Richland/Wilkin

BIO Girls is a 12-week program that builds self-worth in girls grades 2-6 through life-skills curriculum, mentoring and non-competitive physical activity. The 2026 season begins February 17th.

Recent grant awards from the Richland Wilkin Community Foundation's Endowment Fund (which includes grants from the Elmer & Lucille Hoffert Fund), Annual Fund, and Power of 100 are listed below.

2025

• Power of 100 Grants Awarded
  • BIO Girls: $3,000 Abercrombie-Colfax, ND
  • Breckenridge Active Living Committee: $2,000
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center: $5,000
• Annual Grants Awarded
  • A Place for Friends: $900 Computer Station
  • Breckenridge Public School: $800 Project U
  • Cares for Cancer: $5,000 granting program
  • City of Breckenridge-Family Community Center: $5,000 Teen Center, FREE year-round Youth Service Program
  • Community Connection, Community Closet: $10,000 Thrift Store launch project
  • Red Door Art Gallery & Museum: $3,750 Wahpeton Fine Arts Festival
  • Richland-Wilkin Kinship: $10,000 youth mentoring
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center: $2,300 Kids Konnection
  • U of MN Foundation-Wilkin County 4-H: $5,000 Youth Development and Leadership Program
  • Wahpeton/Breckenridge Headwaters Music Festival: $3,750 6th annual
  • Wyndmere Public School: $1,500 Wyndmere Poetry Slam
• Endowment Grants Awarded
  • Breckenridge United Methodist Church: $1,500 community choir & orchestra Christmas concert
  • CHI Health at Home-Breckenridge: $500 CHI Hospice/Bereavement Program
  • Hankinson Community Betterment Club: $750 annual Tree Lighting Event
  • Hankinson Public School: $1,000 Missoula Children's Theater
  • Humane Society of Richland-Wilkin Counties: $1,550 Dog Play Area
  • Richland-Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry, Inc: $10,000 Backpack Program (provides weekend food to K-6 children in 11 school from Sept. to May)
  • Riverbend Community Theater: $1,000 Spring production "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center: $9,700 Kids Konnection
  • Wyndmere Child & Adolescent Resources & Education (CARE): $1,500 The Nest PlaySpace Enhancement

2024

• Power of 100 Grants Awarded
  • City of Abercrombie: $2,750
  • City of Breckenridge: $1,650 Twin Town Skatepark
  • Wahpeton/Breckenridge Headwaters Music Festival: $1,100
  • Children's Discovery Center: $2,850
  • Bagg Bonanza Farm Historic Preservation Society: $1,150
  • Richland-Wilkin Kinship: $1,725
• Annual Grants Awarded
  • Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry: $10,000
  • Richland Wilkin Kinship: $10,000 for programs and operations
  • SE North Dakota Community Action Agency: $5,000 emergency assistance for low-income residents of Richland County
  • Children's Discovery Center: $5,800 Capital Campaign
  • Red Door Art Gallery & Museum: $2,780 to make historic building handicap accessible
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center: $12,000 Kids Konnection and Pencils Plus
  • Twin Town Skatepark: $5,000 Phase 2
• Endowment Grants Awarded
  • Breckenridge Wahpeton Chess: $1,000 Blue Goose Days Chess Tournament​​​​​​​/Winter Chess Classic '25
  • CAPLP-Lakes and Prairies Community Action: $1,100 Food & Transportation
  • City of Breckenridge-Family Community Center: $5,000 Teen Center, Free Year-Round Youth Service Program
  • Hankinson Park Board: $500 Campground and Ballfield signage and tables
  • Red Door Art Gallery & Museum:
    • ​​​​​​​$1,000 Ellen Diederich, Featured Artist (The Color Design Workshop)
    • $500 Christine Ellsworth, Facilitator (Poetry Therapy Workshop)
    • $1,720 to make historic building handicap accessible
    • $1,600 utilizing technology to increase visitor awareness of community events
  • Valley Lake Boys Home: $1,500 Summer Work Program
  • BIO Girls: $3,500 Richland & Wilken counties- 2025
  • Breckenridge United Methodist Church: $1,500 Community Choir and Orchestra Christmas Cantata
  • PARTNERS: $1,500 Foot Clinic
  • Richland Lutheran Cemetery Association: $1,000 restoration
  • Someplace Safe: $2,400 Emergency safety resources for Survivors of Crime
  • Wilkin County Historical Society: $700 Landscape edging​​​​​​​

