Northern Lights Foundation
Northern Lights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides unrestricted financial grants to local families with children facing life-threatening illnesses in the Duluth, Minnesota and Twin Cities areas. Founded in 2006 and volunteer-led with a small paid staff, it has raised over $1.75 million for 300+ families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersDuluth, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Northern Lights Foundation does
Northern Lights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 by Ken Larson, DDS, in Duluth, Minnesota, with a mission to provide unrestricted financial grants to local families with children facing life-threatening illnesses. The foundation operates two chapters — the original Duluth chapter and a Twin Cities chapter established in 2014 — and serves families living within 100 miles of either geography who have a child (up to age 18) with a qualifying diagnosis. Over its 20+ year history, the foundation has raised more than $1.75 million and issued grants to over 300 families.
The foundation's core offering is the Family Grant Program, supplemented in 2025 by the Shimia Nord Legacy Grant — a $5,000 annual endowed award. Grants are unrestricted, allowing recipient families to allocate funds to medical bills, travel, lodging, or living expenses at their discretion, and the foundation states that 100% of donations reach families because administrative costs are absorbed by the volunteer board. The product surface also encompasses an annual fundraising event portfolio: the Children's Charity Gala (now in its 20th year), Charity Softball Game, Regun Donahue Glow in the Dark Golf Scramble, NorthShore Inline Marathon partnership, Lake Superior Lawmen Hockey Tournament, Courage Snowmobile Ride, and Grandma's Marathon Charity Runners.
The underlying technology is standard for a small nonprofit: a WordPress-based website with blog content, online grant application forms, and the GiveMN donation processing platform for one-time and recurring gifts, supplemented by Constant Contact for email newsletters. Reach is generated through a community-led go-to-market motion — referrals from hospital social workers (anchored by board members at Essentia Health and Children's Minnesota) and corporate/community networks — paired with event-driven fundraising. Revenue is derived entirely from donations (individual, corporate, and community/grant-making sources), with no fees charged to grant recipients and no pricing model beyond voluntary giving. Leadership combines a volunteer board of directors (drawn from regional healthcare, banking, media, and consumer goods executives) and a first Executive Director, Todd Johnson, appointed in December 2025.
Northern Lights Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Northern Lights Foundation
- Legal name
- Northern Lights Foundation
- Website
- https://northernlightsfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Northern Lights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides unrestricted financial grants to local families with children facing life-threatening illnesses in the Duluth, Minnesota and Twin Cities areas. Founded in 2006 and volunteer-led with a small paid staff, it has raised over $1.75 million for 300+ families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Northern Lights Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Charitable Foundation (Family / Pediatric Illness Support)
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding (HLAJALAG), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
Keywords
Where Northern Lights Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Duluth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Northern Lights Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: The foundation raises money entirely through charitable donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and community partners. Donations can be made as one-time or monthly recurring gifts via GiveMN, by check, stock, or Donor-Advised Fund. Northern Lights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Shimia Nord Legacy Grant - $5,000 annual grant to one local family with a child facing a life-threatening illness |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Northern Lights Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Northern Lights Foundation provides unrestricted financial grants to local families with children (up to age 18) facing life-threatening illnesses, primarily within 100 miles of Duluth or the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Funds raised through individual and corporate donations, GiveMN online giving, and annual fundraising events are distributed to eligible families to be used for medical bills, travel, lodging, and living expenses at the family's discretion, with no fees charged to recipients.
Product overview
Northern Lights Foundation is a nonprofit charity organization offering a portfolio of unrestricted grant programs for families with children facing life-threatening illnesses. The core offering is the Family Grant Program, supplemented by the Shimia Nord Legacy Grant. The foundation also operates fundraising events including the Annual Children's Charity Gala, Charity Softball Game, and Regun Donahue Golf Scramble, along with community partnerships like the Super One Foods Round Up campaign. A volunteer program and newsletter subscription service support community engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Family Grant Program Unrestricted financial grants provided to local families with children (up to age 18) facing life-threatening illnesses, allowing families to use funds for medical expenses, travel costs, or essential living support as needed.
