Minnesota Council on Foundations

What Minnesota Council on Foundations does

Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) is a regional 501(c)(3) membership association that convenes, strengthens, and mobilizes Minnesota's philanthropic sector. Founded in 1978, MCF serves 160+ member organizations spanning community foundations, corporate foundations and giving programs, private family foundations, private independent foundations, grantmaking public charities, and philanthropy-serving organizations. Its service portfolio includes an annual conference, 15+ peer and issue networks, the Minnesota Common Grant application tool, a job board (13,000 monthly views), a weekly e-newsletter reaching 2,500 leaders, a member resource center, public policy advocacy, and the EBDI Institute focused on equity, belonging, diversity, and inclusion. Major members include McKnight Foundation, Bush Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Women's Foundation of Minnesota, 3M, Target, General Mills, Northwest Area Foundation, and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

MCF operates a multi-stream association revenue model: tiered annual membership dues from grantmaker organizations, event registration fees (annual conference at $500 member / $650 non-member; Ubuntu Leadership Summit free for members in 2026), corporate program sponsorships at Diamond ($20,000) through Silver ($3,000) levels, job board postings ($100 per non-member posting), and e-newsletter advertising ($1,000-$1,500 packages). The organization does not have proprietary technology; its service delivery relies on a Drupal-based website, member directory, event calendar, and a three-year data partnership with Impala that gives members free access to grantmaking data and 990-based ecosystem analytics. MCF demonstrated sector-wide convening power in late 2025 and 2026 by coordinating more than $70.5 million in rapid-response aid across 33 pooled funds during Operation Metro Surge, with 87.3% distributed within five months. The organization is governed by a member-elected board, employs 11-50 staff (mostly remote), and is headquartered at 2550 University Avenue West in St. Paul, Minnesota, within a co-working space.

Name

Minnesota Council on Foundations

Legal name

Minnesota Council on Foundations

Website

https://mcf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Minnesota Council on Foundations is a 501(c)(3) regional membership association of 160+ Minnesota grantmakers, providing peer networks, an annual conference, the EBDI Institute, common grant tools, public policy advocacy, and crisis-response coordination for community, corporate, family, and independent foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from grantmaking organizations including family foundations, corporate giving programs, community foundations, and independent foundations. Dues vary by organization type and size.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from the annual conference ($500 members, $650 non-members), Ubuntu Leadership Summit, and other professional development programs.
3. Job Board Postings: Free job postings for MCF members; $100 fee for non-members. The job board receives approximately 13,000 views per month.
4. Program Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship of MCF programs and events at various levels (Diamond $20,000, Platinum $10,000, Gold $5,000, Silver $3,000). Sponsorships include annual conference, CEO Retreat, Ubuntu Leadership Summit, and various networks.
5. Advertising: Advertisement opportunities in MCF e-letters (MCF Notes and Giving Memo). Prices start at $1,000 for three e-letters or $1,500 for five e-letters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) is a 501(c)(3) regional membership association that connects, strengthens, and mobilizes Minnesota's philanthropic sector. It provides grantmaking organizations with peer networks, professional development events, an annual conference, standardized grant application tools, grantmaking data resources, equity and belonging programming (EBDI Institute), and public policy advocacy.

Product overview

MCF offers a unified platform of membership services for Minnesota's philanthropic sector. The core offering consists of an Event Calendar for professional development, a Job Board for sector employment, a Membership Directory for organizational discovery, and an Annual Conference as the flagship annual gathering. These are supported by Peer & Issue Networks connecting members through specialized communities, Grantmaking Data through an Impala Ecosystems partnership for comprehensive nonprofit and grant data, the Minnesota Common Grant tool for standardized applications, an EBDI Institute providing equity and inclusion leadership development, a Member Resource Center with curated tools and research, and Public Policy & Advocacy services representing the sector's interests. All services are provided as part of organizational membership rather than separate commercial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EBDI Institute (Equity, Belonging, Diversity & Inclusion Institute): A focus area dedicated to helping philanthropy create conditions where race no longer determines outcomes, through leadership development, organizational learning, and practice.
• Press Forward Minnesota
• Rural Urban Bridging for Impact (RUBI)
• Ubuntu Leadership Summit

