CLA Foundation
CLA Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in education, workforce preparation, youth employment, and child care.
CLA Foundation at a glance
In short: CLA Foundation gave $5.9M across 198 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in Minnesota. 77% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $5,908,000
- +77.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 198
- -2.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $29,838
- +80.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,408,965
- +30.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 77% first-time grantees (147 of 191, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (56% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to CLA Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 220 South 6Th Street 300, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 376-4500
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who CLA Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Scholarship America ($2.8M across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $4.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
729 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 714 grants of 729 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Minnesota (17%), Wisconsin (11%), Maryland (9%), Massachusetts (6%), and Pennsylvania (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 198 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is CLA Foundation open to new grantees?
77%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 147 of 191 grantees (77%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $16K; repeat grants $79K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $11K repeat.
- 15% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 199% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $887K (2020) to $5.9M (2025). In 2025 it made 198 grants totaling $5.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Scholarship America Minneapolis, MN | Program Specific Support | $1,500,000 |
| Scholarship America Minneapolis, MN | Program Specific Support | $1,250,000 |
| Skillsusa Leesburg, VA | Program Specific Support | $500,000 |
| Venn Foundation St. Paul, MN | Program Specific Support | $250,000 |
| Naba Inc Greenbelt, MD | Program Specific Support Specific Support | $200,000 |
| Camp Fire Minnesota St Louis Park, MN | Program Specific Support | $47,500 |
| Cookie Cart Minneapolis, MN | General Operating | $47,500 |
| Juxtaposition Inc Minneapolis, MN | Program Specific Support | $47,500 |
| The Patrick Surtain II Foundation Florence, KY | Program Specific Support | $39,500 |
| Martin Trust Partnership Brookline, MA | General Operating | $32,500 |
Ready to take the next step with CLA 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,408,965 | $6,859,362 | $5,765,156 | $5,908,000 | 198 | $6,055,085 | $1,289,071 | $99,766 |
| 2024 | $2,612,215 | $4,631,696 | $2,028,888 | $3,335,500 | 202 | $3,408,700 | $190,795 | $71,691 |
| 2023 | $1,351,324 | $2,590,594 | $2,432,402 | $2,106,000 | 126 | $2,165,608 | $9,078 | $22,709 |
| 2022 | $887,062 | $2,022,383 | $2,843,451 | $1,978,500 | 112 | $2,021,602 | $4,068 | $15,203 |
| 2021 | $886,971 | $1,572,520 | $1,477,806 | $1,350,500 | 91 | $1,390,461 | $8,582 | $16,772 |
| 2020 | $704,657 | $1,180,161 | $1,223,366 | $887,350 | 63 | — | $10,048 | $11,611 |
| 2019 | $447,362 | $1,156,186 | $1,169,055 | $1,185,000 | 66 | — | $480 | $16,446 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, CLA Foundation reported a distributable amount of $100K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
A foundation mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own descriptions indicate a range of activities. Scholarship America describes its work as helping students access resources to learn and succeed, with a focus on students facing financial challenges. Jobs for the Future says it works to transform education and workforce systems to advance economic success. Black Men Teach describes its work as developing pathways for Black men to become elementary-school teachers, while Careers in Construction Colorado describes vocational training and career connections in the construction trades. Wildflyer Coffee says it provides youth with paid employment and personal and professional development, and Berlin Community Day Care provides day care, preschool, and school-age programs.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 202 grants totaling $3,335,500 in 2024, up from 126 grants totaling $2,106,000 in 2023. In 2022, it reported 112 grants totaling $1,978,500. The 2024 grants ranged from $5,000 to $200,000, with a median of $14,000. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 198 grants totaling $5.9 million.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $200,000 to NABA Inc. for program-specific support; $90,000 to Scholarship America for general operating support; $88,000 to Jobs for the Future for general operating support; $70,000 to Black Men Teach for general operating support; and $66,000 to Careers in Construction Colorado for general operating support. Other listed awards included $60,000 to Wildflyer Coffee and $50,000 to Market Entry Fund, both for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Saundra Beatty as chair, Mary Kay Curtiss as treasurer, and Jen Leary as ex-officio. Susan Carter is listed as executive director as of February 2024; Mindy Plewacki is listed as executive director through March 2024. Directors listed are Diego Ahumada, Susan Barry, Lakeisha Jefferson, Richard Krueger, and Jeanette Stillwagner.
CLA Foundation is led by Susan Carter, Executive Director on every filing since 2024; none of the 16 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Susan Carter
Executive Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Saundra Beatty
Chair
Director → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Diego Ahumada
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeanette Stillwagner
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lakeisha Jefferson
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Barry
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Krueger
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sharey Wang
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andy Lee
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ben Aase
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Dhanraj
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jen Tingley
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joe Hunt
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Reichling
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jen Leary
Ex-Officio
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Kay Curtiss
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (13)
- Former: Mindy Plewacki (2022–2024) — Executive Director
- Former: John Langan (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Michelle Peters (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Nick Graff (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Mark Bellows (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Michelle Pratt (2020–2022) — Chair
- Former: Jan Kruchoski (2019–2021) — Chair
- Former: Kira Sexton (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Steve Rosa (2019–2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Denny Schleper (2019–2020) — Ex-Officio
- Former: Linda Saddlemire (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Cristina Wiebelt-Smith (2020) — Director
- Former: Brian Dorazio (2019) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 CLA Foundation
How much does CLA Foundation give each year?
CLA Foundation gave $5.9M across 198 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.3M across 202 grants.
What is CLA Foundation's typical grant size?
CLA Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $29,838, across 198 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from CLA Foundation that year got $16K on average.
Where does CLA Foundation give grants?
CLA Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Virginia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were St. Louis, MO (7 grants), Minneapolis, MN (6 grants), Charlotte, NC (6 grants) and Sacramento, CA (5 grants).
Does CLA Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 43% of CLA Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (85 of 198) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Program Specific Support" (112 grants).
Who are CLA Foundation's largest grantees?
CLA Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Scholarship America ($2,768,000 across 3 grants), Skillsusa ($500,000) and Venn Foundation ($250,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is CLA Foundation?
CLA Foundation reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $100K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does CLA Foundation fund?
A foundation mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own descriptions indicate a range of activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from CLA Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is CLA Foundation's EIN?
CLA Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3544862. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does CLA Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 11, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 24, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 24, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 2, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work CLA Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in CLA Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). CLA Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cla-foundation-morg_179b7cadbaeb42279de4163979019449
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473544862_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{CLA Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cla-foundation-morg_179b7cadbaeb42279de4163979019449},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-04. 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 CLA 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.
CLA Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?