- Shimia Nord Legacy Grant An annual $5,000 unrestricted grant awarded to a local family with a child facing a life-threatening illness, honoring the legacy of Shimia Nord. Half is funded by a personal donor or corporate sponsor and half by the Shimia Nord family endowment.
- Annual Children's Charity Gala The foundation's largest annual fundraiser featuring live and silent auctions, social hour, dinner, and a presentation to raise funds for family grants. Tickets sold via cbo.io.
- Annual Charity Softball Game Annual community fundraising event featuring a Duluth Fire Department vs. Duluth Police Department softball game with BBQ and family activities; tickets sold via Ticketleap.
- Regun Donahue Glow In The Dark Golf Scramble Annual glow-in-the-dark golf tournament held in honor of Regun Donahue, organized by his family and friends to raise funds for NLF families; registration via GiveMN.
- Super One Foods Round Up Campaign Community fundraising campaign where Super One Foods customers can round up their purchases at checkout to donate the difference to Northern Lights Foundation families.
- Volunteer Program Community volunteer opportunities supporting the foundation's mission to help local children facing life-threatening illnesses through various fundraising and awareness activities.
- Monthly Newsletter Subscription Monthly newsletter subscription service allowing supporters to stay informed about foundation news, events, and family stories via text and email through Constant Contact.
Companies that use Northern Lights Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Northern Lights Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Northern Lights Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Super One FoodscoreSuper One Foods partnered with Northern Lights Foundation for a Round Up campaign running February 6-23, 2026. Customers at 28+ Super One Foods Grocery & Liquor Store locations across Minnesota (including Duluth's Kenwood, Lakeside, Miller Hill, Pike Lake, Plaza, West, and Woodland locations plus 20+ other MN towns), Wisconsin (Ashland, Park Falls, Superior), and Michigan (Ironwood) can round up their purchase total at checkout to donate spare change to the foundation.
- Kolar AutomotiveflagshipKolar Automotive (Kolar Chevrolet Buick GMC) served as the Presenting Sponsor of the 20th Anniversary Children's Charity Gala on October 14, 2025 at the DECC in Duluth. Kolar is a flagship sponsor for the foundation's largest annual fundraiser.
- Children's MinnesotacoreNorthern Lights Foundation partnered with Children's Minnesota, one of the top hospitals for pediatric care in the state, as part of its Twin Cities chapter expansion in 2014. The partnership supports families in the Twin Cities area who are receiving care at Children's Minnesota facilities.
- GiveMNcoreGiveMN is the secure Minnesota nonprofit giving platform used by Northern Lights Foundation to process all online donations. Donors can make one-time or recurring monthly gifts through this platform. GiveMN also hosts specific fundraising campaigns such as the Shimia Nord Legacy Grant and Regun Donahue Golf Scramble donation pages.
- NorthShore Inline MarathonminorNorthShore Inline Marathon partners with Northern Lights Foundation, donating a portion of proceeds from the annual marathon (held September 18-19, 2026 in Duluth) to support the foundation. Over 2,000 skaters from around the world participate in North America's largest inline marathon.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Northern Lights Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights11 records
Customer concentration
Northern Lights Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceNorthern Lights Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Northern Lights Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Northern Lights Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Northern Lights Foundation subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Northern Lights Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Northern Lights Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Northern Lights Foundation
What does Northern Lights Foundation do?
Northern Lights Foundation provides unrestricted financial grants to local families with children (up to age 18) facing life-threatening illnesses, primarily within 100 miles of Duluth or the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Funds raised through individual and corporate donations, GiveMN online giving, and annual fundraising events are distributed to eligible families to be used for medical bills, travel, lodging, and living expenses at the family's discretion, with no fees charged to recipients.
Is Northern Lights Foundation a public or private company?
Northern Lights Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Northern Lights Foundation founded?
Northern Lights Foundation was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Northern Lights Foundation based?
Northern Lights Foundation is headquartered in Duluth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Northern Lights Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations.
Does Northern Lights Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Northern Lights Foundation.
What industry is Northern Lights Foundation in?
Northern Lights Foundation's product category is Nonprofit Charitable Foundation (Family / Pediatric Illness Support). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations, with a secondary code of HLAJALAG, Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.