Giving Days are a fun and engaging way to raise awareness and funds to support nonprofit organizations that are making the region better for everyone.
These annual events make the most of online fundraising to generate excitement and make giving simple for the many people who participate.
We have helped fund Giving Days throughout the region since 2009. It is another way we are able to support hundreds of organizations throughout our region.
What we fund
We support Giving Days in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. In 2024, we are expanding this opportunity to include organizations currently hosting or intending to host a Giving Day for organizations specifically benefiting Native communities and organizations.
We will select up to four organizations for Giving Days grants, one for each state in our region and one to focus specifically on Native communities and Native-led organizations.
Selected organizations receive $200,000 annually, of which at least 50% must be used for prizes and/or incentives to organizations. The grant term runs from 2025 through 2028.
This year, we will provide an additional $10,000 to help Giving Day operators build their capacity to connect with and build trust and relationships with more organizations and communities, particularly those that have not been part of previous outreach efforts.
Organizations must be 501(c)(3) public charities or government entities.
Organizations must be located and work within Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or the 23 Native nations that share the same geography.
We encourage you to review all the application information provided in this section.
We use an online form application and can work with you if that option doesn’t meet your needs. Just let us know as soon as you can at staff@bushfoundation.org.
When using the online form, we recommend Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox as your web browser.
We provide the application questions and criteria we use to select grantees for your reference.
Applicants will be notified whether they’ve been selected as a finalist by the end of May.
In June, a staff member will talk with finalists to discuss the application, learn more about their organization and their approach to Giving Days. We also may conduct reference calls at this stage.
Staff will review finalist applications and any additional information gathered to select grantees by early July. Decisions will be shared mid-July.
If your organization is selected as a finalist, we may request financial materials to include in our staff review. These may include audits, IRS Form 990s or internal financial statements, depending on the size of your organization.
We collect these documents to understand the health and capacity of your organization and to provide better support to our applicants and grantees. We aim to be a resource and provide an open space to talk if there are financial challenges or areas where your organization struggles. Financial health is one of many factors in our decision-making, and we encourage organizations to contact us with questions or concerns.
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