The FM Area Foundation is a community foundation created in 1960 by and for the people of Cass County, N.D., and Clay County, Minn. The FM Area Foundation helps people give back to the community and ensures the needs of the community are addressed now and in perpetuity. Working in partnership with individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits, the FM Area Foundation manages more than 300 charitable funds and provides grants to qualified nonprofit organizations and causes.
The FM Area Foundation is accredited by the Community Foundations National Standards. The National Standards ensure the values of community foundations are demonstrated through their commitment to legal compliance, philanthropic best practices and excellence that benefits communities.
The FM Area Foundation invests approximately $2 million each year into the community through grants and scholarships.
A community foundation is a grantmaking public charity created by and for a community of people. It is supported by local donors and governed by a board of private citizens who work toward the greater good of the citizens in the community. Funds come from a variety of sources, including bequests and living trusts, and are invested. The investment earnings are then distributed to worthy organizations or causes. There are more than 750 community foundations in the United States and more than 1800 worldwide.
An endowment is a permanent, irrevocable fund that may expend only the income generated by, or the increase in value of, the assets contributed to it.
When you create a charitable fund through the FM Area Foundation, you have the opportunity to benefit the community forever with a permanent endowment. Your gift is invested over time. Earnings from your fund are used to make grants to charitable organizations. Your gift—and all future earnings from your gift—is a permanent source of community capital, helping do good work today and in the future.
We meet personally with donors to determine goals and create a fund that makes sense for you. We are highly flexible in our ability to accept complex gifts, and have seven types of funds to choose from.
Any fund can be established in your name, or in the name of your family, your organization, or anyone you wish to honor. All grants distributed from the fund you establish – today and in the future – are awarded to charities in the name of that fund. It’s a great way to be involved with, and remembered for, your community investment. If you prefer to remain anonymous, we will honor your wishes.
All funds may be established with an initial minimum contribution of $5,000. Funds must reach $25,000 within five years. Once the fund reaches $25,000, gifts of any size are accepted.
A fund agreement signed by the donor and the FM Area Foundation stipulates the funds donated are property of the Foundation. The Foundation will do its best to honor the donor’s charitable intent, forever.
Annually, we calculate the available amount for distribution. Each fund varies depending on how it was set up. We’ll work with you through this process.
The FM Area Foundation has many endowments that qualify for the North Dakota Charitable Income Tax Credit under North Dakota Century Code §57-38-01.21. To find out which of our funds qualify, contact us at (701) 234-0756 or lexi@areafoundation.org.
Creating a Donor Advised Fund or supporting organization at the FM Area Foundation is less costly and takes much less time than creating a private foundation. We can help you establish a fund with a minimum contribution of $5,000. You recommend where your gifts go while leaving the administration and paperwork to us. This allows you to focus on the more meaningful aspects of charitable giving.
“We are very pleased with how smoothly things went when donating farmland to the FM Area Foundation. We have also received appreciation responses from recipients of grants made from our donor-advised fund. We’re thankful for the Foundation’s excellent service”
“It’s very important to my clients that their philanthropic giving matches their values. The FM Area Foundation is a local, knowledgeable resource that can provide them with options and insight into the needs within our community, and they work closely with donors to find ways to give that reflect their goals,”
The FM Area Foundation is a community foundation created in 1960 by and for the people of Cass County, N.D., and Clay County, Minn. The FM Area Foundation helps people give back to the community and ensures the needs of the community are addressed now and in perpetuity. Working in partnership with individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits, the FM Area Foundation manages more than 300 charitable funds and provides grants to qualified nonprofit organizations and causes.
The FM Area Foundation is accredited by the Community Foundations National Standards. The National Standards ensure the values of community foundations are demonstrated through their commitment to legal compliance, philanthropic best practices and excellence that benefits communities.
The FM Area Foundation invests approximately $2 million each year into the community through grants and scholarships.
A community foundation is a grantmaking public charity created by and for a community of people. It is supported by local donors and governed by a board of private citizens who work toward the greater good of the citizens in the community. Funds come from a variety of sources, including bequests and living trusts, and are invested. The investment earnings are then distributed to worthy organizations or causes. There are more than 750 community foundations in the United States and more than 1,800 worldwide.
All funds may be established with an initial minimum contribution of $5,000. Funds must reach $25,000 within five years. Once the fund reaches $25,000, gifts of any size are accepted.
What sets us apart from commercial funds is our expertise in local issues and nonprofits. We review all grant recommendations made by the donor and offer due diligence on grant recipients. We help donor’s gifts benefit the community forever and help create personal legacies for donors through permanent, endowed funds.
We work with each donor to accept a variety of outright and deferred gifts, including life insurance, real estate, retirement plan beneficiary designations and more. Please see our gift acceptance policy for the comprehensive list of assets the Foundation
We offer a variety of funds and flexible options to help donors receive tax benefits while giving to causes they are passionate about.
There is sometimes a perception that referring clients to us will result in lost business for existing managers and advisors, but this simply isn’t the case. Donors have the option to recommend their own fund manager when establishing a charitable fund through the FM Area Foundation. We understand the value of the relationships you’ve built, and we want to help facilitate your client’s giving while helping you grow your business. Advisors who work with us and follow our investment policy can become part of our fund manager portfolio.
Yes, you can reapply. Please read the scholarship criteria and eligibility for further instructions.
Please provide proof of enrollment. (For example, a class schedule.)
Please send your thank you letters directly to the FM Area Foundation. We will direct your note to the fundholder and/or selection committee.
It depends on how the scholarship fund is set up. There are a variety of different types of scholarship funds. If the awarding of the scholarship has been given to the Foundation, we have a scholarship committee made up of retired teachers and community members who evaluate applications and select the scholarship recipient.
Yes! We encourage you to apply for as many scholarships as possible. The more scholarship support you receive today, the less student loans you’ll have to pay back later.
Scholarship deadlines vary. Please check the scholarship application for the deadline.
Our scholarship listing should be updated by February 1 of each year.
We process our scholarship checks in early August and send them directly to your Financial Aid Office. Please note that depending on the process, it could take several weeks after your school receives the check to have it reflect on your account. If you are questioning its status, please check with your Financial Aid Office first to find out if it is being processed.
"We wanted the scholarship to live on as a legacy for Norman and I in our communities to encourage a young person as they seek their dreams."
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Please review our guidelines and eligibility pages for detailed information. If you would like to discuss a specific project or request, please reach out to our Donor Services Associate, Jamie Olson.
Donor advised fund grants are awarded at the recommendation of the donor(s) and are not open for applications.
Yes, the next calendar year. We encourage you to reach out to our team for feedback to improve your grant application.
Yes, our final report form is located under the resources tab. A final report form must be completed before applying for another grant from the Foundation.
Thank you cards for grants from donor advised funds must come directly to the Foundation. We will be sure to pass along your note to the fundholder.
For ideas and expectations on promoting your grant, please see the promotional package under Resources and Forms.
You can find our logo in the promotional package file on the Resources and Forms page.
Our turnaround time varies based on our board meeting schedule, but is typically three months. Once you have applied, you will receive a notification with more details.
The minimum grant request is $500. The maximum grant request is $15,000. Please see full guidelines for additional information.
All funding requests are put through a four-step evaluation process, which includes evaluation by the Community Development Officer, the entire staff of the FM Area Foundation, a special grants committee, and final approval by the Board of Directors.
We currently do not offer multi-year funding.
We can do so much more for our communities by working together. If you want to make a difference close to home, you can join like-minded supporters and give to one of our 400+ charitable funds, each with its own unique story and purpose.
