Mardag Foundation

Mardag Foundation is a Saint Paul-based private foundation with more than 55 years of grantmaking history, founded in 1969 by Agnes Dagmar Maas Elmer (known as Agnes Ober), whose personal experience with childhood poverty shaped its enduring mission to remove barriers for people most in need. From its inception through 2018, the foundation made more than $69 million in grants to over 1,100 organizations. Today it holds approximately $65 million in assets (FY2024) and distributes roughly $2.5 to $3.7 million annually.

Mardag operates without independent staff, instead leveraging the grant administration infrastructure of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. This structural arrangement is central to the application experience: applicants use a shared portal (GranteeView) and interact with program officers familiar with Mardag, F.R. Bigelow Foundation, and Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation simultaneously. Pre-submission conversations with this shared grants team are not merely helpful — they are essential and explicitly encouraged by the foundation itself.

Historically, Mardag favored multipurpose community service organizations across three priorities: children, youth, and families; older adults; and arts and culture. The analyzed grantee dataset of 444 transactions totaling $8.5 million reflects a mid-range funder making dozens of grants per year, with a median grant size of $15,000 and an average of $17,849 to $19,116. Repeat relationships are the norm — Amherst H. Wilder Foundation received 8 grants totaling $145,000; Boys Club of Duluth received 6 grants totaling $95,000; Bridges of Hope received 4 grants totaling $90,000.

A significant strategic transition is underway for 2026. Arts & Culture is being eliminated as a funding priority after 2025. Three new programs launch: a Food Access Grant Program (up to $100,000/year for 5 years, approximately 7 grants totaling $750,000), an Our Home State housing program (up to $100,000/year for 5 years), and a Community Emergency Grant Program for rolling urgent needs ($2,500 to $20,000). This shift toward multi-year, systems-change investments marks a major evolution from the foundation's historical pattern of annual mid-size grants.

First-time applicants should understand that geographic eligibility is rigorously enforced: organizations serving exclusively Minneapolis and the West Metro are explicitly ineligible. Frame your work around East Metro counties (Dakota, Ramsey, Washington) or specific Greater Minnesota geographies. Demonstrating authentic community leadership from affected populations — through the foundation's stated "informs, forms, benefits" framework — is now a distinguishing criterion for all competitive grants.

Mardag's annual grantmaking has been consistent over the past decade, with total giving ranging from $2.6 million (FY2013) to $3.7 million (FY2023). The foundation's assets grew from $50.8 million in FY2012 to $65.2 million in FY2024, generating $2.0 to $2.6 million in net investment income annually. FY2023 represents the highest recent giving year at $3.7 million total, with $3.0 million in grants paid directly.

From the analyzed grantee dataset of 444 transactions totaling $8.5 million: - Median grant size: $15,000 - Average grant size: $17,849 to $19,116 - Minimum grant: $4,800 - Maximum observed: $50,000 for standard grants; capital campaign grants reached $100,000 to $150,000 - Most common range: $20,000 to $50,000

Program area breakdown estimated from grantee purposes and names: - Children, youth, and families: approximately 60% of grants by count - Arts and culture: approximately 20% historically (sunsetting after 2025) - Housing and basic needs: approximately 10% - Health and older adults: approximately 8% - Native American/Indigenous cross-cutting programs: embedded across multiple categories

Geographically, 442 of 444 analyzed grants went to Minnesota organizations. Recipients span the Twin Cities East Metro (Saint Paul, South St. Paul), Duluth, Mankato, Red Wing, Northfield, and rural Greater Minnesota including Mahnomen, Carlton County, and Crow Wing County.

Multi-grant relationships are the norm: the top 50 grantees averaged 3.0 grants each. Long-term partners received substantially more — Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation (6 grants, $310,000); Amherst H. Wilder Foundation (8 grants, $145,000); Boys Club of Duluth (6 grants, $95,000).

The 2026 pattern shifts fundamentally. The Food Access and Our Home State programs are designed as $100,000/year five-year commitments — a $500,000 total per grantee. Mardag anticipates approximately 7 Food Access grants in 2026 alone ($750,000 total). Organizations that secure a 2026 system-level grant will receive more in a single award cycle than most historical top-50 grantees received in their entire relationship with the foundation.

