NDCF News & Reports

NDCF Announces Over $300,000 in Grant Awards from Grid United's Community Investment Program
September 1, 2023 — The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) is pleased to announce it has awarded $313,500 in grants from the Grid United Community Investment Program (CIP) to nonprofit organizations in southwestern North Dakota so far this year.
Grid United is an independent transmission company that builds new long-distance, interregional transmission lines to enhance grid reliability and resiliency. The CIP will support the six North Dakota counties in which Grid United’s North Plains Connector – a transmission line connecting the U.S. eastern and western electric grids in Montana and North Dakota – will be located. These counties include Golden Valley, Slope, Hettinger, Grant, Morton, and Oliver.
NDCF utilized the local community foundations under its umbrella in this part of the state to distribute the CIP grant dollars. Each community foundation has an advisory committee of 5-9 local residents who know the needs in their area. Committees reviewed grant applications and recommended awards to those projects and programs that would . . .
Download the full news release here.

Judy Sauter
NDCF Welcomes Sauter and Salander
July 27, 2023— Judy Sauter and Robin Salander have joined the staff of the North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF).
Sauter is the organization’s new Database Manager and is based out of NDCF’s Bismarck office. She graduated from the University of North Dakota and has previously worked at North Dakota’s Gateway to Science and the Bismarck-Mandan Development Association. She will be responsible for developing and maintaining NDCF’s donor-focused database systems in collaboration with staff to support the charitable work of the organization.

Robin Salander
Salander is an Office Assistant for NDCF’s office in Larimore, North Dakota. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and previously worked as a Registered Nurse and an elementary school teacher. Salander will assist with organization, reporting, and other administrative tasks of the Larimore office, which supports communities, donors, and funds in eastern North Dakota.
NDCF Awards More Than $8 Million in 2022
May 15, 2023 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) has announced that it awarded over $8 million in grants and charitable program expenses in 2022. The organization was founded in 1976 to improve the quality of life of North Dakotans through charitable giving and promoting philanthropy.
NDCF currently manages over 850 charitable funds, including 69 local community foundations in the state and over 150 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. It has awarded over $99 million in grants since its inception and ended 2022 with more than $113 million in net assets. The organization has offices in Bismarck, Larimore, Dickinson, and Wahpeton, North Dakota.
Download the full news release here.
Download the 2022 Annual Report here.
Grid United Partners with NDCF to Grant in SW ND
Bismarck, ND., April 19, 2023 – The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) is pleased to announce that it will be administering Grid United’s Community Investment Program (CIP), providing grant dollars to support communities in Golden Valley, Slope, Hettinger, Grant, Morton, and Oliver Counties. Grid United is an independent transmission company that builds new long-distance, interregional transmission lines to enhance grid reliability and resiliency. The CIP will support the six North Dakota counties in which Grid United’s North Plains Connector – a transmission line connecting the U.S. eastern and western electric grids in Montana and North Dakota – will be located.
Grid United is dedicated to partnering with participating communities and as a result, CIP funds will support innovative projects that enhance quality of life while strengthening communities in this corner of Southwest North Dakota.
“We are thrilled to partner with the North Dakota Community Foundation on the North Plains Connector Community Investment Program,” said Michael Skelly, Chief Executive Officer of Grid United. “We aim to foster long-term partnerships with the communities in which we develop projects and look forward to helping address community needs in Golden Valley, Slope, Hettinger, Grant, Morton, and Oliver Counties. Through input from local voices, the program hopes to fund innovative projects that enhance the quality of life in North Plains Connector communities.”
NDCF’s existing community foundations in this part of the state . . . download the full news release here
NDCF Celebrates Impact of Local Community Foundations
November 10, 2022 ─ The North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) will join in a nationwide celebration, November 12-18, 2022, to recognize the increasingly important role community foundations play in strengthening local communities and improving the quality of life for their citizens.
“Community foundations are place-based giving vehicles that support a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations and projects,” said Kevin Dvorak, President and CEO of NDCF. “They are a valuable tool in funding programs and addressing issues in our communities, now and in the future. Not only do they provide tangible impact, they offer residents a way to give back that is not restricted to one project or organization, but is designed to address the ever-changing needs of their community.”
NDCF currently administers community endowment funds for 69 local community foundations in North Dakota, as well as a variety of other types of charitable funds including scholarships, donor-advised funds, and organizational endowment funds, which support specific charities in the state.
Download the full news release here.

BisMan Community Foundation committee members present the $50,000 SuperGrant to representatives of Ministry on the Margins in October of 2022.
NDCF AWARDS $212,200 IN GRANTS
November 2, 2022 . . . The North Dakota Community Foundation has awarded $212,200 in grants from its Statewide Greatest Needs (Unrestricted) Fund to 50 organizations across the state working to improve the quality of life for state residents.
“We saw a tremendous increase in the number of requests from food pantries this year,” said Kevin J. Dvorak, President & CEO of NDCF. “We are glad to be able to partner with these organizations that are supplying basic necessities to those most in need in their area.”
The NDCF Board of Directors reviewed and discussed 108 grant applications at their meeting in September to make the determination of awards. Grant awards are listed below by general area of the state.