To start the application process with the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation, review this list of competitive grant funds to determine possible funding sources for your organization and/or program, then submit an inquiry to staff who will provide further information and assistance in the application process. The Foundation nine-county service area applies to all funds unless otherwise noted. To review sample grants made, click here for a list of historic grants within previous annual reports, and click here for a list of recent grants.

Fund: John T. and Elizabeth C. Adams Arts Fund
Purpose: To enrich the performances and exhibits of artistic organizations in our region by attracting programs or principals of artistic quality from outside the immediate area.
Grant range: $1,000 - $5,000
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Category: Arts

Fund: Anishinabe Fund
Purpose: To foster cultural awareness of the Anishinabe/Ojibwe traditions and objects, to encourage the migration of ideas from the Ojibwe culture and to encourage respect for the Ojibwe culture.
Grant range: $300 - $1,000
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Category: Peace, Justice, Cultural Understanding

Fund: Apostle Islands Area Community Fund
Purpose: For initiatives that meet the changing needs of our community in the following six areas: arts; environment; community, youth and family services; civic projects; human rights and adult education. The geographic focus for this fund includes the Town of LaPointe, Red Cliff Reservation, Town of Russell, City of Bayfield, and Town of Bayfield.
Grant range: $300 - $5,000
Application Deadline: September 1
Funds Available: November
Category: Arts, Education,Environment,Human Services

Fund: Apostle Islands Area - Human Rights Fund
Purpose: For efforts in the Apostle Islands Area Community Fund service area to promote tolerance, understanding and respect for all and to combat bigotry and discrimination.Requests for projects in education, mediation and conflict resolution, and celebrations will be considered.
Grant range: $300 - $3,000
Application Deadline: September 1
Funds Avaiable: November
Category: Education, Justice, Human Services

Fund: Samuel F. Atkins and Barbara H. Atkins Memorial Fund
Purpose: To assist agencies which help low income people with basic human needs; and/or to support projects which improve the welfare of animals or alleviate animal suffering. Requests for operating support will be considered.
Grant range: $500 - $4,000
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Category: Human Services, Animal Welfare

Fund: Business Leaders Fund
Purpose: To support projects, which strengthen and enhance nonprofit organizations and/or improve a community's general quality of life. Grants may be made for technical assistance; needs assessments; program development; special public opportunities; and, programs which provide young people with an understanding of business and careers. Preference will be given to agencies which have unusual one-time projects.
Grant range: $1,000 - $10,000
Application Deadline: April 1, October 1
Funds Available: July, January
Category: Capacity Building, Community Development

Fund: Michael Adam Carroll Memorial Fund
Purpose: To encourage and enable organizations that provide services to disabled youth and their families, particularly in the areas of family support services and respite care.
Grant range: $300 - $1,000
Application Deadline: April 1
Funds Available: July
Category: Human Services

Fund: Central Mesabi Fund for Human Services
Purpose: To assist agencies that help low-income people cope with basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and health care. Restricted to agencies that serve communities bordered by Coleraine and Mountain Iron. Requests for operating support will be considered.
Grant range: $2,000 - $8,000
Application Deadline: February 1, August 1
Funds Available: April, October
Category: Human Services

Fund: Community Leaders Fund
Purpose:To strengthen the community through innovative programs,and to encourage projects tht foster strong community leadership.
Grant range: $1,00 - $4,000
Application Deadline: April 1
Funds Available: July
Category: Arts, Education, Environment, Community/Economic Development

Fund: Community Opportunity Fund (formerly the Unrestricted Endowment Fund)
Purpose: For initiatives that meet the changing needs of our community in the area of arts, community & economic development, education, environment and human services. This fund is guided by one set of criteria and is comprised of a subset of funds including:

• Anonymous Friend Fund
• Barnum Fund
• Dr. & Mrs. Bernhard Boecker Charitable Fund
• William, Florence & Dorothy Burns Family Fund
• Business Leaders Fund
• Campbell Family Charitable Fund
• Cleveland Family Fund
• Living Legacy Fund
• Wildey H. Mitchell Family Fund
• Moline Family Fund
• Erick Peter Person Memorial
• Ruth H. Richards Fund
• Carolyn Joy Seitz Family Fund
• William G. Strobel, M.D., Family Fund
• Weckwerth-Sampson Family Fund

