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Communitygiving

Public charity · Grantmaker St Cloud, MN EIN: 36-3412544 Website

Communitygiving is a public charity based in an individual recipient, Minnesota. It provides centralized services and specialized expertise to partner community foundations in Minnesota and Derby, Kansas, helping them serve local communities and support local philanthropy.

Key facts about Communitygiving

In short: Communitygiving gave $16.7M across 426 grants in 2025 (avg $39K), mostly in Minnesota. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

EIN
36-3412544
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$16,697,156
Grants made (2025)
426
Average grant
$39,195
Median grant
$15,528
New grantees (estimate)
25% first-time grantees (102 of 404, 2025)
Total assets
$282,584,648
Primary geography
Minnesota (87% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
How to apply
For competitive opportunities, review the specific grant guidelines and submit an application through the online grant system. Full details ↓
Deadline
The Central Minnesota Special Needs Grant lists a deadline of October 31, 2026.

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$282.6M

+18.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$16.7M

-2.6% YoY

Grant Count

426

+1.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$39K

-3.8% YoY

Is Communitygiving open to new grantees?

25%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 102 of 404 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $45K. How we count

Medians: $11K first-time, $18K repeat.

  • 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+5%). Method

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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The mission stated in the organization’s 2024 filing is “to engage people, connect resources, and build community.” Its website describes work that includes helping donors establish and manage charitable funds, supporting partner foundations’ grantmaking, and developing community initiatives.

Examples of 2025 grantees show support for varied organizations. The College of Saint Benedict describes its mission as providing women with a liberal arts education in the Catholic and Benedictine traditions; Great River Educational Arts Theatre says it brings the community together through shared theatre experiences; and Hope Haven says it empowers individuals with disabilities through work and life skills. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not Communitygiving’s.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, Communitygiving reported 426 grants totaling $16,697,156. Grant amounts ranged from $5,100 to $680,477, with a median of $15,528. The largest listed award was $680,477 to the College of Saint Benedict for scholarship funds. Other large awards included $529,194 to Great River Children’s Museum and $473,571 to CentraCare Health Foundation, both for general or operating support.

The 2024 filing says the foundation administered more than $17 million in distributions to more than 1,000 nonprofits from donor-established funds. It also describes 120 scholarship funds and scholarship awards to education institutions and individual recipients. Those scholarships are distinct from grants to outside organizations.

The website says most grants come from funds established for specific causes or from donor-advised funds, while some foundation-administered funds offer competitive opportunities. Competitive grant criteria and applications are provided for each opportunity. Applications are accepted only through the online grant system; paper applications are not accepted. The website’s grant-system instructions ask applicants to provide their organization’s EIN, legal name and address, contact details, and CEO or executive director information.

Listed opportunities include the Central Minnesota Special Needs Grant, offering $5,000–$10,000 for eligible nonprofits, schools, and government entities serving specified local areas. Its stated eligible costs include services, equipment, and projects for people with complex intellectual and physical disabilities; general operating costs and capital campaigns are excluded. The an individual recipient Difference Maker Grants offer $5,000–$30,000 for eligible organizations serving Crow Wing and southern Cass Counties, with stated priorities including economic vitality, opportunity gaps for disadvantaged youth, and community engagement. The Kandiyohi County Farm Bureau Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship for eligible local high school seniors pursuing agriculture-related education.

Review Cycle

The Central Minnesota Special Needs Grant lists a deadline of October 31, 2026. The an individual recipient Difference Maker Grants list a deadline of February 15, 2027.

How to Apply

For competitive opportunities, review the specific grant guidelines and submit an application through the online grant system. The website says applications must be submitted online and that no paper applications will be accepted.

Open Grants

45 open opportunities from Communitygiving

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The organization says it supports partner community foundations across Minnesota and in Derby, Kansas. Its 2025 grant dollars went primarily to Minnesota recipients (87%), with additional shares going to Texas (2%), Iowa (2%), Illinois (1%), and Kansas (1%). The listed competitive opportunities include grants for communities in central Minnesota and the an individual recipient area.

Grant Distribution by State

39states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 426 itemized grants.