2023

• Power of 100 Grants Awarded
  • Chahinkapa Zoo Association: $600
  • City of Breckenridge-Family Community Center: $1,000 for Teen Program
  • Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry: $1,500
  • Colfax Park Board: $3,000
  • Breckenridge Public Schools: $1,200 for Breckenridge Fun Club
  • Wilkin County Agricultural Society: $1,000
  • Jessy's Toy Box: $1,200
  • St. Mary's School: $3,000 Preschool
  • Wahpeton Parks and Recreation: $1,200 for Wahpeton Special Olympics
• Annual Grants Awarded
  • CAPLP - Lakes and Prairies Community Action: $2,000 for food vouchers
  • Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry: $8,500 Backpack Program and Food Pantry
  • Richland Wilkin Kinship: $10,000 for programming and operations
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center: $24,000 Kids Konnection
  • Wahpeton/Breckenridge Headwaters Music Festival: $1,500  4th Annual
  • We Care Coalition: $3,500 Community Outreach costs
  • A Place for Friends: $750 craft/bingo supplies
  • Friends of the Leach Public Library: $1,000 Historical Newspaper Digitization
  • Red Door Art Gallery & Museum: $1,000 Historic Building Tile Step Repair
  • Richland County Historical Society: $1,000 Museum Security Project
  • SE North Dakota Community Action Agency: $149.91 emergency assistance for low-income residents of Richland County
• Endowment Grants Awarded
  • Chahinkapa Zoo Association: $1,500 Education Animal Housing/Exhibit
  • City of Breckenridge - Family Community Center: $4,000 Teen Center, free year-round Youth Service Program
  • Fairmount Park Board: $1,500 Park Playground Equipment
  • PARTNERS: $1,500 Foot Clinic
  • Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry: $2,500 addition to current building
  • Someplace Safe: $1,600 Children's Activity and Play Area for the new facility
  • Valley Lake Boys Home: $1,699.91 Technology Update
  • Walcott Lutheran Church: $1,000 Walcott Veteran's Memorial
  • Wyndmere Community Center Corp: $1,500 flooring update
  • BIO Girls: $1,000 Richland & Wilkin counties, 2024 (three locations)
  • Breckenridge Public Schools: $1,500 Robotics Class I and II
  • Breckenridge United Methodist Church: $1,500 Community Choir & Orchestra Christmas Cantata
  • NDSCS Alumni Foundation: $500 for Speaker Series event
  • SE North Dakota Community Action Agency: $1,350.09 emergency assistance for low-income residents of Richland County
  • Wilkin County Historical Society: $1,000 for refinishing basement floor

