What F.R. Bigelow Foundation does

F.R. Bigelow Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) grantmaking foundation established in 1946 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and endowed from a 1938 trust by Frederic Russell Bigelow, fourth president of Saint Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (now Travelers). The Foundation's stated mission is to enhance quality of life in the greater Saint Paul area and foster a vibrant East Metro region through grants and mission-related investments (MRI) that pursue racially and economically equitable outcomes across arts and culture, community and economic development, education and youth development, health, housing, and human services. It serves 501(c)(3) nonprofits, government entities, educational institutions, and fiscally sponsored organizations whose work primarily benefits residents of Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties.

The Foundation operates four core grant programs: Community Solutions (general operating, program/project, and capital support up to $50K/year for 1-2 years or up to $250K over two years for capital), Systems Change (invite-only multi-year general operating grants for root-cause work), Our Home State (a collaborative with Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and Mardag Foundation providing up to $100K/year for five years for housing and homelessness work across Minnesota), and the BIPOC Leadership Program. Applications are submitted through the GranteeView portal, an online platform shared with Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and Mardag Foundation. Foundation staff includes an in-house Grants Team that conducts direct outreach and pre-application engagement.

Economically the Foundation does not generate commercial revenue. Its $14.3M Mission Related Investing portfolio (as of December 2024) deploys endowment assets for market-rate returns alongside place-based social impact, with notable investments including $500K in Nice Healthcare's Series A (2022) and $1M into Tundra Ventures (2024). In 2025 the Foundation awarded 168 grants totaling $9.5M, supplemented by an additional $1.8M one-time general operating award to 17 organizations in July 2025. Grantmaking is administered by Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation staff under a long-standing partnership, with funding decisions made by a volunteer Board of Trustees.

Name

F.R. Bigelow Foundation

Legal name

F. R. Bigelow Foundation

Website

https://frbigelow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

F.R. Bigelow Foundation is a private Saint Paul-based 501(c)(3) grantmaking foundation, founded in 1946, that awards grants and mission-related investments to East Metro nonprofits across arts, housing, health, education and human services through four programs administered jointly with Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and Mardag Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community grantmaking
• Nonprofit foundation grants
• Mission-related investing
• Place-based philanthropy
• East Metro nonprofits

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking from endowment: The Foundation distributes grants from its endowment to nonprofit organizations serving the East Metro region. It also engages in mission-related impact investing (MRI) using endowment assets to generate both market-rate returns and positive social impact.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

F.R. Bigelow Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that provides grants — general operating, program/project, and capital support — to nonprofit organizations serving Minnesota's East Metro (Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties) across arts and culture, community and economic development, education, health, housing, and human services. It complements its grantmaking with place-based Mission-Related Investing (MRI), using endowment assets to generate both market-rate returns and measurable social impact. Grantmaking is administered through the GranteeView portal in partnership with Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and Mardag Foundation.

Product overview

F.R. Bigelow Foundation is a private foundation established in 1946 that operates as a grantmaking organization rather than a technology product company. The Foundation's offerings consist of four distinct grant programs: Community Solutions Grant Program (general operating, program/project, and capital support), Systems Change Grant Program (invite-only multi-year general operating grants), Our Home State Grant Program (housing-focused collaborative grants), and BIPOC Leadership Grant Program. These programs are administered through the GranteeView portal, an online application and management system. The Foundation also engages in mission-related investing as part of its charitable activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Solutions Grant Program An open, rolling-application grant program offering general operating, program/project, and capital support to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and government entities in five focus areas — Arts & Culture; Community & Economic Development; Health; Human Services; and Youth & Education — to improve quality of life for East Metro residents in Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties.
• Systems Change Grant Program An invite-only, multi-year general operating grant program supporting organizations, programs, or initiatives working to address root causes of issues impacting the East Metro through advocacy, organizing, research, civic engagement, narrative change, and storytelling.
• Our Home State Grant Program A collaborative five-year grant program between Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, F.R. Bigelow Foundation, and Mardag Foundation providing up to $100,000 per year to support systems change and direct service work that increases access to housing and addresses homelessness across Minnesota.
• BIPOC Leadership Grant Program A multi-year grant program providing support to organizations, programs, and initiatives focused on advancing the leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the East Metro region, building on a longstanding partnership with LinkingLeaders.
• GranteeView Portal An online grant application portal used by nonprofits to register, submit applications, track application status, and view payment history across Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, F.R. Bigelow Foundation, and Mardag Foundation.
• Mission-Related Investing (MRI) Portfolio A $14.3 million (as of December 2024) place-based investment portfolio using endowment assets to generate market-rate financial returns alongside positive social impact in areas such as affordable housing and BIPOC entrepreneurship in Minnesota's East Metro.

Quantifiable outcome

• 168 grants awarded in 2025 supporting housing, human services, community development
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Saint Paul & Minnesota FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerF.R. Bigelow Foundation is a partner foundation of Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. SP&MCF administers grantmaking for F.R. Bigelow Foundation and they collaborate on grant programs including joint funding rounds and shared infrastructure like GranteeView portal.
• Mardag FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner foundation that collaborates on grant programs with F.R. Bigelow Foundation and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, including joint funding announcements totaling over $10M in 2024 second-round grants.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bush Foundation: Large Minnesota/Dakotas-focused foundation investing in community leadership and equity; conceptual overlap with Bigelow's BIPOC Leadership and Systems Change programs, though operating statewide and broader.
• McKnight Foundation: Minnesota-based private foundation with a regional and statewide grantmaking footprint; shares Bigelow's focus on equity, climate, housing, and arts in Minnesota but operates at materially larger scale.
• Otto Bremer Trust: Minnesota/Wisconsin/North Dakota regional foundation with explicit community grantmaking and place-based investing; comparable model combining grants plus mission-related investments in the Upper Midwest.

Emerging players

• Headwaters Foundation for Justice: Minnesota community foundation focused on social justice, equity, and grassroots organizing; closely aligned with Bigelow's BIPOC Leadership and Systems Change programs but smaller and issue-specific.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Twin Cities: Place-based community development financier active in the Twin Cities; comparable through Nova SP-style affordable housing MRI and place-based community/economic development mission overlap.

Direct peers

• Mardag Foundation: Minnesota private foundation that co-funds programs with F.R. Bigelow Foundation (e.g., the Our Home State program and joint $10.3M 2024 grants) and shares the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation platform; nearly identical geography and mission scope.
• Greater Twin Cities United Way: Saint Paul/Minneapolis-based community intermediary funding health, education, and economic mobility; competes for and complements Bigelow's nonprofit funding pool across the East Metro.
• Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation: Parent/partner foundation that administers Bigelow's grantmaking and operates the shared GranteeView portal; functionally a community foundation serving overlapping East Metro nonprofits.

Regional players

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation: Minnesota health-focused foundation funding community health, equity, and human services; overlaps directly with Bigelow's Health focus area and East Metro grantee base.

Others

• The Saint Paul Foundation (historic predecessor entity to SPMCF): Referenced historically as the predecessor to the current Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation; mentioned for context only as the same legal entity as the parent foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/spmcfoundations
• Facebookfacebook.com/spmcfoundations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spmcfoundations
• Instagraminstagram.com/spmfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about F.R. Bigelow Foundation