Cities

Saint CloudWillmarAlexandriaMinneapolisSaint PaulBrainerdSauk CentreWaite ParkSartellCold SpringPaynesvilleCollegevilleDuluthNisswaNew LondonSaint JosephSauk RapidsChaskaLittle FallsOrlando

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$5M$10M$15M$20M318 grants2020 362 grants2021 338 grants2022 374 grants2023 421 grants2024 426 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $14.0M (2020) to $17.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 426 grants totaling $16.7M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

College of Saint Benedict: $680KCollege of Saint Benedict$680KGreat River Children's Museum: $529KGreat River Children's Museum$529KCentracare Health Foundation: $474KCentracare Health Foundation$474KCatholic Charities of the Diocese of St Cloud: $379KCatholic Charities of theDiocese of St Cloud$379KUnited Way of Central Minnesota: $372KUnited Way of CentralMinnesota$372KBoys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota: $364KBoys and Girls Clubs ofCentral Minnesota$364KTVS Ministries: $300KTVS Ministries$300KThe Regeneration Center: $281KThe Regeneration Center$281KSt Cloud Area Family YMCA: $276KSt Cloud Area Family YMCA$276KCity of Albany: $250KCity of Albany$250K

The largest 2025 recipient was College of Saint Benedict ($680K). Together the top 10 received $3.9M.

Organizations only. It also paid 19 individual scholarships ($505,923), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

1,921 grants across all recorded years

1568<$50K163$50–100K139$100–250K37$250–500K9$500K–1M5$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,568 grants of 1,921 (82%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MNScholarship Funds$680,477
Great River Children's Museum Saint Cloud, MNGen/Oper Support$529,194
Centracare Health Foundation Saint Cloud, MNGen/Oper Support$473,571
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St Cloud Saint Cloud, MNGen/Oper Support$378,607
United Way of Central Minnesota Saint Cloud, MNGen/Oper Support$372,055
Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota Saint Cloud, MNGen/Oper Support$363,794
TVS Ministries Linden, TXGen/Oper Support$300,000
The Regeneration Center Alexandria, MNGen/Oper Support$281,000
St Cloud Area Family YMCA Saint Cloud, MNGen/Oper Support$276,024
City of Albany Albany, MNGen/Oper Support$250,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants reported
2025 $282,584,648 $46,201,694 $23,060,011 $16,697,156
2024 $237,880,375 $30,311,653 $22,465,219 $17,147,793
2023 $208,628,197 $19,883,794 $20,819,148 $16,354,618
Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$20M$40M$60M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$282,584,648$237,880,375$208,628,197
Revenue$46,201,694$30,311,653$19,883,794
Expenses$23,060,011$22,465,219$20,819,148
Net Investment Income$8,035,748$8,304,578$4,576,144

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 2, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS December 2, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 28, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 20, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 26, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS December 1, 2025)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Steven Joul as president; Steve Peterson as chair; Laura Helmer as vice chair; Dr. Kathleen Allen as secretary; and James Ringwald as treasurer. It also lists Janet Grones, John Herges, Keith Humphrey, Chuck Albrecht, and Steve Laraway as directors.

Communitygiving is led by Steven Joul, President on every filing since 2020; 6 of 26 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Steven Joul

    President

    On filings since 2020

    40 hrs/week

    $191K (2020) → $252K (2025)

  • Sara Carlson

    Wacf Executive Director

    On filings since 2022

    40 hrs/week

    $102K (2022) → $127K (2025)

  • Greta Stark-Kraker

    Cmcf Executive Director

    On filings since 2023

    40 hrs/week

    $115K (2023) → $142K (2025)

  • Steve Peterson

    Chair

    Director → Vice Chair, 2022

    Vice Chair → Chair, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jim Roelofs