2022 

• Power of 100 Grants Awarded
  • The Infinity Center:  $2,550 for the Children's Discovery Center
  • Valley Lake Boys Home:  $2,650 
  • City of Breckenridge:  $1,500 for the Bois de Sioux Adventure Area
  • Richland-Wilkin Kinship:  $1,000
  • Wahpeton/Breckenridge Headwaters Music Festival:  $650
• Annual Grants Awarded
  • Northern Lights Council of Boy Scouts of America - $2,500 for comprehensive youth development
  • Red Door Art Gallery - $2,000 for Art in the Afternoon
  • CAPLP - Lakes & Prairies Community Action - $2,500 for food vouchers for Wilkin County families
  • Richland Wilkin Kinship - $10,000 for operating and activity expenses
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center and Kids Konnection - $24,000 for day to day operations
  • Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry - $2,000 for their backpack program
  • Wahpeton/Breckenridge Headwaters Music Festival - $1,500
  • City of Breckenridge - Family Community Center - $3,500 for their After-School Program
  • PARTNERS - $1,500 for a Foot Care Program Clinic
  • Friends of the Leach Public Library - $900 for the Teen Area Remodel
  • SENDCAA - $5,000 Emergency Assistance in Richland County
  • Someplace Safe - $3,000 for Emergency Financial Resources for Victims and Survivors of Crime
  • Valley Lake Boys Home - $2,000 for VLII:  Independent Living & Transition Home household goods, shower
  • Wahpeton Police Department - $1,500 for their K9 fund
• Endowment Grants Awarded
  • Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry:  $5,000 for their building project
  • FirstLink:  $1,500 for safeTALK
  • BIO Girls:  $1,500 for their 2023 program (three locations) in Richland County
  • City of Breckenridge:  $1,500 for information boards & signage
  • United Methodist Church:  $1,500 for Community Choir & Orchestra Christmas Cantata
  • We Care Coalition:  $1,500 for start-up costs
  • Someplace Safe:  $1,428 for security equipment and door replacement
  • Wilkin County Historical  Society:  $800 for sump pump replacement/PVC Piping

2021

• Annual Grants Awarded
  • Northern Lights Council of Boy Scouts of America - $2,500 for comp. youth development
  • Red Door Art Gallery - $1,500 for operating expenses with equipment and lease payments
  • Richland Wilkin Backpack Program - $1,500 to buy food for the kid's packs
  • Richland Wilkin Kinship - $10,000 for operating and activity expenses
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center and Kids Konnection - $12,000 for day to day operations
  • BIO Girls - $2,500 Program Support for Wahpeton-Breckenridge, Abercrombie-Colfax & Windmere-Lidgerwood
  • Breckenridge Youth Program - $2,000 Economic Resiliency Project
  • PARTNERS - $1,500 Foot Care Program
  • Richland Wilkin Backpack Program - $3,500 For for Kids
  • SENDCAA - $5,000 Emergency Assistance in Richland County
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center - $12,000 Kids Konnection
  • University of MN Foundation for Wilkin County 4-H - $1,000 After School & Day Camps
  • Someplace Safe - $2,500 for Increased Client Load
• Endowment Grants Awarded
  • Headwaters Music Festival - $2,500 for educators for the kids camp
  • Red Door Art Gallery - $1,500 for upgrades to the security system
  • SENDCAA - $1,500 for rental of office space in Wahpeton
  • Someplace Safe - $1,500 for upgrades in security equipment
  • Valley Lake Boys Home - $1,500 for summer work program
  • City of Breckenridge - $1,500 Family Connection/Teen Center After School Program
  • Friends of the Leach Public Library - $1,500 Historical Newspaper Digitization Project
  • Someplace Safe - $1,500 Security Packs for Survivors of Crime & Abuse
  • United Methodist Church - $1,500 Community Choir & Orchestra Christmas Contata
  • Valley Lake Boys Home - $3,000 Ending Sexual Abuse/Exploitation of Children Along with Associated Trauma

2020

• Annual Grants Awarded (formerly the United Way):
  • Breckenridge Youth Program - $2,500 toward an economic resiliency project
  • FirstLink - $1,500 for Mental Health training
  • PARTNERS - $1,500 toward the Foot Care program for residents
  • Richland Wilkin Backpack Program - $2,000 toward food for the program
  • Richland Wilkin Backpack Program - $800 toward a computer for a Mobile Pantry
  • Richland Wilkin Kinship - $1,268.50 toward technology updates
  • Someplace Safe - $2,000 to support financial resources for victims
  • Southeastern North Dakota Community Action Agency - $7,500 for Emergency Assistance
  • Three Rivers Crisis Center - $24,000 for general support and programming
  • Valley Lake Boys Home - $1,500 to purchase new beds for residents
• Endowment Grants Awarded
  • Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry - 1,000 to purchase a new computer for the food pantry
  • Hankinson Public School - $1,545 to purchase a chipper/shredder for the American Legion Veterans Memorial
  • Breckenridge United Methodist Church "Soul Shop" - $1,500 for Speaker fees for a Fall Event
  • CAPLP Lakes and Prairies Community Action - $1,446 for EBT (market match dollars) for Twin Town Gardener's Market
  • BIO Girls, INC - $3,120 to support programming for Beauty Inside and Out programming
  • City of Breckenridge - $4,243.97 toward construction of a Breckenridge Dog Park
  • Fairmount Park Board - $500 toward purchase of a new mower
  • Hankinson Park District - $1,500 toward a community skating rink
  • Marketplace of Ideas/Marketplace for Kids, INC - $2,000 for conversion to a virtual Marketplace for Kids event
  • North Dakota State College of Science Foundation - $467.75 for Bremer Bank Theater accessibility initiative
  • Red Door Art Gallery & Museum - $1,500 to support an online art auction

