General Grantmaking Guidelines

What We Fund

Grantee organizations and projects must align with Blandin Foundation’s mission and meet the following requirements:

• Located in Minnesota and benefit rural towns/cities with populations under 35,000 including Native Nations. Find the size of your community using the U.S. Census.
• Used for charitable purposes.
• Authorized by the Internal Revenue Service as having Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or be fiscally sponsored by an eligible organization for charitable purposes.
• Categorized as a Tribal government entity, public agency, or a unit of government with a charitable purpose.
• Adhere to Blandin Foundation’s Anti-Discrimination Policy.

What We Don’t Fund

Blandin Foundation does not fund requests to organizations or projects that:

• Are located outside of Minnesota.
• Benefit Minnesota’s seven-county metropolitan area or the cities of Rochester, Mankato, St. Cloud, Moorhead, or Duluth.Make any direct or indirect transfer to, or use by or for the benefit of, a disqualified person as defined in Section 4946(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, including the payment of compensation, with respect to the Foundation.
• Undertake propaganda, lobbying, or attempt to influence legislation outside the limits of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or more specifically, if applicable, Sections 501(h) and 4911 of the Internal Revenue Code.
• Intervene in any campaign for elective public office, or support or oppose any political party, by expenditure of any resource, including volunteered labor, or in any other way.
• Supplant public funding for development of infrastructure ordinarily provided by government entities such as water, sewer, roads, streets, and public safety.
• Are to religious organizations for religious activities.
• Are for private benefit, including for-profit businesses or commercial ventures.
• Are to individuals.