Otto Bremer Trust
Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable foundation based in St. Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1944, that deploys strategic grants and program-related investments to nonprofit organizations across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1944
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Otto Bremer Trust does
Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) is a private charitable trust established in 1944 by Otto Bremer and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) foundation serving Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, deploying capital through two principal instruments: strategic grants and program-related investments (PRIs). In 2024, OBT contributed $79,797,586 across 881 grants and PRIs to 789 nonprofit organizations, with state-level distributions of $53.7M in Minnesota, $15.3M in Wisconsin, $7.1M in Montana, and $4.0M in North Dakota.
OBT's product portfolio consists of (i) strategic grantmaking to nonprofits addressing healthcare, basic needs, housing, youth development, economic opportunity, and community services; (ii) program-related investments administered through its wholly-owned subsidiary Community Benefit Financial Company (CBFC), which structures loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments for charitable purposes; and (iii) the Community Responsive Fund, which channels capital through seven intermediary organizations including the Greater Twin Cities United Way, Initiative Foundation, and Montana Community Foundation. A publicly searchable Grant & PRI Search Database provides transparency into historical funding. The organization does not offer technology products in the commercial sense and operates with a small staff of 11-50.
OBT's revenue model is investment-driven rather than commercial. The trust generates income from its investment portfolio and from dividends associated with its historical ownership interest in Bremer Financial Corporation (BFC). In July 2024, OBT and BFC resolved all outstanding litigation, with OBT trustees rejoining the BFC board and committing to redefine the relationship between the trust and Bremer Bank. As of 2024, the trust is led by co-CEOs and trustees Caroline S. Johnson, Frank Miley, and Daniel Reardon, following the retirement of Charlotte Johnson after 33 years of service.
Otto Bremer Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Otto Bremer Trust
- Legal name
- Otto Bremer Trust
- Website
- https://ottobremer.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1944
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable foundation based in St. Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1944, that deploys strategic grants and program-related investments to nonprofit organizations across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Otto Bremer Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Trust and Philanthropic Grantmaking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)
- SIC
- Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds (BPADAOAE), Directed Trust & Trust Advisory Services (FSAAANAK)
Keywords
Where Otto Bremer Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Otto Bremer Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Investment Returns: As a private charitable trust, OBT generates revenue through its investment portfolio and returns from program-related investments. Financial returns on investments contribute to the resource base and are reinvested to support the mission. The trust also receives dividends from its ownership interest in Bremer Financial Corporation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Otto Bremer Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust that deploys capital into Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin through strategic grants and program-related investments (PRIs). Its PRI subsidiary, Community Benefit Financial Company (CBFC), offers loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments to qualified nonprofit and charitable-purpose organizations. The trust supplements direct grantmaking with a Community Responsive Fund that distributes capital through seven regional intermediary organizations.
Product overview
Otto Bremer Trust operates as a private charitable foundation offering two primary financial instruments: strategic grants and program-related investments (PRIs). The organization's grantmaking is delivered through direct strategic grants to organizations and through the Community Responsive Fund, which partners with seven regional intermediary organizations to distribute capital. A searchable Grant & PRI Search database provides transparency into historical funding. The organization does not offer a technology product in the traditional sense; its 'services' are financial products (grants and PRIs) delivered to nonprofit organizations in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategic Grantmaking Services Strategic grant programs that fund nonprofit and charitable organizations in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin to support community development, healthcare, basic needs, housing, youth development, mental health, domestic violence services, and economic opportunity.
- Program-Related Investments (PRIs) Low-interest loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments provided to qualified nonprofit and charitable-purpose organizations, administered through OBT's subsidiary Community Benefit Financial Company (CBFC).
- OBT Community Responsive Fund A collaborative funding initiative that distributes grants through seven intermediary organizations (community foundations and United Ways) to maximize local impact across the four-state region.
- Grant & PRI Search Database
Quantifiable outcome
- $79.8 million contributed through 881 grants and PRIs to 789 organizations in 2024
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Otto Bremer Trust
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Otto Bremer Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Otto Bremer Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- North Dakota Community FoundationcoreIntermediary organization administering OBT's 2025 Community Responsive Fund with $1,050,000 allocation for distributing grants to organizations in North Dakota.
