The 2025 Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund (OBT CRF) Grant, administered by the Initiative Foundation, aims to support impactful nonprofit work across Central Minnesota. With $750,000 in funding available, the Initiative Foundation will award grants ranging from $10,000 to $75,000 for operations, programming, or capital projects that align with the Otto Bremer Trust’s 2025 funding priorities.
The funding priorities for this cycle include programs advancing literacy, adoption and foster care services, children’s health, children’s disability services, and mental health services, with an emphasis on children aged 5 to 15. In addition, capital projects are eligible if they are associated with hospitals and clinics and involve activities such as facility construction, maintenance, or acquisition of medical equipment and software.
Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations located in and serving the Initiative Foundation’s Central Minnesota service region, which includes Benton, Cass, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Wadena, and Wright counties, along with areas of the Leech Lake and Mille Lacs Bands of Ojibwe within these counties. Applicants must have had 501(c)(3) status and been operational for at least five years and demonstrate fiscal strength by having actual expenses of $2 million or more in their most recent fiscal year. Only standalone organizations may apply—coalitions or fiscal sponsorship arrangements are ineligible. Organizations with an open Otto Bremer Trust strategic grant are also not eligible.
Applications must be submitted through the Initiative Foundation’s online grant portal between April 15 and May 22, 2025. Awards will be announced in August, with funding disbursed by early September. Grant awards may not exceed 10% of the applicant’s previous fiscal year’s public philanthropic support. Only 10% of operating support grants may be used for administrative or indirect expenses.
Ineligible projects include efforts aimed at influencing public policy, sponsorships or one-time events, animal welfare, sports, medical research, religious programming, or arts and environmental programs—unless they are directly tied to eligible categories such as health, mental health, or disability services.
Evaluation criteria include alignment with funding priorities, demonstration of community need, impact and reach, community engagement, measurable outcomes, and implementation feasibility. A final report is required within one year of receiving funds. For questions, applicants can contact Nicole Clements, Nonprofit Development Program Officer, at nclements@ifound.org.
