Grace)Regional rescue missions and Salvation Army feeding programs (e.g., Northlands Rescue Mission, Salvation Army branches)Tribal and Indigenous food pantry support (e.g., Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry)Mobile/meal distribution and community meal programs (e.g., West Fargo Eats, community centers)

Who They Fund

individuals experiencing food insecurity

About Great Plains Food Bank

Great Plains Food Bank’s grantmaking is built around moving food to neighborhood providers across North Dakota, with repeated support for pantries, rescue missions, and church-based food ministries that distribute directly to individuals. In the recent grants list, Emergency Food Pantry in Fargo received the largest award in both 2023 and 2024, totaling more than $4.1 million across those two years for food pantry distribution. Dream Center Bismarck also received seven-figure support in consecutive years, and Dorothy Day West in West Fargo followed a similar pattern. The foundation’s portfolio shows a clear emphasis on organizations that can turn warehouse-supplied food into local access points, including meal sites and pantry networks. Tribal and Indigenous food access is part of that mix as well, with Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry among the larger recipients. The giving pattern is highly local, with grants clustered in North Dakota communities and a smaller number reaching nearby Minnesota border towns. This is a food-distribution funder with a direct-service orientation and recurring relationships with frontline partners.

What Great Plains Food Bank Funds

Emergency food distribution is the core of the foundation’s work. It gave $1,844,127 to Emergency Food Pantry in Fargo in 2024 and $1,496,110 to Dream Center Bismarck that same year, both for food pantries to distribute to individuals. Faith-based food ministries are another major channel: Spirit of Life Catholic Church in Mandan received $671,583 in 2024 for the same purpose, extending food access through a parish setting. Community meal and pantry programs also appear in the portfolio. West Fargo Eats received $412,830 in 2023, while Northlands Rescue Mission in Grand Forks received $469,976 in 2024. The foundation also supports tribally oriented food access, including $343,563 to Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry in Belcourt in 2024. Across these grants, the purpose text consistently centers on food for direct distribution.

How Great Plains Food Bank Gives

Grant sizes are mid-sized overall, with a p25 of $13,097, a median of $29,984, and a p75 of $103,421. The recent grant list also shows a recurring pattern: many organizations appear in both 2023 and 2024, often with larger follow-on awards rather than one-time gifts. Great Plains Food Bank operates as a food bank rather than a traditional private foundation, and its grants are program-restricted to food distribution support. The active programs page shows partner-agency access to low- and no-cost food and grocery products, USDA commodities, and network participation, which aligns with its in-kind, service-delivery model. Unsolicited applications are accepted for at least some partner programs.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$24.1M

Total Assets

$20.4M

Total Revenue

$40.6M

Total Expenses

$36.7M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $13K and $103K, with a median of $30K.

25th Percentile

$13K

Median

$30K

75th Percentile

$103K

Geographic Reach

Local4 states funded

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

Leadership

Melissa Sobolik

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
Emergency Food Pantry	Fargo, ND	$2,539,326In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Dream Center Bismarck	Bismarck, ND	$1,817,364In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
A Place For Hope	Moorhead, MN	$1,032,068In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Dorothy Day Food Pantry	Moorhead, MN	$868,611In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Northlands Rescue Mission	Grand Forks, ND	$821,977In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Second Harvest Heartland	Brooklyn Park, MN	$653,644In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
The Lord's Cupboard	Minot, ND	$621,549In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Salvation Army Grand Forks	Grand Forks, ND	$608,261In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Spirit of Life Catholic Church	Mandan, ND	$548,550In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
HC Community Care Center & Food Pantry	Grand Forks, ND	$403,533In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry	Belcourt, ND	$395,913In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Community Action Program Region VII	Bismarck, ND	$380,561In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Hope Center	Devils Lake, ND	$364,722In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
St Joseph's Social Care	Grand Forks, ND	$356,578In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
AMEN Food Pantry	Dickinson, ND	$318,007In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Ministry on the Margins	Bismarck, ND	$316,904In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Salvation Army Williston	Williston, ND	$306,694In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Bismarck Emergency Food Pantry	Bismarck, ND	$305,352In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
The Banquet	Bismarck, ND	$294,838In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Faith Food Pantry	Fargo, ND	$292,758In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Salvation Army BismarckMandan	Bismarck, ND	$275,140In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
AID Inc	Mandan, ND	$270,778In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Our Lady of Grace Food Pantry	Minot, ND	$264,260In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Freedom Church Cares	Grand Forks, ND	$262,818In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Community Action Region VI	Jamestown, ND	$239,763In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry	Wahpeton, ND	$237,805In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Seeds of Hope Food Pantry	Dilworth, MN	$232,747In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
West Fargo Eats	West Fargo, ND	$227,464In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Soup Cafe Heaven's Helpers	Bismarck, ND	$225,478In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Progress Community Center	Jamestown, ND	$222,393In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
New Life Center	Fargo, ND	$213,629In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
McKenzie County Food Pantry	Watford City, ND	$193,834In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Micah's Mission	Moorhead, MN	$193,223In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Red River Valley Community Action	Grand Forks, ND	$187,164In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Immigrant Development Center	Moorhead, MN	$181,068In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
The Arbors at McCormick Park	Fargo, ND	$178,431In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Mountrail Community Food Pantry	Stanley, ND	$161,181In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
North Dakota Adult & Teen Challenge	Mandan, ND	$161,140In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Garrison Area Resource Center & Food Pantry	Garrison, ND	$150,861In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Engage Church Food Pantry (Abundance of Grace)	Mandan, ND	$141,070In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Spirit Lake FDPIR Building	Fort Totten, ND	$128,621In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Community Nourishment	Tokio, ND	$127,331In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Dorothy Day West	West Fargo, ND	$124,504In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Belcourt Soup Kitchen	Belcourt, ND	$119,049In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Church of God's Word Food Pantry	West Fargo, ND	$114,530In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Larimore Food Pantry	Larimore, ND	$113,947In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Bottineau Food Pantry	Bottineau, ND	$113,919In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Tri-City Haitian Ministry	Fargo, ND	$109,696In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Salvation Army Minot	Minot, ND	$106,508In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals
Stepping Stone Resource Center - Fraser Ltd	Fargo, ND	$103,234In-kind: food	2026	To provide food pantries with food to distribute to individuals

Recipient

Location

Amount

Year

Purpose

Emergency Food Pantry

Fargo, ND

$2,539,326In-kind: food

2026