Fund: Cook County Community Fund
Purpose: For initiatives that meet the changing needs of the Cook County community in the area of arts, community development, education, youth, environment, and human services. Restricted to organizations that are located in or serve Cook County.
Grant range: $500 - $1,000
Application Deadline: May 1
Funds Available: July
Category: Arts, Community Development, Education, Youth, Environment, Human Services

Fund: Douglas County Disaster and Welfare Fund
Purpose: To provide grants for general welfare and basic human needs in Douglas County, Wisconsin.
Grant range: $300 - $2,000
Application Deadline: April 1, October 1
Funds Available: July, January
Category: Human Services

Fund: Duluth Legacy Endowment Fund
Purpose: To provide grants for the betterment of the community of Duluth, Minnesota. Restricted to organizations that are located in or provide services to residents within the City of Duluth; must secure sponsorship from an applicable City department. Contact Staff for more information.
Grant range: $300 - $2,500
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Category: Arts/Culture, Beautification, Economic Development, Environment, Human Services, Parks/Recreation

Fund: Duluth Public Schools Fund
Purpose: To provide supplemental funding to enrich the academic, cultural, athletic, and overall experience of students and staff, and to encourage and reward creativity and innovation in the pursuit of excellence on education in the Duluth Public Schools.
Grant maximum: $2,000
Application Deadline: April 1
Funds Available: July
Category: Education

Fund: Fund for the Environment
Purpose: To promote livable communities throughout the Lake Superior watershed and the Northwoods through public education projects, the development of land use planning models, and community collaboration.
Grant range: $500 - $2,000
Application Deadline: October 1
Funds Available: January
Category: Environment

Fund: Fair Chance Fund
Purpose: To encourage and enable innovative projects which reduce long-term dependency on public assistance programs; to decrease the effects of poverty on children; and, to provide opportunities for economic self-sufficiency.
Grant range: Planning grants $3,000-$6,000 and Implementation grants $3,000 to $10,000
Application Deadline: October 1
Funds Available: January
Category: Human Services

Fund: Four Cedars Fund
Purpose: To provide financial incentives that initiate, stimulate, enrich and assist programs and organizations involved in the protection, preservation, and education of the unique natural resources found within the Western Lake Superior Watershed.
Grant range: $300 - $1,000
Application Deadline: April 1
Funds Available: July
Category: Environment

Fund: C.E. Fuller, Jr. and M.K. Fuller Fund
Purpose: To support agencies which provide human services for people's basic needs and problems. Preference is given to agencies which help people who are disadvantaged because of underemployment, advanced age, or physical or emotional disabilities. Requests for operating support will be considered.
Grant range: $1,000 - $2,000
Application Deadline: October 1
Funds Available: January
Category: Human Services

Fund: Global Awareness Fund
Purpose: To support projects which increase information and understanding about such global concerns as peace and security for nations; justice and human rights; economic well-being; environmental safety; sustainability and preservation; and citizen understanding of world cultures, political and social systems.
Grant range: $100 - $3,000
Application Deadline: February 1, August 1, October 1
Funds Available: April, October, January
Category: Peace, Justice, Cultural Awareness

Fund: Hermantown Community Fund
Purpose: For initiatives that meet the needs of the Hermantown community in the following five areas: arts, community and economic development, education, environment and human services.
Grant range: $250 - $1,000
Application Deadline: March 1
Funds Available: May
Category: Arts, Community/Economic Development, Education, Environment, Human Services

Fund: John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund
Purpose: To provide one-time grants in the following six areas of interest: education; well-being of children and families; housing and community development; economic development; civic engagement/positive human relations; and, vitality of cultural life. Support is considered for organizations located in or providing services to residents of St. Louis County. Minnesota, and/or the City of Superior, Wisconsin.
Grant maximum: $10,000
Application Deadline: April 1, October 1
Funds Available: July, January
Category: Arts, Community/Economic Development, Education, Human Services

Fund: LaBounty Family Fund
Purpose: To provide assistance to projects which promote economic development in the Two Harbors area.
Grant range: $1,000 - $15,000
Application Deadline: March 1
Funds Available: May
Category: Economic Development

Fund: Lakeview Arts Fund
Purpose: To support local arts organizations and other local organizations which undertake art projects. Priority for funding will be to fourteen pre-selected local arts organizations. Requests will be considered for both project and operating support.
Grant range: $300 - $1,000
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Catagory: Arts