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • John Herges

    Director

    Vice Chair → Chair, 2022

    Chair → Director, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ken Warner

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Steve Laraway

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Janet Grones

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Donna Stacken

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Elizabeth Stanton

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Erin Bitzan

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jack Driscoll

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Keith Humphrey

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sheriff Ahmed

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tohow Siyad

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Wayne Nelson

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Chuck Albrecht

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Greg Gilness

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tim Torgerson

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Elise Wiener

    Chief Financial Officer

    Director of Finance & Investment → Director of Finance & Investments, 2022

    Director of Finance & Investments → Chief Financial Officer, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    40 hrs/week

    $112K (2020) → $157K (2025)

  • Cary Pogatchnik

    Assistant Controller

    New on the 2025 filing

    40 hrs/week

    $101K (2025)

  • Dominic Papatola

    Chief Impact Officer

    New on the 2025 filing

    40 hrs/week

    $147K (2025)

  • James Ringwald

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Laura Helmer

    Vice Chair

    Director → Secretary, 2023

    Secretary → Vice Chair, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kathleen Allen

    Secretary

    Director → Secretary, 2024

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (21)
  • Former: Bruce Pohlig (2020–2024) — Director
  • Former: Sarah Klaassen (2022–2024) — Director
  • Former: Rene Millner (2024) — Director
  • Former: Maryanne Mahowald (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Heather Thompson (2022–2023) — Director
  • Former: Jim Kraft (2022–2023) — Director
  • Former: Sally Smith (2022–2023) — Director
  • Former: Sonja Merrild (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Terri Barreiro (2020–2022) — Secretary
  • Former: Tom Anderson (2021–2022) — Director
  • Former: Kathy Grochow (2022) — Director of Community Programs
  • Former: Bob Roepke (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Brenda Felling Jennissen (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Caryl Turnow (2020–2021) — Cmcf Executive Director
  • Former: Janelle Riley (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Josh Tatge (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Pastor Jon Dahl (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Terry Tone (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Karl Samp (2021) — Blacf Executive Director
  • Former: Bob Sweeney (2020) — Director
  • Former: Debra Leigh (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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Steven Joul — President: $252KSteven JoulPresident$252KElise Wiener — Chief Financial Officer: $157KElise WienerChief Financial Officer$157KDominic Papatola — Chief Impact Officer: $147KDominic PapatolaChief Impact Officer$147KGreta Stark-Kraker — CMCF Executive Director: $142KGreta Stark-KrakerCMCF Executive Director$142KSara Carlson — Wacf Executive Director: $127KSara CarlsonWacf Executive Director$127KCary Pogatchnik — Assistant Controller: $101KCary PogatchnikAssistant Controller$101K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $252K, to Steven Joul (President). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Contact

Mailing address: 101 7Th Avenue S 100, St Cloud, MN 56301
Phone: (320) 253-4380
Website: https://communitygiving.org

Frequently asked questions about Communitygiving

How much does Communitygiving give each year?

Communitygiving gave $16.7M across 426 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $17.1M across 421 grants.

What is Communitygiving's typical grant size?

Communitygiving's median grant in 2025 was $15,528, and its average grant was $39,195, across 426 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Communitygiving that year got $25K on average.

Where does Communitygiving give grants?

Communitygiving gives mostly in Minnesota: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Saint Cloud, MN (65 grants), Willmar, MN (33 grants), Alexandria, MN (28 grants) and Minneapolis, MN (18 grants).

Does Communitygiving give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 426 grants with a stated purpose on Communitygiving's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Gen/Oper Support" (370 grants) and "Scholarship Funds" (56 grants).

Who are Communitygiving's largest grantees?

Communitygiving's largest 2025 grantees include College of Saint Benedict ($680,477), Great River Children's Museum ($529,194) and Centracare Health Foundation ($473,571), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 19 individual scholarships ($505,923), which are not listed by name. Together they received 10% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Communitygiving?

Communitygiving reported $282.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $46.2M.

What does Communitygiving fund?

The mission stated in the organization’s 2024 filing is “to engage people, connect resources, and build community.” Its website describes work that includes helping donors establish and manage charitable funds, supporting partner foundations’ grantmaking, and developing community initiatives. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Communitygiving?

For competitive opportunities, review the specific grant guidelines and submit an application through the online grant system. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Communitygiving's EIN?

Communitygiving's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3412544. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.

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