Grant Eligibility & Applications
2025 Itasca County Area Grants
Eligibility and Proposal Considerations
Grantee organizations and projects must align with Blandin Foundation’s mission and meet the following requirements:
- 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 or categorized as a Tribal government entity, public agency, or a unit of government with a charitable purpose.
- Must adhere to Blandin Foundation’s Anti-Discrimination Policy.
Applicants under this RFP will be required to meet the following target geography and/or population requirements:
- Be Native Nations, cities, towns, and townships in the Blandin Foundation local giving area: Itasca County plus Northome, Blackduck, Hill City, and Remer. Find the size of your community using the U.S. Census.
- Organizations (including fiscal sponsors) located in rural hubs of more than 5,000 people may apply if funding can be demonstrated to directly benefit small communities.
- Metro-based organizations are ineligible to apply for funding under this RFP.
For applicants utilizing a Fiscal Sponsor, please contact our grants team prior to submitting an LOI.
Funding should address one or more of the following.
- A known community need and/or issue facing its residents.
- Show engagement across different beliefs, races, ages, genders, socioeconomic status, educational, physical and cognitive abilities, and differing experiences present in the community.
- Systemic barriers through new or continued partnerships; implementing projects that are sustainable, innovative, scalable and/or replicable; increasing the capacity of the community to engage in, plan or facilitate activities.
- Demonstrate ideas that move small communities forward.
- Show evidence of community support.
- Examples of community support (monetary and nonmonetary):
- Volunteer time
- Professional services (electrical, plumbing, etc.)
- Donated space
- Donated equipment uses and labor
- Examples of community support (monetary and nonmonetary):
When reviewing an applicant’s proposal, the Blandin Foundation will consider the following criteria favorably:
- Primarily benefits a small community with a population of 1,000 and below.
- Significantly benefits residents living in poverty.
- Intentionally engages a broad section of the community including people who often are underrepresented or not present in planning and implementing projects.
- Demonstrates collaboration with other organizations, coalitions, or networks in the field or geographic area.
- Proposes an innovative solution to longstanding community challenges or opportunities
- Builds community or organizational capacity that will benefit residents beyond the grant project period
- Significantly benefits BIPOC, LGBTQIA, Non-English Speaking, Disabled, and other marginalized residents.
- Has the potential to sustain itself without Blandin Foundation funding.
Please note: We anticipate a high number of inquiries; Blandin Foundation funding will be directed toward the smallest, lowest income, most diverse, and remote communities.
We will not fund the following:
- Grants to organizations outside of the state of Minnesota
- General operating support (operating support can be part of a capacity-building or project-based request)
- Grants to individuals
- Grants intended to influence specific legislation, specific candidates, or lobbying
- 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
- Religious organizations seeking funding for religious purposes
- Grants for private benefit, including for-profit businesses or commercial ventures
Funding Range
Please request an amount that speaks to what you need to complete your proposal. Typical grant awards will be between $25,000 and $150,000. Funded projects can have a timeframe of up to 3 years. Requests over $250,000 may follow a different timeline for review and approval.
Timeline
Milestone | Date |
---|---|
Letter of Inquiry Opens | March 7, 2025 |
Letter of Inquiry Closed | March 21, 2025 |
Proposal Opens | March 31, 2025 |
Proposal Closed | April 21, 2025 |
Application Review Period | April 22 - May 23, 2025 |
Organizations Notified of Grant Award | May 23 - 26, 2025 |
Grant Agreements Issued | May 30, 2025 |
These dates may change depending on the volume of applications received.
Application Process
Applicants who have reviewed the eligibility criteria and see alignment are welcome to apply utilizing a two-part application process.
Part 1 (opens March 7, 2025)
Applicants will complete a brief online Eligibility Screening and Letter of Inquiry.
See our frequently asked questions about part 1 below.
Part 2 (opens March 31, 2025)
If selected, Blandin Foundation grants staff will send applicants steps to complete the full Proposal Form. Applications received without prior invitation will not be considered for funding.
Applicants recommended to the proposal phase will be invited to participate in a phone call or site visit pending the timely completion of your application.
See our frequently asked questions about part 2 below.
Decision-making Process
Members of our grant-making team and staff across the foundation will review applications. Decisions will be made after review of the eligibility and proposal, follow-up with applicants, and discussion with Blandin Grants team and key Blandin leadership.
Frequently Asked Questions – Part 1
Questions and answers for the Eligibility Screening and Letter of Inquiry portion of the application process.
The Eligibility Screen and Letter of Inquiry is due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Please request an amount that speaks to what you need to complete your project.
Grant duration can be up to 3 years.
There is not a matching requirement, but organizations are encouraged to leverage other resources.
Yes, you can save your progress and resume later.
Please include information necessary for us to understand the connection between the project and outcomes identified within Blandin Foundation’s grantmaking focus areas. Additionally, we recommend referencing where the work will take place, and information about the people who will benefit from the project.
Notifications will be made the week of March 31, 2025.
If you have any questions, please email grants@blandinfoundation.org and your question will be directed to a member of the Grants Team.
Frequently Asked Questions – Part 2
Questions and answers for the Proposal portion of the application process.
The grant proposal is due by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025.
There are character limits that will appear underneath the text boxes once you start answering questions.
Yes, you have the option to save your progress and resume at a later time.
You will be prompted to provide three attachments:
- Your organization’s most current IRS Form 990. If your organization is not required to complete a 990, e.g. municipalities, you can upload your most recent audited financial statement.
- For municipalities, or if your organization’s operating budget does not require submitting a 990, please upload your annual budget.
- List of your organization’s Board of Directors and Key Staff Leadership.
No additional attachments are required for the application of this grant but if you feel there are important supporting materials beyond what is outlined in the prompts, they can be emailed to grants@blandinfoundation.org.
We expect funding decisions to be made around the end of May 2025; however, depending on the volume of proposals received, the timeline may shift.
Decisions will be made about this on a case-by-case basis.
If you have any questions, please email grants@blandinfoundation.org and your question will be directed to a member of the Grants Team.
Contact Us
We encourage you to reach out to our Grants team members at any time with questions.



