FM Area Foundation Helps Bring America 250 Mural to Downtown Fargo
The FM Area Foundation was honored to attend the ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the new America 250 Mural on the VFW building in downtown Fargo. Created in recognition of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, the mural serves as a lasting tribute to our nation, the veterans who have served it, and the values that […]
Good news keeps coming: Retirement plans and charitable giving
You’ve no doubt noticed that Qualified Charitable Distributions (“QCDs”) continue to gain traction as one of the most practical and effective charitable planning tools for clients over age 70 ½. By allowing eligible clients to transfer funds directly from an IRA to a qualified charity without recognizing the distribution as taxable income, QCDs can help […]
Getting creative: Unusual noncash assets can make great gifts to charity
If you’re like many advisors, you may have discovered that often charitable giving conversations begin (and end!) with cash or appreciated stock. And of course, you are well aware that appreciated stock is an excellent choice for your clients to fund a donor-advised or other type of fund at the FM Area Foundation because it […]
FM Area Foundation Invites Community to Celebrate $100 Million in Grants Awarded
The FM Area Foundation is inviting community members, nonprofit partners, donors and professional advisors to join a special Summer Celebration on Tuesday, Aug. 11, as the Foundation marks a significant milestone: more than $100 million in grants awarded to charitable causes throughout Cass and Clay counties. For more than 65 years, the FM Area Foundation […]
Wake up call: OBBA changes and client conversations
For many attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, the tax law changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are old news. That is not the case for many of your clients! While you’ve been busy reading dozens of articles and evaluating how the changes will impact your clients, many of your clients are just now […]
Join Us for the Lakes Area Happy Hour
The FM Area Foundation team is excited to return to lakes country for our annual donor happy hour on July 16, 2026, at Detroit Mountain in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Thanks to generous donors like you, more than $100 million has been granted to strengthen communities across our region. Join fellow fundholders, donors, and friends for […]
Rare but useful: Planning with charitable lead trusts
“Charitable lead trust” is far from a household word, and you might not run across the need for one very often in your practice. They sure do come in handy in certain client situations, though. At the FM Area Foundation, we are happy to establish a donor advised fund or another type of fund to […]
Case study: Business owners exit with a family legacy
As an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor, you probably work with several clients who own a family business. You’ve likely also considered that there may be a role for strategic philanthropy in family business succession planning to help clients get ready for an eventual exit. But so what? How does strategic philanthropy actually play out […]
Rethinking legacy: Balancing gifts to heirs with the community’s future
Next time you meet with your estate planning attorney, it may be a good idea to check in on your long-term plans and ask yourself questions you might not yet have considered. Some planners, for example, report that more and more clients are reconsidering an automatic estate distribution to heirs. Instead, their clients are evaluating […]
Charitable giving, due diligence, and how the FM Area Foundation can help
Many people want to be thoughtful in their charitable giving, but that doesn’t always make the process easy. In fact, one of the most common challenges donors face is simply feeling confident in their decisions. With so many worthy organizations, urgent needs, and compelling opportunities, it can be difficult to know where to start—or how […]