2019 Grants Awarded

• CAPLP Lakes and Prairies Community Action - $1,437 to put an EBT at the Twin Towns Gardener's Market
• Mooreton Park Board - $1,000 for an ice skating/hockey rink
• Southeastern North Dakota  Community Action Agency - $1,500 for individual emergency assistance
• Wyndmere School - $1,500 for Battle of the Books program
• Hankinson Park District - $1,500 toward the purchase of playground equipment for North Park
• City of Breckenridge - $2,500 to purchase Pickleball Fencing
• Red Door Art Gallery & Museum - $1,500 to increase and update indoor and outdoor lighting 
• Red Door Art Gallery & Museum - $1,500 to support the Student Art Show

Apply for a Grant from the Richland Wilkin Community Foundation

Guidelines for Endowment Fund (Richland Wilkin Community Fund)

• Grants shall not be made to individuals. Organizations authorized under IRS code 501(c)3 and those with official ties to government entities will be accepted.
• Grants shall be awarded to organizations within Richland County in ND and Wilkin County in MN.
• Grants from the permanent fund generally do not exceed $1,500.00 annually.

• The Richland/Wilkin Community Foundation permanent fund will not fund those applications requesting funding for day-to-day operations.
• Grants must have a significant impact on the financial success of the project. To this end, requests should not be a minor percentage of a much larger budget.
• Grants to religious organizations will be limited to those activities which are non-denominational and serve the entire community.
• Lower priority will be given to projects supported by government, or which in the board’s opinion should be funded by tax collections.

Guidelines for Annual Campaign (former United Way)

• Grants shall not be made to individuals. Organizations authorized under IRS code 501(c)3 and those with official ties to government entities will be accepted.
• Grants shall be awarded to organizations within Richland County in ND and Wilkin County in MN.
• Grants from the annual fund are limited to the amount available to that particular grant round.

• The Richland/Wilkin Community Foundation annual will consider funding those applications requesting funds for day-to-day operations.
• Grants to religious organizations will be limited to those activities which are non-denominational and serve the entire community.
• Lower priority will be given to projects supported by government, or which in the board’s opinion should be funded by tax collections.

In funding decisions, the board will consider the following:
• Specific merits of each project
• Organizational management and integrity
• Level of local involvement and support
• The number of residents to be served and overall impact on the community
• The impact of the grant on the success of the project
• The extent to which the project reflects a creative or innovative approach to a problem

Deadline: Applications are accepted at designated times of the year, typically spring and late fall. 

How to Apply

Step 1 - Review

Review the grant guidelines above to make sure your organization qualifies.

Step 2 - Register

Create an account on our Grants Portal. You will need your organization’s name, EIN, and executive officer's name. Be sure to write down your user name (email address) and password.

Step 3 – Complete Your Application

After registering or logging in, you will arrive at the application section. Click “Apply” to the right of the grant program to which you wish to apply. If you do not see your desired grant program on the list, contact our office. You will be able to save your application and return later to complete it.

Click here for more detailed instructions and tips for using our online grant system.

