Donaldson Foundation

The Donaldson Foundation is a corporate foundation funded by Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI), a Fortune 500 filtration-technology manufacturer headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. Founded in 1966 and governed by a volunteer board of Donaldson employees, the Foundation channels roughly $1.35 million in charitable giving each year almost exclusively toward education. The strategic key for applicants is geographic proximity: funding is reserved for education-focused 501(c)(3) organizations located in the communities where Donaldson maintains a significant employee presence — Minneapolis-St. Paul plus 16 named U.S. manufacturing/operations towns. An applicant outside these communities is effectively ineligible, so the first qualifying question is always "are we in a Donaldson town?" Within eligible areas, the Foundation favors impactful, programmatic work (STEM, skilled trades, post-secondary readiness) over general operating support and prioritizes degree of need for those served. Aligning a proposal with workforce-relevant education themes that echo Donaldson's manufacturing and engineering identity meaningfully strengthens fit.

Organizational grants average $5,000 to $20,000, and more than half of the Foundation's annual giving goes to these organizational grants (the remainder funding employee-dependent scholarships and matching gifts to educational institutions). With ~$1.35M deployed annually against $9.15M in assets, the Foundation operates at an unusually high payout-to-asset ratio (~15%), which is characteristic of a corporate foundation that is replenished by ongoing company contributions rather than relying solely on endowment returns. This means grant capacity is tied to corporate performance more than to a fixed endowment. Funding flows on a strict twice-yearly cadence (January 31 and July 31 disbursements). The scholarship arm, run by Scholarship America, awards $4,000-$6,000 per year and has supported 2,400+ students since 1981 — a multi-decade commitment signaling durable, predictable giving. Recipients must hold IRS 501(c)(3) status and must submit the Minnesota Common Grant Application, a standardization that lets the volunteer board compare requests efficiently.

The Donaldson Foundation is a small-to-mid-size corporate education foundation. Its ~15% effective payout dwarfs the ~5% IRS minimum typical of endowment-driven private foundations, reflecting its corporate-funded model. The table below positions it against comparable Minnesota corporate and family foundations focused on education:

Compared with peers, Donaldson is tightly single-themed (education only) and more geographically restrictive than broader corporate funders like Ecolab. Applicants who fit the education-plus-Donaldson-community profile face less competition from non-education causes, but the narrow eligibility footprint is the binding constraint.

The Foundation continues to grant approximately $1.35 million annually across its two funding cycles. A recently highlighted award went to Elmwood School in Wisconsin to help replace welding equipment in the school's metals lab — a concrete example of the Foundation's tilt toward hands-on, skilled-trades and STEM education that mirrors Donaldson's manufacturing roots. The 2025-26 scholarship cycle is active, administered by Scholarship America, with current brochures and financial FAQs published on the Donaldson site. The eligible-community list and twice-yearly deadline structure (August 1 and January 10) remain in effect for the current grant year. As a corporate foundation tied to a publicly traded parent, giving capacity tracks Donaldson Company's ongoing contributions rather than market-driven endowment swings.

1) Confirm eligibility first: your organization must be an education-focused 501(c)(3) physically located in Bloomington/Minneapolis-St. Paul or one of the 16 named Donaldson communities (e.g., Auburn AL, Durham NC, Greeneville TN, Nicholasville KY, several Indiana and Missouri towns). If you are not in a Donaldson town, do not apply. 2) Use the required Minnesota Common Grant Application Form (downloadable .doc) and attach proof of 501(c)(3) status — incomplete packets are not reviewed. 3) Frame requests around specific, impactful programs (equipment, STEM/skilled-trades initiatives, scholarships, college-readiness) rather than general operating support, which the Foundation deprioritizes. 4) Emphasize degree of need and measurable educational impact for those served. 5) Time your submission to a cycle: August 1 for funding by January 31, or January 10 for funding by July 31; late proposals roll to the next cycle. 6) Submit by email to donaldsonfoundation@donaldson.com (or by mail to PO Box 1299, MS 100, Minneapolis, MN 55440). 7) Tie your mission to workforce-relevant education themes that resonate with Donaldson's engineering/manufacturing identity to strengthen fit.