Largest private foundations in Minnesota
| # | Foundation | City | Focus area | Total assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Margaret A Cargill Foundation | Eden Prairie | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $3.3 billion |
| 2 | McKnight Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $2.7 billion |
| 3 | Fred C And Katherine B Andersen Foundation | Bayport | Not listed | $1.7 billion |
| 4 | Bush Foundation | St Paul | Education | $1.5 billion |
| 5 | Otto Bremer Trust | Saint Paul | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $1.4 billion |
| 6 | Ghr Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $1.1 billion |
| 7 | Manitou Fund | Saint Paul | Not listed | $778.2 million |
| 8 | Northwest Area Foundation | Saint Paul | Not listed | $547.6 million |
| 9 | Community Facility Public Private Partnerships | Minnetonka | Community Improvement & Capacity Building | $539.3 million |
| 10 | Charles K Blandin Foundation | Grand Rapids | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $506.3 million |
| 11 | Goodman Family Operating Foundation | Chaska | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $347.9 million |
| 12 | Cargill Foundation | Minneapolis | Not listed | $307.3 million |
| 13 | G O Forward Charitable Tr | Saint Paul | Mutual & Membership Benefit | $302.7 million |
| 14 | The Curtis L Carlson Family Foundation | Minnetonka | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $285.7 million |
| 15 | Hugh J Andersen Foundation | Bayport | Not listed | $277.8 million |
| 16 | Wonderful Foundations | Minneapolis | Education | $226.4 million |
| 17 | The Richard M Schulze Family Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $218.3 million |
| 18 | Joyful Noise Charitable Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $213.4 million |
| 19 | F R Bigelow Foundation Trust 555 | Saint Paul | Not listed | $180.8 million |
| 20 | J A Wedum Foundation | Plymouth | Not listed | $169.0 million |
| 21 | Baustert Family Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $162.4 million |
| 22 | The Mortenson Family Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $141.8 million |
| 23 | David And Janis Larson Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $139.8 million |
| 24 | Opus Foundation | Minneapolis | Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations | $139.3 million |
| 25 | Katherine Wells Macmillan Foundation | Minneapolis | Education | $131.8 million |
The full list includes all 2,282 Minnesota foundations with street address, ZIP, EIN, focus area, income and tax period, plus every other state.
Minnesota cities with the most private foundations
- Saint Paul: 703
- Minneapolis: 357
- Minnetonka: 63
- Wayzata: 57
- Edina: 57
- Eden Prairie: 36
- Plymouth: 34
- Bloomington: 26
- Excelsior: 26
- Duluth: 22
Most common focus areas in Minnesota
- Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations: 1,055
- Education: 186
- Recreation & Sports: 75
- Human Services: 72
- Arts, Culture & Humanities: 45
- Religion-Related: 39
- Youth Development: 30
- Community Improvement & Capacity Building: 23
Where does this data come from?
The IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, downloaded in October 2026 and filtered to private foundations. Assets are as reported on each foundation's latest return on file. Foundations with no focus area code are shown as Not listed.