For Grantees

Can I get a copy of your logo? What are your brand and graphic style guidelines?

You can download a compressed file containing all current McKnight logo options. The logo is available in two colors (red and black), two orientations (wide and vertical), and three file types (.eps, .jpg, and .png). Beyond these parameters, no variations in the logo’s appearance or treatment are allowed.

Designers working on communications projects for McKnight should consult McKnight’s brand guidelines. The manual includes important guidelines and requirements related to logo usage, fonts, color palette, and other aspects of McKnight’s visual identity.

We would like to write a press release or statement about our new grant. How do we describe the McKnight Foundation?

If you would like to include text about McKnight at the end of your release or announcement, please use the following approved boilerplate language (updated as of January 2024):

The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts and culture in Minnesota, neuroscience, and global food systems.

Are there any guidelines or restrictions on how we can share the news of our McKnight grant?

Grantees should feel free to share news of grant awards, grant-supported activities, and program impact and outcomes. Sharing information about your supported activities can heighten visibility of important issues, maintain or increase positive momentum, and encourage widespread use of best practices and lessons learned.

McKnight does not restrict how or if grantees announce McKnight funding. However, please wait to make an announcement until after you have received your official grant acknowledgement from McKnight. Grantees are not required to list us as a funder, although we assume the McKnight Foundation will be listed among other current funders where appropriate. This page has links to our logo, boilerplate statement, and graphic standards manual.

McKnight does not expect to review or approve a grantee’s independent media or marketing materials. Upon grantee request, however, we are available to verify accurate representation of McKnight or the grant in your materials.

For broader, ongoing collaborations or more intensive communications strategies and materials, please contact McKnight Communications directly at [email protected].

How does McKnight share the news about grants approved to the public?

Following grant approval, McKnight staff will email each grantee an official notice of approved funding, including a grant agreement and letter that will outline the scope of funded work, any funding restrictions, and the Foundation’s expectations for future reporting and/or additional payments. Once a month McKnight adds newly approved grants to our website, which become available in our grantee database.

For each grantee, the following information is posted to our website:

• Organization’s name
• City
• Amount of funding approved
• Year approved
• One-line description of supported grant
• Relevant McKnight program area
• Organization’s web address, if provided by grantee

How do I stay current on news and developments at McKnight?

As a grantee, your organization is an important and valued partner to McKnight. We regularly share Foundation announcements, including field-specific developments, news across program areas, insights from our staff, and details about new research reports and new opportunities.

To reach you, we may use any email address your organization provides as part of your grant application process. If there are changes to relevant staff, please contact our grants administration team at [email protected]. Additional staff or partners can also sign up on our website to receive McKnight’s email newsletters. If you are not already receiving McKnight news, then please sign up for our email list.

Please be sure to add the following addresses to your “safe senders” list: [email protected] and [email protected].

In addition, be sure to follow us on our LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook accounts. After you follow us on Facebook, click “See First” on our page or prioritize the McKnight Foundation in your news feed preferences to help ensure our posts end up in your newsfeeds.

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