North Dakota Community Foundation Announces Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund Grants
NDCF distributes $1,000,000 in grants to local nonprofits as OBT's intermediary partner in North Dakota
August 20, 2025, Bismarck, ND — The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) is pleased to announce that 20 organizations have received grants from its Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) Community Responsive Fund. NDCF was selected as a philanthropic intermediary partner to administer and distribute funds from OBT’s Community Responsive Fund to organizations in North Dakota.
NDCF serves as a local expert to ensure that the OBT is increasing the positive impact in the regions it serves by providing and administering grants directly to organizations within North Dakota that provide effective services and programs. OBT’s six areas of focus in 2025 were mental health, capital projects for hospitals or clinics, children’s health, children’s disability services, literacy, and adoption and foster care services.
“We are pleased to partner with the Otto Bremer Trust to distribute these grants to those organizations that address OBT’s six focus areas in 2025,” said Kevin Dvorak, CEO of NDCF. “In particular, there were many requests from our healthcare partners across the state and we are pleased to help them increase and improve their services.”
Download the complete news release and listing of grantees here.
Andrea Savelkoul
NDCF Elects New Directors and Officers
August 7, 2025—The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) is pleased to announce the election of Andrea Savelkoul of Lansford, North Dakota, to a three-year term on the NDCF Board.
Savelkoul is a broker/co-owner of Signal Realty, serving Minot and northern North Dakota, including the communities of Glenburn, Lansford, and Mohall, ND. She has a degree in Economics from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and also runs Savelkoul Farms with her husband in northern North Dakota. Savelkoul has served on several boards including the Mohall Lansford Sherwood Board of Education, the Trinity United Church Council, and Independence Incorporated (Minot’s Center for Independent Living.) She and her husband have three children.
Re-elected to serve a second three-year term on the board were Julie Graney of Beulah and Laurel Goulding of Devils Lake. Download full news release here.
NDCF Grants $12.9 Million in 2024
June 6, 2025 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) has announced that it awarded more than $12.9 million in grants and charitable program expenses in 2024. The organization was founded in 1976 to improve the quality of life of North Dakotans through charitable giving and promoting philanthropy.
NDCF currently manages more than 1,000 charitable funds, including 69 local community foundations in the state and over 200 scholarship funds for North Dakota students. It also administers organizational endowment funds, donor-advised funds, school foundations, and special interest funds for individuals and nonprofit organizations across North Dakota.
NDCF ended the year with $160 million in total assets. Most of NDCF’s assets are in endowment funds, providing permanent grant dollars to North Dakota communities, schools, and nonprofit organizations. The organization has awarded more than $121 million in grants and charitable program expenses since its inception. NDCF has offices in Bismarck, Larimore, Dickinson, and Wahpeton, North Dakota.
Download the full news release here.
Download the 2024 Annual Report here.
NDCF Board Selects Lipp to Lead Organization
April 23, 2025— The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) Board of Directors has announced its selection of Steve Lipp as the next President & CEO of the organization. Lipp will replace Kevin Dvorak, who is retiring at the end of the year after 37 years at the foundation.
Originally from Minot, North Dakota, Lipp has over thirty years of experience in relationship building and staff management, and over seven years of experience in endowment-focused fundraising. He previously worked as the Executive Director of Foundation & Mission Advancement for the Bishop Ryan Catholic School Foundation and as the Director of Development for the Minot State University Foundation. He earned a Catholic Philanthropy Post-Graduate Certificate from the University of Mary in 2018. A graduate of Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Bloomington, Minnesota, Lipp is also a practicing Chiropractic Physician, most recently at Active Life Chiropractic in Bismarck.
Download the full release here . . .
Otto Bremer Trust Selects the North Dakota Community Foundation as Philanthropic Intermediary Partner for 2025 Community Responsive Fund
The Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust based in St. Paul, Minn. Created in 1944 by business and community leader Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting an enhanced quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
North Dakota Community Foundation will administer and distribute $1 million in grants of up to $75,000 to local nonprofits; applications due April 30, 2025.
March 19, 2025, Bismarck, ND — The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) has been selected by the Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) as a philanthropic intermediary partner to administer and distribute funds through its 2025 Community Responsive Fund. Under this partnership, NDCF will work closely with OBT to administer $1 million in funds for grants up to $75,000 to support local organizations that directly respond to immediate challenges and opportunities in the state in one of six key focus areas.
NDCF will serve as a local expert to ensure that the Otto Bremer Trust is increasing the positive impact in the regions it serves by providing guidance on and administering grants from OBT directly to the organizations within North Dakota that are providing effective services and programs.
Download the full news release here . . .
