THE FOUNDATION
Q: How can I contact The McKnight Foundation or its staff?
Inquiries can be sent via our Contact Us page, or via individual program area homepages. The Foundation's address is 710 South Second Street, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55401; and our main telephone number is 612-333-4220. Our building's entrance is on Second Street South, between Portland Avenue South and 10th Avenue South.
Q: How can I contact the Foundation's board of directors?
Please send all inquiries to the Foundation at 710 South Second Street, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55401. Inquiries will be forwarded to individual staff and board as appropriate. Our full staff and board of directors are listed in the About Us section of this website.
Q: Is The McKnight Foundation operated by 3M?
No. The Foundation was founded in 1953 and endowed by William L. McKnight and Maude L. McKnight. Although Mr. McKnight was one of the early leaders of the 3M Company, the Foundation is independent of 3M.
Q: Can I apply for a job, internship, or volunteer work at McKnight?
The Foundation operates with a small staff of about 30, and openings are infrequent. As available, however, all positions and application instructions will be posted in the About Us section of this website. We appreciate the interest, but the Foundation does not accept resumes via email; offer volunteer or internship opportunities of any kind; or maintain employment or internship information about our grantees or other organizations.
GRANTMAKING
Q: I believe my organization or program fits McKnight's guidelines. How do we apply for a grant?
For most of our programs, we will first ask you to write a brief letter of inquiry describing your organization or project. If McKnight's program staff determines that the Foundation can consider funding, we will invite a full proposal from you later. Before submitting your letter of inquiry, however, please consult the guidelines appropriate to your program for grantmaking specifications within each funding area.
Q: Does McKnight fund nonprofit organizations only?
Yes. To be eligible for a grant from The McKnight Foundation, the organization must be classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit organization that is not a private foundation.
Q: Will McKnight consider funding through a fiscal agent if a prospective grantee does not have legal nonprofit status?
No. We do not use fiscal agents.
Q: Does McKnight fund government programs?
Units of government may apply for funding for special projects that complement customary public functions. However, we will not fund activities that are traditionally the responsibility of government.
Q: What types of grants does McKnight support in the Arts, Children & Families, Environment, and Region & Communities?
We provide planning, operating, capital, and project grants. Please consult the guidelines appropriate to your program for specific eligibility requirements within each funding area.
Q: Does McKnight support nonprofit organizations in Minnesota, U.S., only?
Generally speaking, yes. McKnight's primary geographic focus in grantmaking is to nonprofit organizations located within the state of Minnesota. We do not provide funding outside Minnesota, with five important programmatic exceptions:
- Environment: Available in the 10 states bordering or encompassing the Mississippi River.
- Neuroscience research: National.
- Collaborative Crop research: International.
- Africa: Tanzania and Uganda only.
- Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam only.
Each program is different. Please consult the specific guidelines appropriate to your project or organization for funding details.
Q: Why can't I find guidelines that fit my area of work?
We believe that foundations can be most effective by concentrating their resources in a few programmatic and/or geographic areas. Inevitably this means we cannot support many worthy projects outside our program interests. McKnight does not generally support:
- Work in the fields of mental health or disabilities, except for services to enhance parents' capacity to nurture their children
- Chemical dependency treatment
- Services for seniors
- Health services or policy
- Assistance for individuals, including scholarships
- Attendance at or travel to conferences or costs related to conferences
- Travel, except when related to other McKnight support of an organization
- Scientific research outside established McKnight research programs
- Endowments, except in rare cases
- Activities that have a specific religious purpose
