Cargill Foundation
Cargill Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It supports nonprofit organizations working to reduce the Opportunity Gap for children, with a focus on nutritious food, STEM education, and preparation for post-secondary education and careers. Its website identifies Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Wichita, Kansas, and Atlanta, Georgia, as headquarters communities it serves.
Cargill Foundation at a glance
In short: Cargill Foundation gave $13.0M across 95 grants in 2024 (avg $137K), mostly in Minnesota. 11% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $13,000,000
- -2.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 95
- +8.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $136,842
- -9.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $307,345,903
- +20.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (8 of 73, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (99% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cargill Foundation
- Invitation Only
-
The website describes applications as by invitation only. The filing directs applicants to the foundation’s headquarters-community page for application materials and refers to statements 12 and 13 for deadlines and award restrictions.
- Review Cycle
- The website’s listed 2026 application dates were July 24 for education grants and May 1 for childhood nutrition grants; both are past.
- Deadline
- The website’s listed 2026 application dates were July 24 for education grants and May 1 for childhood nutrition…
- Contact
Application contact: Katie Clark Sieben Interim Executiv
Mailing address: PO Box 5650, Minneapolis, MN 55440-5632
Phone: (612) 655-5199
Website: https://cargill.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Cargill Foundation
Who Cargill Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Second Harvest Heartland ($2.0M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $6.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
380 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 143 grants of 380 (38%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website names Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Wichita, and Atlanta as communities it serves. Its 2024 filing data show that 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota; the listed shares for California, Missouri, and Georgia were each 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 95 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Cargill Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 73 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $111K; repeat grants $186K. How we count
Medians: $130K first-time, $95K repeat.
- 84% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+8%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 99% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $12.0M (2021) to $14.0M (2022). In 2024 it made 95 grants totaling $13.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Second Harvest Heartland Saint Paul, MN | Moonshot Campaign | $1,500,000 |
| Achieve Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | Career and college readiness minneapolis (MPS) and saint paul public schools (SPPS) | $708,333 |
| Second Harvest Heartland Saint Paul, MN | Child Hunger Initiative and Kitchen Coalition | $500,000 |
| Youthprise Minneapolis, MN | Youthprise Cooperative Housing & Community Center (Ychcc) | $500,000 |
| College Possible Saint Paul, MN | College access & success programming and fafsa support services | $450,000 |
| Serveminnesota Minneapolis, MN | Equitably expanding 4-8 math corps with participatory community research | $300,606 |
| Pillsbury United Communities Minneapolis, MN | Pillsbury united healthy food access program and ceo transition fund | $300,000 |
| Achieve Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | STEM for All | $285,600 |
| The African American Leadership Forum Minneapolis, MN | Forumai | $277,361 |
| Appetite for Change Inc Minneapolis, MN | Appetite for change - childhood nutrition from the ground up | $250,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cargill Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $307,345,903 | $579,378 | $10,167,858 | $13,000,000 | 95 | $13,000,000 | $6,369,148 | $13,123,758 |
| 2023 | $255,169,496 | $2,521,092 | $25,604,547 | $13,314,442 | 88 | $13,314,442 | $5,296,492 | $12,039,874 |
| 2022 | $267,522,951 | $-2,654,031 | $13,388,647 | $14,000,079 | 73 | $14,000,079 | $4,104,308 | $12,476,188 |
| 2021 | $286,172,868 | $105,535,102 | $13,391,396 | $11,999,593 | 63 | $11,999,593 | $92,386,234 | $12,220,732 |
| 2020 | $193,385,836 | $31,284,535 | $13,197,467 | $12,744,357 | 61 | — | $5,768,464 | $10,232,888 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cargill Foundation reported a distributable amount of $13.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is “to nourish and educate the next generation for success in school, work and life.” Its focus areas include childhood nutrition, STEM education, and college and career readiness. The website describes its education grants as supporting rigorous, curriculum-driven programs embedded in school- or district-level learning. Its childhood nutrition work aims to improve access to nutritious, culturally preferred foods and healthy food consumption and behaviors for children ages 2–12.