Fund: Lone Wolf Fund
Purpose: To promote environmental education particularly through programs which increase access for children with physical and/or mental disabilities; to advance medical science through research particularly for cancer and diabetes; to increase educational opportunities for international students attending post-secondary institutions particularly in the area of academic support. Restricted to agencies serving the seven counties of northeastern Minnesota.
Grant range: $500 - $3,000
Application Deadline: April 1
Funds Available: July
Category: Environment

Fund: Morgan Fund
Purpose: To fund projects that foster community pride or economically impact the Twin Ports in general. Grants are made equally to Duluth and Superior.
Grant range: $2,000 - $5,000
Application Deadline: April 1, October 1
Funds Available: July, January
Category: Community / Economic Development

Fund: Riverfront Fund
Purpose: For initiatives, which meet the changing needs of our community in the area of arts, civic projects, education, environment, and human services. Restricted to agencies that serve Duluth’s Riverfront communities of Riverside, Smithville, Morgan Park, Gary New Duluth, and Fond du Lac.
Grant range: $300 - $1,000
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Category: Arts, Community/Economic Development, Education, Environment, Human Services

Fund: Second Chance Fund
Purpose: For grants to qualified applicants who previously applied for but did not receive grants due to limited Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation resources. Requests for capitol grants, equipment, operating support and ongoing program support will be considered.
Grant range: $500 - $2,000
Application Deadline: October 1
Fund Available: January
Category: Arts, Community and Economic Development,Education, Environment,Human Services

Fund: Silver Bay Charitable Fund
Purpose: For initiatives that meet the needs of the low income community in the area of arts, community and economic development, education, and human services. Restricted to agencies which serve the school service area for Silver Bay.
Grant range: $1,000 - $8,000
Application Deadline: February 1
Funds Available: April
Category: Arts, Community/Economic Development, Education, Human Services

Fund: G. Kendall Smith Fund for the Physically Disabled and Visually Impaired
Purpose: To assist organizations that primarily serve people with physical disabilities or visual impairments.
Grant range: $1,000 - $5,000
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Category: Human Services

Fund: Jane S. Smith Memorial Fund
Purpose: To encourage and enable ten pre-selected Duluth organizations which provide artistic and cultural traditions in our region. Requests for operating support will be considered. Priority is given to organizations which demonstrate financial need and programmatic merit.
Grant range: $1,000 - $5,000
Application Deadline: February 1
Funds Available: April
Category: Arts

Fund: Superior-Douglas County Arts Fund
Purpose: To support programs which assist individuals towards developing an appreciation for the arts, make the arts accessible to all, and expose the community to a variety of multiculural arts experiences. Preference will be given to programs or projects which provide performance and/or artistic opportunities for children in grades K-8.
Grant range: $300 - $1,000
Application Deadline: October 1
Funds Available: January
Category: Arts

Fund: Two Harbors Area Fund
Purpose: For initiatives that meet the changing needs of our community in the area of arts, civic projects, education, environment and human services. Restricted to agencies that serve the school service area of Two Harbors High School.
Grant range: $500 - $5,000
Application Deadline: March 1
Funds Available: May
Category: Arts, Community/Economic Development, Education, Environment, Human Services

Fund: Wetherby Fund
Purpose: To provide grants which address the concerns of underprivileged children in the areas of education needs, basic material needs, and an appreciation of nature. Requests for special projects and operating support will be considered.
Grant range: $1,000 - $5,000
Application Deadline: April 1
Funds Available: July
Category: Children, Education, Human Services

Fund: Dale Heimbach Wheeler Memorial Fund
Purpose: To encourage and enable projects that address the concerns of women, children, and/or families; chemical dependency; and women and violence. Requests for special projects and general operating support will be considered.
Grant range: $1,000 - $4,000
Application Deadline: October 1
Funds Available: January
Category: Women, Children, Families, Human Services

Fund: Henry and Sarah Wheeler Historical Awareness Fund
Purpose: To promote historical awareness of the service area's rich, historical legacy and inspire others to participate in preserving and promoting the region's history.
Grant range: $300 - $1,000
Application Deadline: August 1
Funds Available: October
Category: Education

Fund: Wirtanen Family Fund
Purpose: To increase community awareness of our global interdependence; to encourage progressive social change in our country; to broaden participation in our democratic society; to fight racism, sexism and all discrimination; to promote justice in our society; to promote access to universal health care, and to promote the well-being of all people. Priority is given to grants with wide regional impact.
Grant range: $300 - $2,000
Application Deadline: February 1, August 1
Funds Available: April, October
Category: Peace, Justice, Cultural Understanding