Products and services

• MCF Membership Annual membership for grantmaking organizations (community foundations, corporate foundations/giving programs, private family foundations, independent foundations, grantmaking public charities, and philanthropy-serving organizations). Provides access to peer networks, professional development, job board postings, data resources, and member discounts. Dues vary by organization type and size.
• Annual Conference MCF's yearly flagship gathering providing valuable learning and peer networking opportunities for Minnesota's philanthropic community. 2026 conference themed 'Stronger Together'. Registration: $500 for MCF members, $650 for non-member grantmakers and foundations.
• Ubuntu Leadership Summit A first-of-its-kind annual convening for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ professionals in philanthropy guided by the African philosophy of ubuntu. Two-day in-person summit held July 23-24, 2026 in Duluth. Free for MCF members in 2026; $500 for non-members.
• Job Board MCF's Job Board posts open positions in Minnesota's grantmaking, nonprofit and related sectors. Free posting for MCF members; $100 per posting for non-members. Self-service posting with credit card payment. Receives approximately 13,000 monthly views.
• Peer & Issue Networks 15 networks connecting Minnesota's philanthropic sector through relationships, including peer networks (Administrative Professionals, CEO, ComMotion, Community Foundation, Corporate Community Affairs, Family Foundation, Independent Foundation, Learning and Evaluation, MICF, People of Color & LGBTQ+ Community of Practice, Program Officers) and issue networks (Health Funders, Impact Investing, Minnesota Climate Donor Table, Minnesota Disaster Philanthropy Working Group, Rapid Response, Rural Urban Bridging for Impact).
• Grantmaking Data (Impala Ecosystems) Data platform providing access to a comprehensive database of nonprofits, foundations and grants, enabling members to find grant data about causes and geographies most relevant to them. Available through partnership with Impala Ecosystems.
• Minnesota Common Grant A standardized grant application tool developed by foundations and nonprofits to streamline the grantseeking and grantmaking processes in Minnesota, supporting trust-based practices and reducing application burden.
• EBDI Institute (Equity, Belonging, Diversity & Inclusion Institute) A comprehensive institute providing leadership development, organizational learning, and practice resources to help philanthropy create conditions for equity. Includes Experiential Leadership Lab, People of Color & LGBTQ+ Community of Practice, Center for Organizational Learning and Practice, and Rural Urban Bridging for Impact (RUBI).
• Member Resource Center A curated library of philanthropy resources supporting growth as people, organizations, and communities, including case studies, implementation tools, member briefings, and research reports.
• Public Policy & Advocacy MCF's advocacy efforts promoting philanthropy and community prosperity from state legislature to Congress, including an annual advocacy agenda and public policy compendium led by VP of Policy and Partnerships Katina Mortensen.
• Corporate Executive Roundtable In-person roundtable luncheon series for corporate philanthropy executives. $30 per session for MCF members; bulk rate of $120 for all five lunches annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• $70.5 million+ mobilized in rapid response to Operation Metro Surge across 33 pooled funds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• ImpalacoreTechnology or IntegrationThree-year data partnership providing premium Impala data services to Minnesota free of charge for MCF members, Minnesota nonprofits, and foundations. Impala Ecosystems allows users to view nonprofit 990 data and generate customizable issue-area or geographic ecosystems based on search criteria.
• True North News AllianceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Press Forward Minnesota (housed at MCF) and True North News Alliance to support the first-ever rally calling on lawmakers to invest in local news as essential civic infrastructure. Part of broader efforts to strengthen local journalism in Minnesota.
• We Are Still Here Minnesota (WASH-MN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNative-focused Program Series where MCF members collaborate with WASH-MN, a coalition dedicated to Reclaiming Native Truth research. WASH-MN is fiscally sponsored by Indigenous Roots, an arts organization supporting the coalition's work.
• Springboard for the ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in rapid response efforts during Operation Metro Surge. Administered Artist Emergency Relief Fund and MN Arts Rise and Respond Fund for artists impacted by federal immigration enforcement activities.
• Minneapolis FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in rapid response coordination. Administered OneMPLS Fund and Economic Response Fund totaling millions in emergency support during Operation Metro Surge.
• Constellation FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRapid response fund administrator during Operation Metro Surge. Provided immediate support for communities impacted by federal immigration enforcement activities in Minnesota.
• Headwaters Foundation for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRapid response fund administrator. Operates Rapid Response Fund for immediate crisis support and long-term recovery efforts in Minnesota.
• Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministered Latino & Immigrant Business Emergency Relief Fund in partnership with East Side Funders Group to support businesses impacted by federal immigration enforcement.
• National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCFP webinars are a free benefit of MCF membership. Programs include 'Creating a Legacy: Cultivating Shared Leadership' focusing on generational transitions in family philanthropy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United Philanthropy Forum: National network of philanthropy-serving organizations and United Ways. Directly comparable because MCF is the kind of regional PSO the Forum represents, and many Forum programs (peer learning, leadership development, advocacy) mirror MCF's offerings.
• Council on Foundations: National membership association of foundations and corporate giving programs providing peer networking, policy advocacy, and resources. MCF is its direct regional counterpart in Minnesota, and the two are formally linked through overlapping members and joint programming.
• Southern California Grantmakers: Los Angeles-based association of foundations and corporate giving programs providing peer networking, public-policy advocacy, and programming. Operates as a direct functional analog to MCF as a regional philanthropy-serving organization in a different U.S. market.
• Northern California Grantmakers: Regional association of philanthropic organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area offering peer learning, advocacy, and grantmaking resources. Closely comparable to MCF in structure (regional PSO, funder-only programming, advocacy focus) but with a distinct metro geography.
• Philanthropy Massachusetts: Membership association of grantmakers in Massachusetts providing programs, advocacy, and resources to foundations and corporate giving programs. Operates with a similar funder-only model and convening role as MCF, anchored to a different regional philanthropic ecosystem.
• Forefront (Illinois): Illinois-based membership association of grantmakers providing training, advocacy, and resources to foundations, corporate giving programs, and nonprofits. Highly comparable operating model to MCF — peer networks, annual conference, public-policy advocacy — but serving a different state.

Emerging players

• BoardSource: National nonprofit focused on nonprofit and foundation board governance, leadership, and effectiveness. Overlaps with MCF's member resource programming and corporate-foundation governance services, but specialized around board practice rather than full association membership.

Broad incumbents

• Candid: National nonprofit formed from the merger of Foundation Center and GuideStar providing grantmaking data, foundation directories, and nonprofit research tools. Comparable to MCF's Impala data offering but at far greater scale and with broader national/international footprint.
• Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP): Independent research and consulting firm providing foundation effectiveness assessments, sector research, and grantee perception surveys. Adjacent to MCF's mission of strengthening foundation practice and overlaps with MCF's research, learning, and evaluation networks.
• Independent Sector: National membership organization of nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs conducting policy advocacy and sector research. Comparable to MCF's policy and convening functions but at the national level across the full nonprofit-philanthropy ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/followmcf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota Council on Foundations