- Initiative FoundationcoreIntermediary organization administering OBT's 2025 Community Responsive Fund with $3,150,000 allocation for distributing grants in central Minnesota.
- Greater Twin Cities United WaycoreIntermediary organization administering OBT's 2025 Community Responsive Fund with $4,200,000 allocation for distributing grants in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
- Montana Community Foundation, Inc.coreIntermediary organization administering OBT's 2025 Community Responsive Fund with $1,575,000 allocation for distributing grants in Montana.
- Greater Milwaukee Foundation Inc.coreIntermediary organization administering OBT's 2025 Community Responsive Fund with $3,150,000 allocation for distributing grants in the Greater Milwaukee area.
- Community Foundation for the Fox Valley RegioncoreIntermediary organization administering OBT's 2025 Community Responsive Fund with $1,575,000 allocation for distributing grants in the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin.
- United Way of WisconsincoreIntermediary organization administering OBT's 2025 Community Responsive Fund with $2,100,000 allocation for distributing grants statewide in Wisconsin.
- Community Benefit Financial Company (CBFC)coreOBT's subsidiary that administers Program-Related Investments (PRIs), providing financing methods including loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments to qualified nonprofit organizations for charitable purposes.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Otto Bremer Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- McKnight Foundation: Minnesota-based private charitable foundation with similar regional grantmaking focus and comparable asset scale; operates in many of the same Upper Midwest communities as OBT and funds overlapping issue areas.
- Bush Foundation: St. Paul-based private foundation serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Native communities; directly comparable in geography, mission, and grantmaking-plus-PRI model to OBT.
- Northwest Area Foundation: St. Paul-based regional foundation focused on reducing poverty across the Upper Midwest; shares OBT's four-state footprint and mission of supporting community economic opportunity.
- The Minneapolis Foundation: Minnesota's largest community foundation, distributing grants to nonprofits in the Twin Cities region; comparable as a regional charitable intermediary with direct grantmaking and donor-advised activity.
- Greater Milwaukee Foundation: Wisconsin-based community foundation and one of OBT's seven Community Responsive Fund intermediaries; operates a similar grantmaking and intermediary model in a shared service geography.
- Montana Community Foundation: Statewide Montana community foundation and OBT Community Responsive Fund partner ($1.575M 2025 allocation); comparable as a regional grantmaking intermediary serving overlapping nonprofits.
- Rasmuson Foundation: Alaska-based private foundation of comparable size and grantmaking-plus-PRI model; a useful peer for benchmarking regional foundation strategy and PRI deployment scale.
Broad incumbents
- The Kresge Foundation: National private foundation operating both grants and PRIs across U.S. cities; a larger incumbent with overlapping PRI toolkit and community development focus that competes for similar nonprofit applicants.
- Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations with global scope; sets broader sector norms for grantmaking and PRI strategy that OBT's CBFC subsidiary benchmarks against.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large national foundation with a heavy healthcare focus that overlaps with OBT's $18.5M annual healthcare grantmaking; comparable as a programmatic funder in shared issue areas.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Otto Bremer Trust social profiles
Digital presenceOtto Bremer Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Otto Bremer Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Otto Bremer Trust subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Otto Bremer Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Otto Bremer Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments60 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Otto Bremer Trust
What does Otto Bremer Trust do?
Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust that deploys capital into Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin through strategic grants and program-related investments (PRIs). Its PRI subsidiary, Community Benefit Financial Company (CBFC), offers loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments to qualified nonprofit and charitable-purpose organizations. The trust supplements direct grantmaking with a Community Responsive Fund that distributes capital through seven regional intermediary organizations.
Is Otto Bremer Trust a public or private company?
Otto Bremer Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Otto Bremer Trust founded?
Otto Bremer Trust was founded in 1944. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Otto Bremer Trust based?
Otto Bremer Trust is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Otto Bremer Trust make money?
One revenue line is on record: philanthropic Investment Returns.
Who are Otto Bremer Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are McKnight Foundation, Bush Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Montana Community Foundation and Rasmuson Foundation. Broad incumbents are The Kresge Foundation, Ford Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Does Otto Bremer Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Otto Bremer Trust.
What industry is Otto Bremer Trust in?
Otto Bremer Trust's product category is Charitable Trust and Philanthropic Grantmaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAANAI, Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services, with a secondary code of FSAEAKAH, Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory. Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 6799.