Since 1998, the Community Foundation has been making a significant impact in the lives of area residents through our grant making processes. Arts and culture, green spaces, human rights, economic stability for women, community engagement opportunities, and leadership development are just a few of the ways that the Community Foundation works to improve quality of life across our region.

The Community Foundation distributes a percentage of its endowment funds annually to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public entities, such as libraries and schools, throughout the area. Nonprofits can apply for funding from select funds held at the Community Foundation through our competitive grant making processes.

NEW! Community Foundation Grant Program

Community Foundation grants support improving the quality of life in our region in the following areas:
  • ​Community & Human Services: Support programs, projects, and activities that promote community or human services for all.
  • Environmental Sustainability: Conserve natural resources and protect ecosystems to support health and wellbeing, now and in the future.
  • Human Rights: Support efforts that raise awareness and promote understanding and respect for human rights among all through education, mediation and conflict resolution, celebrations, and interventions.

Brockman Feldman Family Fund Grant Program

Grants from the Brockman Feldman Family Fund support middle and high school students by increasing access to academic extracurricular programs that provide direct, meaningful impact. Funding prioritizes school-based initiatives that remove barriers to participation and expand opportunities for students in need.

Iseminger Endowment for the Arts Grant Program

The Iseminger Endowment for the Arts was established by Gordon and Trudy Iseminger in 2017 to provide support for the arts across the region. Funds seek to provide exposure and access to artistic and cultural experiences which generate artistic growth and creativity for all ages. Although funding is open to all art forms, preference may be given to musical performance.

UPDATED! Knight Donor-Advised Fund Grant Program

The Knight Donor-Advised Fund supports a thriving Grand Forks community by investing in economic mobility, strong civic institutions, and vibrant public spaces. Through partnerships with local organizations and anchor institutions, the fund helps expand opportunity, strengthen trust in community systems and create places where people can connect and participate. Funding is often used to pilot innovative ideas and build on local momentum. Increasingly, these investments focus on long-term outcomes, supporting lasting change in how people engage with and shape their community. 

Neel Family Fund Grant Program

​The Neel Family Fund was established by Joe K. Neel, Jr. to provide support of music education for children 18 years of age and younger in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. Joe was a lifelong lover of music and recognized its importance in youth education. His lasting gift is intended to support music education for uses such as:
  • School music programs
  • Youth bands, choirs and orchestras, and summer programs
  • Purchases of music and instruments
  • Costs or fees for guest conductors and clinicians

Grants are to be used to increase or supplement resources of music education rather than replace or supplant existing resources.

Women's Fund Grant Program

The mission of the Women’s Fund is to provide ideas, energy, and resources so that girls and women are empowered to achieve economic, social, and political equality.  
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The vision of the Women’s Fund is to:
  • raise awareness of challenges, concerns, and opportunities facing girls and women today
  • support opportunities that build leadership skills and confidence among girls and women
  • encourage women to become philanthropists​​