the saint paul foundation

What the saint paul foundation does

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1940 and operating as the largest community foundation in the state with a footprint across all 87 Minnesota counties. The organization stewards over $1.9 billion in combined charitable assets on behalf of thousands of donors and fundholders, deploying more than $100 million in grants annually to roughly 3,500 nonprofit organizations through more than 10,800 individual grants. Its product set includes core charitable fund vehicles (Donor Advised Funds, Designated Funds, Field-of-Interest Funds, Unrestricted Funds), grant programs (Community Solutions, Bush Prize: Minnesota, Minnesota Community IDEAS, MN Forward, Community Sharing Fund, Management Improvement Fund), and values-aligned investment portfolios (Future Ready and Momentum Minnesota, both grounded in Social Determinants of Health) plus program-related investments through the Minnesota Community Investment Fund.

The foundation's core technology footprint is administrative rather than productized: a DonorView donor portal and a GranteeView grantee portal run on iphiview.com, and the East Metro Pulse initiative produces proprietary community survey data across Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties. No public-facing APIs, SDKs, or developer platforms are offered, and AI/ML capabilities are not evidenced. Service delivery is relationship-led, with a dedicated Philanthropic Services team and embedded professional advisor network spanning attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors; digital assets are limited to those operational portals plus content marketing (blog, email newsletter, video series including The Power of Possible), events (Philanthropy in Your Practice, Facing Race Awards), and a media center.

The revenue model is managed services applied to philanthropic assets: the foundation charges administrative fees on donor funds, accepts charitable contributions and bequests, and earns investment returns on endowed assets. Fund establishment begins at a $10,000 minimum with annual billing cadence. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by President & CEO Chanda Smith Baker (appointed July 2025), and operates affiliated sister foundations F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation as co-grantmakers, plus a strategic community grant partnership with the Bush Foundation. Major coalition partnerships include McKnight Foundation, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minneapolis Foundation, and Minnesota Council on Foundations. As a community foundation signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, the entity integrates ESG policies into its investment practices.

Name

the saint paul foundation

Legal name

Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

Website

https://saintpaulfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation is Minnesota's largest community foundation, stewarding over $1.9 billion in charitable assets, granting more than $100 million annually to 3,500+ nonprofits, and serving thousands of donors, professional advisors, and community organizations statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor advised funds
• Philanthropic giving vehicles
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Charitable fund administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Giving Services: The Foundation generates revenue through managing charitable assets for donors. They steward over $1.9 billion in combined charitable assets and grant over $100 million annually to thousands of nonprofit organizations. Revenue is derived from donations, investment returns on endowed funds, and management fees for fund administration services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation operates as Minnesota's largest community foundation, offering charitable fund vehicles (donor advised funds, designated funds, field-of-interest funds, unrestricted funds) that help donors organize, tax-optimize, and deploy philanthropy. It administers multiple statewide grant programs, manages endowments for nonprofit organizations, provides online fundholder and grantee portals (DonorView, GranteeView), and offers values-aligned investment portfolios and program-related investments to advance community impact across Minnesota.

Product overview

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation operates as Minnesota's largest community foundation offering a comprehensive suite of charitable giving products and services. The core offerings include various fund types (Donor Advised Funds, Designated Funds, Field-of-Interest Funds, and Unrestricted Funds) that allow donors to organize and optimize their philanthropy. Digital services include DonorView and GranteeView online portals for fund management and grant administration. The Foundation administers multiple grant programs including the Community Solutions Grant Program, Bush Prize: Minnesota, Minnesota Community IDEAS Program, MN Forward Pooled Fund, Community Sharing Fund, and Management Improvement Fund. Investment products include Program Related Investments (PRIs), Future Ready Portfolio, and Momentum Minnesota Portfolio focused on Social Determinants of Health. Additional offerings include the East Metro Pulse research tool, Facing Race Awards, Power of Possible campaign, and nonprofit endowment fund management services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Power of Possible: A campaign celebrating the people, partnerships and ideas that help communities thrive.
• F. R. Bigelow Foundation
• Mardag Foundation
• Facing Race Awards
• East Metro Pulse

