OVERVIEW: The Bush Foundation supports community improvement, capacity building, human services, public benefit, arts and culture, education, environment, health, and media and communication in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
FUNDING AREAS: Community improvement, capacity building, human services, public benefit, arts and culture, education, environment, health, media and communication
IP TAKE: There are good opportunities here for Native nations in Bush’s Upper Midwest region of focus.
PROFILE: Established in 1953, the Bush Foundation is a private foundation based in St. Paul, Minnesota. This is the foundation of Archibald and Edyth Bush, who had no children and created the foundation to inherit their $300 million estate. Archibald Bush was a top executive of the 3M company, and the foundation’s income is largely derived from 3M stock. The foundation aims to “inspire and support creative problem solving, within and across sectors, to make our region better for everyone.” It funds local efforts for community improvement, capacity building, human services, public benefit, arts and culture, education, environment, health, media and communication, and other community needs.
The Bush Foundation focuses its grantmaking around two main topics: community innovation and leadership. Overall, this foundation has an equity mission and looks to prioritize diversity and inclusion. Community grants are for projects that address community issues in a way that is inclusive, collaborative, and resourceful. In recent times, the most grants have been for community improvement, followed by education and then arts and culture. Leadership grants come from the Bush Prize for Community Innovation and are often larger in size. Strategic initiatives of the Bush Foundation relate to community creativity, education, Native nation building and government redesign, and social business ventures. The foundation has also pledged $100 million toward an initiative to advance racial equity and address wealth disparity in Black and Native American communities across the region.
Grants range between about $500 and $500,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving on the past organization recipients page of the funder’s website. Grantmaking focuses on Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations that share this same geography. Past local grantees include Green Card Voices, Grassroots Indigenous Multimedia, and Eastern Carver County Schools District 112.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. Bush accepts applications throughout the year with no deadlines for community innovation grants. The selection process involves an initial review and a finalist review phase. Direct general questions to the staff at info@bushfoundation.org or 651-227-0891.
PEOPLE:
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