The North Dakota Community Foundation also administers the following funds in the Breckenridge/Wahpeton area:

Burton Louis Gewalt Meritorious Scholarship:  The Burton Louis Gewalt Meritorious Fund was established with a gift from the estate of Burton Gewalt who passed away in 2009.  The Burton Louis Gewalt Meritorious Fund will provide scholarship assistance to deserving students who have graduated from Breckenridge, MN High School.

Dr. Roger E. Meisner Veterinary Medicine Educational Fund:  Established in 1996 by Dr. Roger E. Meisner who practiced Veterinary Medicine in the Wahpeton area and who also worked for the Federal Government for a number of years. Applicants must be graduates from a North Dakota high school and have been accepted or actively enrolled in a Professional School of any accredited College of Veterinary medicine in North America.

Elmer & Lucille Hoffert Fund:  Established in 2004 to support charitable projects in the Breckenridge/Wahpeton area.

Elmer & Lucille Hoffert Medical Research Fund:  Established in 2004 to support cancer and heart disease research.

Evan's Support:  Established in 2015 in honor of Evan Vincent Schumacher to provide support and assistance to families in a medical crisis. This support can include, but is not limited to:
1.) Providing functional, comfortable, and supportive furniture to medical facilities for families that need to stay on hospital grounds, and
2.) Assisting in writing and publishing child obituaries (18 years and younger)
To visit the Evan's Support page please click here

Leach Library Fund:  Established in 1992 to support the Leach Library

Plan Your Legacy

Making a lasting difference in our community or for future generations may be easier than you realize.  With very simple language in your will or trust, you can help the Richland Wilkin Community Foundation (RWCF) continue to support important projects and programs in our area forever.

Gifts to the RWCF are carefully invested by our partner foundation - the North Dakota Community Foundation - to generate a  permanent source of charitable income.

If you have children or other relatives, you can leave a portion of your estate to them and a percentage to RWCF. Doing so provides for your heirs while honoring your charitable values.

Getting Started

Brothers Russell and Dale Brown left gifts to the communities of Lisbon and Milnor, ND, in their estate plans.

1.  Download our free Estate Planning Guide - it contains helpful information and things to consider as you develop your own unique plan.

2.  Reach out to a Richland Wilkin Community Foundation committee member to learn more about the charities and needs in our area or contact Scott Nicholson at Scott@NDCF.net.

3.  Consider discussing (confidentially) your vision with one of our NDCF gift planners:  Scott Nicholson (701-892-2007 or Scott@NDCF.net) or Amy Stromsodt (701-741-3193 or Amy@NDCF.net)

4.  Contact your professional advisors (financial planner, attorney and/or accountant) and ask for help in establishing a charitable gift to our foundation.

5.  Make sure your will or living trust is up-to-date and reflects your charitable goals.

6.  Consider notifying the charitable organizations about the gift you plan to leave them.  They will appreciate your generosity and will want to know what you’d like them to do with your eventual gift if it isn't clear.

Language for Your Will or Living Trust

Susanne Mattheis wished to support several different charitable organizations in Bismarck after she passed. NDCF helped her craft a plan that accomplished her charitable goals and provided long-term support to the Public Library, Symphony Orchestra, and five other local entities.

If you would like to include the Richland Wilkin Community Foundation in your will, here is some sample language to consider:

“I give and bequeath to the North Dakota Community Foundation (Tax ID Number 45-0336015), a qualified charitable organization under IRS 501(c)(3), located in Bismarck, North Dakota, ___________ (a percentage of the estate, specific dollar amount, or remainder of estate) for the Richland Wilkin Community Foundation, a permanent component of the North Dakota Community Foundation.”

*  Be sure to contact your legal advisor.

There are many other ways to make a deferred gift to your community, including

• Making NDCF (and your specific community fund) the beneficiary of your life insurance policy, IRA, 401K, or commercial annuity
• Establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity with NDCF
• Other more sophisticated tools, depending on your unique situation

To investigate options and learn more about how other North Dakotans have given back, visit our planned giving website at www.NDCF.net/Plan.