Mardag sits firmly in the mid-tier of Minnesota philanthropy by asset size, with its $65 million placing it well below the major statewide foundations. However, its concentrated geographic focus on the East Metro and Greater Minnesota means its grants represent a substantial share of total philanthropic investment in specific rural and suburban communities where larger foundations operate at greater remove. The collaborative administration model with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and F.R. Bigelow Foundation is distinctive among peers — applicants gain simultaneous visibility across three funders through a single GranteeView registration. With the 2026 redesign, Mardag's per-grantee commitment of up to $500,000 over five years will rival project grant amounts available from much larger foundations operating at statewide scale.

The defining story of Mardag's 2025 to 2026 period is the grant program redesign — the most substantial strategic shift in recent foundation history. The redesign emerged from a multi-year community-informed process co-led with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and F.R. Bigelow Foundation, with comprehensive new guidelines released in November 2025.

Most recently, the foundation's 2025 first-round grants, announced June 16, 2025, awarded $1.5 million across 48 grants to nonprofits in the East Metro and Greater Minnesota. Combined with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and F.R. Bigelow Foundation, the three co-funders collectively distributed nearly $14 million through 456 grants in that single round. The full 2025 year produced 79 grants totaling $2.5 million.

Arts & Culture funding ended after 2025, affecting long-term grantees including Penumbra Theatre Company ($80,000 over 3 grants), Park Square Theatre ($50,000 over 5 grants), Sod House Theater ($65,000 over 3 grants), Victoria Theater Arts Center ($100,000 over 2 grants), and Climb Theatre ($50,000 over 2 grants).

The Food Access Grant Program accepted Letters of Inquiry January 12 to February 24, 2026, with LOI decisions expected May 1, 2026, site visits planned for summer 2026, and first awards anticipated in November 2026. The Our Home State housing program followed the same LOI timeline; full second-cycle application details are expected in summer 2026. The Community Emergency Grant Program is open on a rolling basis throughout 2026.

Leadership is stable: Samuel Eberhart (President), Kelsey Lavalle (Vice President), Nathaniel Ober (Treasurer), and Armando Camacho (Secretary) all serve as unpaid board members. Foundation operations are administered by Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation staff, including Administrative Director Anil Hurkadli and CFO Scott Zastoupil.

Contact the grants team before submitting — this is the single most impactful step. GrantAdvisor reviewers consistently report that Mardag program officers are direct and will give honest feedback on whether your concept is competitive before you invest writing time. Reach the team at info@mardag.org or (651) 224-5463, or use the Grants Team page at mardag.org/grants-team/. This step is especially critical in 2026 given the redesign — program alignment criteria are new and specific.

Choose the right program track: - Community Emergency Grant ($2,500 to $20,000, rolling basis): Email derek.taylor@spmcf.org directly. No portal required. Best for food access or housing organizations facing a discrete, unexpected financial gap — equipment failure, building repairs, or disaster recovery. $250,000 total available in 2026, split roughly one-third East Metro and two-thirds Greater Minnesota. - Food Access Grant (closed for 2026 LOI cycle; next cycle TBD): Serves low-income immigrant/refugee or Native American/Indigenous children, youth, and families in the East Metro or Greater Minnesota. Five-year grants at $100,000/year, approximately 7 awards anticipated per cycle. Monitor mardag.org/grants for the next LOI announcement. - Our Home State/Housing Grant (full application guidance expected summer 2026): Five-year grants up to $100,000/year for organizations addressing affordable housing or homelessness. Begin relationship-building with the grants team now rather than waiting for the application window.

Apply the "informs, forms, benefits" framework explicitly in your narrative. Mardag has made clear that proposals must demonstrate how people most impacted by the problem are informing, shaping, and leading organizational work — not just receiving services. Name specific governance structures, community advisory bodies, or staff and board demographics that reflect this leadership. This is a differentiating criterion in competitive review.

Name your geography precisely. State the specific counties you serve. East Metro equals Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties. Organizations serving exclusively Minneapolis and the West Metro are ineligible. Greater Minnesota organizations should identify their specific service region by county or community name.

Register in GranteeView early. Technical setup takes time. Email grantsadmin@spmcf.org for support. One registration covers Mardag, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, and F.R. Bigelow Foundation — a substantial advantage for organizations seeking co-funding.

Do not propose to replace lost government funding. This is an explicit exclusion across all 2026 programs. Frame proposals around organizational mission and demonstrated community need, not budget gaps caused by government cuts.

If you are an arts or culture organization, plan for transition now. Explore F.R. Bigelow Foundation's arts and culture programming, the McKnight Foundation's Arts program, or the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council as alternative Minnesota funders.