To Support Area Affordable Housing Objectives MetroPlains Management has established a charitable fund, the MetroPlains Management Foundation, at the FM Area Foundation with an investment of $250,000. These funds will support MetroPlains’ geographic, employee and affordable housing objectives by providing educational scholarships, employee matches on donations, as well as many other uses to provi…

Giving to the FM Area Foundation is simple. If at any time you have a question or would like to explore ways to maximize your impact and tax benefits of a particular giving option, our staff is here to help. We accept a wide range of gift options--some for today and others for the future.Make a Gift Today Below are several options for immediately making an outright gift to the community foundatio…

The FM Area Foundation has awarded its 2021 community grants in the areas of Arts, Culture & Creativity; Basic Human Needs; Community Building; Education; and Women & Children. Also, this year, in partnership with the City of Fargo, $100,000 was designated for grants to New American organizations or to organizations primarily serving Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communitie…

The FM Area Foundation is celebrating 61 years of philanthropy in Fargo-Moorhead.  Since 1960, families, individuals and organizations have built the community foundation through their generosity. Donations of all sizes have made an impact in communities in Cass and Clay counties, across the state, and beyond. Because of these generous gifts throughout the last 61 years, the FM Area Foundation ha…

The FM Area Foundation is pleased to announce Sher Thomsen has joined its Board of Directors. Thomsen is the co-owner and executive advisor for Black Arbor Capital. She served as president for the United Way of Cass-Clay from 2011 to 2016, where she led a strategic shift in the organization’s investment strategy and evolved their business model. Thomsen has spent the last 20 years in leadership r…

We are saddened by the appalling acts against the Moorhead Fargo Islamic Center that took place over the weekend. Senseless hate crimes, such as these, do not belong in our community. At the FM Area Foundation, we believe in creating a more welcoming and equitable community for everyone. Because of these reasons, we have chosen to provide a grant to the Moorhead Fargo Islamic Center in support of…

Your client’s fund at the FM Area Foundation can be an ideal recipient of estate gifts through a will or trust, or through a beneficiary designation on a qualified retirement plan or life insurance policy.  Bequests of qualified retirement plans can be extremely tax-efficient. This is because charitable organizations, such as the FM Area Foundation are tax-exempt. This means, the funds flowing di…

COVID-19 has significantly impacted nonprofit operations across the country and hampered nonprofits’ ability to help their communities during a crisis in which millions of people are in need. The National Council of Nonprofits reports widespread damage to nonprofits’ programs, services, supplies, staffs, and budgets due to the pandemic and current economic challenges. This means, nonprofits need p…

For many donors, the importance of a multi-generational family philanthropy plan is high on the radar, especially in the wake of 2020’s eye-opening events highlighting the importance of rallying around important social and community priorities. How do you know when a client’s family is a strong candidate for more formal philanthropic planning, beyond simply budgeting for annual gifts to charity? …

Executive Director, Eric Wilkie, is featured in the February issue of Fargo INC! magazine. He shares about his experiences in the nonprofit sector and his new role with the FM Area Foundation.  An excerpt from Fargo INC! magazine:  Wilkie has been working in nonprofit for 20 years. Half of those years have been spent in the trenches of the nonprofit world, helping to directly impact the lives of…