ND Community Foundation President & CEO to Retire After 37 Years
February 3, 2025—Kevin Dvorak, President & CEO of the North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF), has announced that he will retire at the end of 2025 after 37 years at the organization.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this foundation for most of my career,” said Dvorak. “I am especially proud of our work to support rural communities through our grantmaking and in building our 69 local community endowment funds. It has been ‘work worth doing’, but the time has come for the next chapter of my life. The Foundation has never been stronger and the next CEO, whomever that will be, will take it to new levels of relevance and usefulness for the citizens of North Dakota.”
Dvorak began work at NDCF in 1989 as a Program Officer and became President and CEO in 1995. He is only the third President and CEO in the organization’s history, succeeding Dr. Richard Timmins and the original Executive Director (and former ND Governor) William L. Guy. Established in 1976, NDCF is considered one of the first statewide community foundations in the country.
Under his leadership, NDCF has grown from $5 million to more than $160 million in charitable assets and made grants in excess of $118 million supporting North Dakota communities, schools, and nonprofit organizations. Its staff size has also increased during his tenure from two employees to 11. The organization now has offices in Bismarck, Dickinson, Larimore, and Wahpeton.
Download the full news release here.
North Dakota Community Foundation to Host ND Picnic in AZ
January 22, 2025 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) will be hosting the 57th annual North Dakota Picnic at Red Mountain Park in Mesa, Arizona on Sunday, March 2, 2025. The event is a gathering of anyone with North Dakota ties living either permanently or part-time in Arizona or elsewhere. The 2024 ND Picnic drew a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 people.
The event will be held from 10 am to 2:30 pm on Sunday, March 2 at Red Mountain Park, 7745 E. Brown Road in Mesa. It will feature musical entertainment by North Dakotan musicians Rick Senger and Mooncats, a variety of vendor booths, a classic car show, and the opportunity to meet up with old friends. There will be food available for purchase. Attendees are asked to pay $5 per person at the Registration Table to help defray costs.
Overflow parking will be in the nearby Red Mountain High School parking lot with golf cart shuttles to the event. For more information, visit www.NDCF.net/Picnic, www.facebook.com/NDpicnic, or contact the North Dakota Community Foundation at (701) 222-8349 or Deb@NDCF.net.
NDCF Recognizes Local Impact of Community Foundations During National Community Foundation Week, November 12–18, 2024
November 6, 2024 ─ The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) is celebrating the work of its local community foundations during National Community Foundation Week, November 12-18. Community Foundation Week, created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush, recognizes the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community problems.
“Our local community foundations understand area needs and are in the best position to address the issues their community faces,” said Kevin Dvorak, President and CEO of NDCF. “They are a valuable tool in funding projects and programs and provide a way for residents to give back to their area, with built-in flexibility to meet the changing needs of the community.”
NDCF Recognizes Importance of Estate Plans During National Estate Planning Awareness Week Oct. 21-27, 2024
The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) recognizes the importance of estate plans as it celebrates National Estate Planning Awareness Week October 21-27, 2024. National Estate Planning Awareness Week was adopted in 2008 to help the public understand what estate planning is and why it is such a vital part of financial wellness. Occurring the third full week in October each calendar year, it offers the perfect opportunity to reach Americans on a regular basis with a reminder of the need for estate planning and how best to find a team of professionals to assist.
“Planning your estate helps avoid unnecessary taxes and fees, eases the burden for family members, and allows you to leave a legacy to the organizations and charities that touch your heart,” said Kevin Dvorak, President and CEO of NDCF. “I’ve seen some well-thought-out estate plans and some problematic ones. It’s a good reminder to think about your plan.”
Download full news release here.
NDCF AWARDS $223,223 IN GRANTS
October 4, 2024 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation has awarded $223,223 in grants from its Statewide Greatest Needs (Unrestricted) Fund to 51 organizations across the state working to improve the quality of life for state residents.
“We are pleased to support these projects and programs all across our state,” said Kevin J. Dvorak, President & CEO of NDCF. “And we extend our thanks to those who have donated to our Statewide Greatest Needs Fund over the years to make these grants possible.”
The NDCF Board of Directors reviewed and discussed 124 grant applications at their meeting in September to make the determination of awards. Grant awards are listed in the attached news release.
Download the full listing of grantees here.
NDCF Awards $770,000 in Scholarships
September 13, 2024 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) will award more than $770,000 in over 400 scholarships to North Dakota students in 2024. The organization currently manages over 200 scholarship funds supported by North Dakotans, former residents and those interested in helping North Dakota students succeed.
“These scholarships are all possible because of generous North Dakotans who believe in the value of education,” said Kevin Dvorak, President and CEO of NDCF. “We are grateful to them and we wish these students the best as they continue their studies.”
The following list is organized alphabetically by hometown and provides the name of each scholarship recipient, their hometown, the school they will be attending (if known), and the scholarship fund or funds at NDCF from which the money was granted. In most cases, a local advisory committee recommends the grant recipient.
Congratulations to the NDCF Class of 2024! Download complete listing here.