The foundation’s website says eligible organizations must be registered nonprofits with current 501(c)(3) public charity status, schools, or units of government; align with Cargill’s principles of inclusion and diversity; serve one of its named communities; and support education or childhood nutrition programming primarily for low-income youth. The website excludes, among other things, religious activities, political or lobbying purposes, athletic programs, individual needs, travel, and fundraising events.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of work represented in its grants. Second Harvest Heartland describes its mission as ending hunger and says it partners with food shelves and hunger-relief programs. Youthprise describes its mission as increasing equity with and for Minnesota’s Indigenous, low-income, and racially diverse youth. College Possible says it helps students from low-income backgrounds achieve college admission and success through coaching and support. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 95 grants totaling $13 million. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $1.5 million, with a median grant of $100,000. Among the largest grants were $1.5 million to Second Harvest Heartland for its Moonshot Campaign; $708,333 to Achieve Twin Cities for career and college readiness in Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools; $500,000 to Youthprise for its cooperative housing and community center; and $450,000 to College Possible for college access, success programming, and FAFSA support services.
The foundation’s website describes grant applications as invitation only. Its education pages list 2026 invitation and application dates for STEM, college and career readiness, and childhood nutrition; those dates have passed. The filing directs applicants to a web page for application materials and refers to statements 12 and 13 for deadlines and award restrictions, without providing those details here.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Colleen May as director and president; Ben Aase and Sheila Riggs as directors; Roger Watchorn as director and treasurer/vice president; Anna Richo as director and secretary/vice president; and Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, Susan Mercer, and Steph Lundquist as directors and vice presidents.
Cargill Foundation's 2024 filing lists 5 officers; 2 of 5 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Ben Aase
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$10K (2020) → $10K (2024)
Sheila Riggs
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$10K (2020) → $10K (2024)
Roger Watchorn
Director, Treasurer & Vice President
Director & Vice President → Director, Treasurer & Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kojo Amoo-Gottfried
Director & Vice President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steph Lundquist Begin
Director & Vice President
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Anna Richo (2020–2024) — Director, Secretary & Vice President · Filing note: Ended 724
- Former: Colleen May (2020–2024) — Director & President · Filing note: Ended 12/2024
- Former: Susan Mercer (2021–2024) — Director & Vice President · Filing note: Ended 12/2024
- Former: James Pierce (2020–2021) — Director & Secretary
- Former: Martha Macmillan (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $10K, to Ben Aase (Director). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Cargill Foundation
How much does Cargill Foundation give each year?
Cargill Foundation gave $13.0M across 95 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $13.3M across 88 grants.
What is Cargill Foundation's typical grant size?
Cargill Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $136,842, across 95 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cargill Foundation that year got $111K on average.
Where does Cargill Foundation give grants?
Cargill Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (51 grants), Saint Paul, MN (30 grants) and Falcon Heights, MN (3 grants).
Does Cargill Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 11% of Cargill Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 95) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Cargill Foundation's largest grantees?
Cargill Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Second Harvest Heartland ($2,000,000 across 2 grants), Achieve Twin Cities ($1,328,933 across 4 grants) and Youthprise ($692,500 across 3 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Cargill Foundation?
Cargill Foundation reported $307.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $13.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $13.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Cargill Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is “to nourish and educate the next generation for success in school, work and life.” Its focus areas include childhood nutrition, STEM education, and college and career readiness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cargill Foundation?
The website describes applications as by invitation only. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cargill Foundation's EIN?
Cargill Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-6020221. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Cargill Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cargill Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cargill-foundation-morg_1c0027fdcd694b669c6bd71ba6e1fe9f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_416020221_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cargill Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cargill-foundation-morg_1c0027fdcd694b669c6bd71ba6e1fe9f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Cargill Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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