The Northern Star Council Trust concentrates almost all of its philanthropy on youth scouting and related program support, primarily funding the Northern Star Council (Boy Scouts) in Minnesota. Its gifts are overwhelmingly directed to sustaining scouting operations and program delivery rather than diversified charitable causes. The foundation appears focused on ensuring organizational stability and access to scouting activities in its region.
Highly concentrated giving: the vast majority of dollars go to a single core grantee via multiple large grants, with occasional small payments to national/regional scouting entities. Grants are large, operationally focused, and aimed at sustaining an incumbent organization rather than seeding new initiatives.
Northern Star Council Trust’s recent giving is centered on one recipient: Northern Star Council Bsc in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. The trust’s largest listed grant, $2,787,055 in 2023, is labeled "Settlement Trust," showing that its philanthropy includes settlement-fund distribution as well as ongoing support. Across the latest grants, the same local scouting organization appears repeatedly, with additional awards marked "Financial Support" in 2024 and 2025. That pattern points to a trust built around sustaining scouting operations, participant access, and program delivery in its region. The grant record also includes a smaller payment of $23,633 to Scouting-usa for fees paid, which indicates the trust handles some direct administrative or participation-related costs alongside larger operating grants. The scale of the awards is substantial relative to the trust’s local scope, with individual grants measured in the millions for the main council beneficiary. The trust’s leadership is listed as Northern Star Council Boy Scouts of, reinforcing the close connection between the funder and the scouting organization it supports.
The trust’s clearest theme is core support for scouting operations. In 2025, it gave $2,121,911 to Northern Star Council Bsc for financial support, following a $2,075,171 financial-support grant in 2024 to the same recipient. A 2023 award of $1,812,945 to that council was also labeled financial support, showing repeated backing for organizational stability. A second pattern is settlement-linked support. The largest recent grant, $2,787,055 in 2023, went to Northern Star Council Bsc for settlement trust purposes. That distinguishes one part of the trust’s disbursements from standard operating support. The record also shows fee-related assistance. A 2025 grant of $23,633 to Scouting-usa was marked fees paid, indicating that the trust also covers specific costs tied to participation or administration within the scouting structure.
Grant sizes are large and tightly clustered: p25 is $1,944,058, median is $2,075,171, and p75 is $2,431,113. The recent record suggests recurring support rather than one-off funding, since the same local scouting recipient appears in multiple years across 2023, 2024, and 2025. The trust does not fund individuals and is not described as making program-related investments. Its pattern fits a pass-through or administrative trust model, with grants directed to a single organizational beneficiary and one smaller fees-paid payment within the same scouting system.
$2.1M
$40.2M
$7.6M
$2.3M
Most grants fall between $1.9M and $2.4M, with a median of $2.1M.
25th Percentile
$1.9M
Median
$2.1M
75th Percentile
$2.4M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in MN.
NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF
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Notable grantees: Northern Star Council BSC, Scouting-USA
Giving is entirely local and entirely in Minnesota: 100% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and the top state by grant count is MN. The recent grants list places the main recipient in Fort Snelling, MN, which also matches the headquarters city. No non-US recipient countries appear in the grant data. The geography is narrow and consistent, with all listed grants staying within the same Minnesota scouting network.
It primarily funds scouting-related support for Northern Star Council Bsc in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. The recent grants show repeated awards labeled financial support, plus one settlement trust grant and a smaller fees-paid grant within the same scouting structure.
The recent grant sizes are substantial: p25 is $1,944,058, the median is $2,075,171, and p75 is $2,431,113. The largest listed grant is $2,787,055.
No. The grant record shows 100% of grants to recipients in Minnesota, and the top state by grant count is MN. All listed recipients are in Fort Snelling, MN.
The record shows recurring support. Northern Star Council Bsc appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with multiple awards, including settlement trust and financial support grants.
The trust provides financial support, settlement trust disbursement, and fees paid. The grant purposes attached to the recent awards include financial support, settlement trust, and fees paid.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC | FORT SNELLING, MN | $2,121,911 | 2025 | FINANCIAL SUPPORT |
| SCOUTING-USA | FORT SNELLING, MN | $23,633 | 2025 | FEES PAID |
| NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC | FORT SNELLING, MN | $2,075,171 | 2024 | FINANCIAL SUPPORT |
| NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC | FORT SNELLING, MN | $2,787,055 | 2023 | SETTLEMENT TRUST |
| NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC | FORT SNELLING, MN | $1,812,945 | 2023 | FINANCIAL SUPPORT |
NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC
$2,121,911FINANCIAL SUPPORT
SCOUTING-USA
$23,633FEES PAID
NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC
$2,075,171FINANCIAL SUPPORT
NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC
$2,787,055SETTLEMENT TRUST
NORTHERN STAR COUNCIL BSC
$1,812,945FINANCIAL SUPPORT