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds A flexible charitable giving vehicle allowing donors to contribute various assets, receive immediate tax deductions, and recommend grants to vetted nonprofits over time while the Foundation manages administrative responsibilities, compliance, and due diligence.
• Designated Funds Charitable funds that support specific nonprofit organizations selected by the donor, providing dependable annual income to designated causes.
• Field-of-Interest Funds Funds focused on specific causes or issue areas such as education, healthcare, or the arts, while allowing the Foundation flexibility to respond to emerging community needs within that focus area.
• Unrestricted Funds Funds that allow the Foundation to address the community's most pressing needs as they arise, providing maximum flexibility for responding to emerging priorities.
• Community Solutions Grant Program Grant program supporting Minnesota nonprofits with rolling application dates for community-driven solutions.
• Bush Prize: Minnesota Award program in partnership with the Bush Foundation recognizing Minnesota organizations advancing bold ideas with the potential for significant, long-lasting change.
• Minnesota Community IDEAS Program Statewide community-led grant opportunity providing unrestricted funding to organizations advancing bold ideas, administered as the community grant partner of the Bush Foundation.
• MN Forward Pooled Fund Grant Program Grant program supporting community initiatives across Minnesota.
• Community Sharing Fund Grant Grant program with rolling application dates supporting community needs.
• Management Improvement Fund Grant program with rolling application dates supporting nonprofit organizational capacity building.
• Program Related Investments (PRIs) Below-market-rate loans through the Minnesota Community Investment Fund providing capital to organizations that may not have access to traditional financing, offering both social and modest financial returns.
• Future Ready Portfolio Investment portfolio grounded in Social Determinants of Health, designed for organizations and donors seeking charitable dollars working locally with a dedication to long-term community benefit.
• Momentum Minnesota Portfolio Investment portfolio grounded in Social Determinants of Health, designed to work together with the Future Ready Portfolio for organizations and donors seeking local charitable investment with long-term community benefit.
• Nonprofit Endowment Fund Services Services supporting nonprofit organizations in establishing and managing endowment funds, including endowment management services and an endowment toolkit.
• Professional Advisor Services Services for professional advisors including fund and fee information, charitable asset types guidance, tools and resources, professional education events, and the Cornerstone Council advisory group.

Quantifiable outcome

• Stewards over $1.9 billion in charitable assets
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Our Home State Initiative PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025$20 million commitment from multiple foundations to support housing and community stability initiatives in Minnesota.
• United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 March 2022The Foundation became the first U.S. community foundation signatory to UNPRI, committing to responsible investment practices aligned with environmental, social, and governance principles.
• McKnight FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2020Partnership to present 'Art In This Present Moment' initiative supporting artists and cultural expression in Minnesota communities.
• Greater Twin Cities United WaymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2020Collaborative commitment to transform the criminal justice system in partnership with Minneapolis Foundation.
• Minneapolis FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2020Partnership with Greater Twin Cities United Way and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation to transform the criminal justice system.
• Minnesota Council on FoundationsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2020Joint launch of the $4.4M Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund for coronavirus relief, combining resources for community response.
• F. R. Bigelow FoundationcoreOthersSister foundation that co-brands grant programs with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, offering combined grant opportunities for nonprofits in the East Metro and Minnesota region.
• Mardag FoundationcoreOthersSister foundation that partners on joint grant programs, combining resources to support nonprofits across Minnesota alongside the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
• Bush FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation serves as the community grant partner for the Bush Foundation in Minnesota, offering the Minnesota Community IDEAS program and Bush Prize: Minnesota grant opportunities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Minneapolis Foundation: Minnesota's second-largest community foundation serving the Twin Cities metro. Direct peer because both operate as community foundations in the same Twin Cities geography with overlapping donor pools, grantees, and grantmaking priorities (including a joint criminal-justice initiative).
• Bush Foundation: Major Minnesota-based regional foundation that co-grants with SPMF on Bush Prize: Minnesota and MN Community IDEAS. Comparable as a grantmaking foundation operating in the same geography with overlapping donor and grantee constituencies.
• McKnight Foundation: Minnesota-based private foundation with significant grantmaking in the state. Direct peer because of shared Minnesota geography, similar asset scale, co-grantmaking on arts initiatives, and overlap in nonprofit funding priorities.
• Greater Twin Cities United Way: Regional giving organization serving the Twin Cities. Direct peer because it competes for the same donor pool and partners with SPMF (and Minneapolis Foundation) on joint initiatives like criminal justice reform, while serving overlapping nonprofit grantees.
• Chicago Community Trust: One of the largest U.S. community foundations serving the Chicago region. Comparable in model, scale, and product mix (donor advised funds, grantmaking, regional equity focus), though operating in a different metro.
• Cleveland Foundation: First U.S. community foundation (1914) with a comparable product suite of donor advised funds, grant programs, and community research. Comparable as a long-tenured regional community foundation of similar scale.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: One of the largest U.S. community foundations by AUM. Comparable community foundation model and product set, but operating in a different (much higher-AUM) geography; useful as a peer on operating model rather than direct local competition.
• Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Mid-sized U.S. community foundation with a similar regional model of donor advised funds, competitive grant programs, and community research. Comparable in operating approach and product set, though in a different regional market.
• F.R. Bigelow Foundation: Affiliated/sister foundation that co-brands grant programs with SPMF. Comparable as a Minnesota grantmaking foundation with shared governance and joint program delivery, though it operates under SPMF's administrative umbrella.

Others

• Thrivent Financial: Faith-based financial services firm whose financial advisors refer clients to SPMF for charitable giving. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but comparable as a channel for HNW donor acquisition and philanthropic planning in the same Minnesota market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-saint-paul-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 the saint paul foundation