Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation is a public charity based in Fargo, North Dakota. Formed in 1993, it accumulates and distributes funds for charitable purposes to tax-exempt organizations and individuals or families in need within the area served by Cass County Electric Cooperative.
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation at a glance
In short: Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation gave $91K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in North Dakota. 77% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $91,091
- +36.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- +44.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,007
- -5.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $26,094
- +1.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 77% first-time grantees (10 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Dakota (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The cooperative’s Operation Round Up information accepts unsolicited requests from nonprofit organizations through its application form; applicants must upload required documents. The stated process is for Operation Round Up.
- Review Cycle
- Applications must be returned by the 15th of the month before the next board meeting.
- Deadline
- Applications must be returned by the 15th of the month before the next board meeting.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3312 42Nd Street South Ste 200, Fargo, ND 58104
Phone: (701) 356-4400
Website: https://casscountyelectric.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was BIO Girls ($8K). Together the top 10 received $73K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 64 grants of 64 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated mission covers the area served by Cass County Electric Cooperative. Its 2025 itemized grants went entirely to recipients in North Dakota. The cooperative says Operation Round Up funds are used primarily within its service area, and its donation guidelines require requesting entities to be based in the service territory and conduct most of their charitable activity there.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation open to new grantees?
77%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 13 grantees (77%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $8K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). 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 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $67K (2024) to $141K (2022). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $91K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| BIO Girls Fargo, ND | Scholarships | $7,500 |
| Jasmin Child Care and Pres Fargo, ND | Playground and Garden Expa | $7,500 |
| Fort Ransom Sodbuster Asso Fort Ransom, ND | Horse Drawn People Movers | $7,500 |
| Kindred Park District Kindred, ND | City Park Inclusive Play U | $7,500 |
| St Catherine School Valley City, ND | FacilityOutdoor space upg | $7,500 |
| Higher Power Automotive Mi Fargo, ND | 1000 Car Campaign | $7,500 |
| Heroes Compass Horace, ND | care packages | $7,500 |
| YWCA Cass Clay Fargo, ND | Community Room Furniture | $7,500 |
| Community Connect Center Fargo, ND | OutofSchool Time | $6,700 |
| Abused Persons Outreach Ce Valley City, ND | Crisis Center Costs | $6,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $26,094 | $254,739 | $254,378 | $91,091 | 13 | $265 |
| 2024 | $25,733 | $246,027 | $245,207 | $66,912 | 9 | $249 |
| 2023 | $24,913 | $240,385 | $240,529 | $72,373 | 10 | $160 |
| 2022 | $25,057 | $240,509 | $258,081 | $141,100 | 18 | $73 |
| 2021 | $42,629 | $232,911 | $222,754 | $101,027 | 14 | $70 |
| 2020 | $32,472 | $222,268 | $220,662 | $67,100 | 8 | $79 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation states that its mission is to accumulate and disburse funds for charitable purposes to tax-exempt organizations and individuals or families in need within the cooperative’s service area. Its 2025 filing describes support for charitable, educational, environmental, and emergency assistance.
Examples of grantees’ stated missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. BIO Girls says it works to improve adolescent girls’ mental health through empowerment and connection. YWCA Cass Clay says it is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity. Page Cafe Association says it aims to construct and operate a community room and café to promote charitable purposes.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the filing lists 13 grants totaling $91,091. Grants ranged from $5,900 to $7,500, with a median of $7,500. Notable awards included $7,500 each to BIO Girls for scholarships and YWCA Cass Clay for community room furniture; Page Cafe Association received $5,900. Other listed recipients included Jasmin Child Care and Preschool, Fort Ransom Sodbuster Association, Kindred Park District, St. Catherine School, Higher Power Automotive, Heroes Compass, Community Connect Center, Abused Persons Outreach Center, Cass County Historical Society, and Colfax Park Board.
Separately, the foundation’s 2025 filing describes grants totaling $252,460 to tax-exempt organizations and individuals for charitable, educational, environmental, and emergency assistance. This is a separate total from the $91,091 grant sum in the filing’s itemized grant data.
The cooperative’s Operation Round Up information says nonprofits may apply using the application form and upload required documents. A volunteer board reviews completed applications at quarterly meetings held in March, June, September, and December. The cooperative says these funds are used primarily in its service area and are not used for political purposes or utility bills.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s 2025 filing lists Jillian Veil-Ehnert as president, Ken Astrup as vice president, Valerie Schwantes as secretary, Erik Isaak as treasurer, and Kalyn Botz, Lisa Olson, and Scott Ripplinger as directors.
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation is led by Jillian Veil-Ehnert, President on the 2025 filing; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jillian Veil-Ehnert
President
New on the 2025 filing
0.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Olson
Director
Vice President → President, 2023
President → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kalyn Botz
Director
On filings since 2022
0.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Ripplinger
Director
On filings since 2022
0.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Valerie Schwantes
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ken Astrup
Vice President
Director → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Erik Isaak
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
0.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (19)
- Former: Jillain Veil-Ehnert (2021–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Cairn Reisch (2021–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Cass County Electric Coop (2021–2023) — Accounting Staff
- Former: Jessica Mack (2021–2023) — Program Coordinator
- Former: Sarah Rhea (2021–2023) — Assistant Program Coordinator
- Former: Theresa Halverson (2023) — Program Coordinator
- Former: Madge Dows (2020–2022) — President
- Former: Mike Schell (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Shane Amundson (2020–2021) — Presidentdirector
- Former: Tj Nelson (2020–2021) — V Presidentdirector
- Former: Eldonna Lund (2020) — Director
- Former: Gary Karlgaard (2020) — Director
- Former: Georgia Berg (2020) — Director
- Former: Joe Pytlik (2020) — Vice President
- Former: Linda Sailer (2020) — Director
- Former: Lori Abraham (2020) — President
- Former: Patricia Mathern (2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Ryan Oas (2020) — Director
- Former: Terry Frappier (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation
How much does Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation give each year?
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation gave $91K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $67K across 9 grants.
What is Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation's typical grant size?
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $7,007, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation give grants?
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation gives mostly in North Dakota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Fargo, ND (5 grants) and Valley City, ND (2 grants).
Does Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation's largest grantees?
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include BIO Girls ($7,500), Jasmin Child Care and Pres ($7,500) and Fort Ransom Sodbuster Asso ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation?
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation reported $26K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $255K.
What does Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation fund?
The foundation states that its mission is to accumulate and disburse funds for charitable purposes to tax-exempt organizations and individuals or families in need within the cooperative’s service area. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation?
The cooperative’s Operation Round Up information accepts unsolicited requests from nonprofit organizations through its application form; applicants must upload required documents. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation's EIN?
Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-0433247. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
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Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation Corporation
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cass-county-electric-cooperative-foundation-morg_7a67f1fef4f54f2dbe190f6fab1a95d8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_450433247_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cass County Electric Cooperative Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cass-county-electric-cooperative-foundation-morg_7a67f1fef4f54f2dbe190f6fab1a95d8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Cass County Electric Cooperative 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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