Minnesota Private College Fund
The Minnesota Private College Fund is a public charity based in St. Paul, Minnesota, that raises and distributes support for its 17 member private colleges and universities and their students. It funds college operations, scholarships, and scholarship programs.
Minnesota Private College Fund at a glance
In short: Minnesota Private College Fund gave $933K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $55K), mostly in Minnesota. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $932,554
- -10.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $54,856
- -10.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $51,449
- Total assets
- $2,083,910
- -14.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (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 Minnesota Private College Fund
- Contact
Mailing address: Bremer Tower 445 Minnesota St 500, St Paul, MN 55101
Phone: (651) 228-9061
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Minnesota Private College Fund
Who Minnesota Private College Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of St Thomas ($133K). Together the top 10 received $665K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($31,645), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
85 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 43 grants of 85 (51%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All reported grant dollars in filing year 2025 went to recipients in Minnesota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Minnesota Private College Fund open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 17 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−6%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $899K (2023) to $1.1M (2021). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $933K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of St Thomas St. Paul, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $132,988 |
| Augsburg College Minneapolis, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $67,652 |
| St Olaf College Northfield, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $66,776 |
| Hamline University St. Paul, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $63,394 |
| St Catherine University St. Paul, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $62,099 |
| Macalester College St. Paul, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $57,002 |
| Concordia College Moorhead, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $56,510 |
| College of St Scholastica Duluth, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $55,883 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College St Peter, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $51,449 |
| Concordia University St. Paul, MN | Operations, Student Scholarships | $50,886 |
Ready to take the next step with Minnesota Private College Fund?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,083,910 | $1,771,507 | $2,087,961 | $932,554 | 17 | $332 |
| 2024 | $2,444,110 | $1,909,121 | $2,217,233 | $1,040,969 | 17 | $188 |
| 2023 | $2,945,928 | $1,966,152 | $1,992,508 | $899,191 | 17 | $184 |
| 2022 | $2,737,886 | $2,274,894 | $1,822,850 | $990,994 | 17 | $128 |
| 2021 | $2,269,188 | $1,797,155 | $1,599,463 | $1,134,065 | 17 | $746 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fund’s stated mission is to serve its members’ shared needs by seeking philanthropic support from corporations, foundations, and others for the benefit of member colleges and universities and their students.
Its website identifies three areas of work: scholarships for promising students from low- and middle-income families; general operating support for member institutions; and leadership of four scholarship programs. Scholarship options include pooled awards, named scholarships, and program scholarships. Named scholarships require a minimum annual contribution of $17,000. The Fund’s filing says member institutions’ annual dues cover its general overhead, fundraising, and administrative expenses, and that contributions are distributed as financial support for member colleges, need-based scholarships, and Fund-operated scholarship programs.
The 2025 grants show support for private colleges and universities in Minnesota. For example, the University of St. Thomas describes its mission as educating morally responsible leaders to advance the common good; St. Olaf College describes a liberal arts education shaped by faith, values, and meaningful vocation; and Macalester College emphasizes scholarship, internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the Fund’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Fund reported 17 grants totaling $932,554. Grant amounts ranged from $31,054 to $132,988, with a median of $51,449. The listed grant purposes were operations and student scholarships.
The largest reported grant was $132,988 to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Other large grants included $67,652 to Augsburg College, $66,776 to St. Olaf College, $63,394 to Hamline University, and $62,099 to St. Catherine University. The Fund also reported grants to Macalester College ($57,002), Concordia College ($56,510), and the College of St. Scholastica ($55,883).
The Fund’s website describes Trailblazers as a two-year program combining scholarships with academic and professional advising, mentoring, leadership development, financial literacy, experiential learning, networking, and career preparation. The filing describes Innovation Scholars as a collaborative research program involving student teams and start-up and early-stage medical companies and the Mayo Clinic; it reports 12 participating institutions and 55 students in fiscal 2025. These programs support participating students rather than being grant programs for outside applicants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Paul D. Cerkvenik as president and CEO; Barbara McDonald as chair; Tom Morin as vice chair; and Gene Pfeifer as treasurer and secretary. Directors listed include Ross Allen, Sarina Baker, Alison Brown, Brian Buress, Rev. James P. Burns, and Alison Byerly.
Minnesota Private College Fund is led by Paul D. Cerkvenik, President & CEO on every filing since 2021; none of the 38 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Paul D. Cerkvenik
President & CEO
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barbara McDonald
Chair
Director → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ajay Gupta
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Friedrich
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dan Loritz
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gregg Peterson
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James P. Burns Ivd PhD
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Pribbenow
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Bergman
Director
Chair → Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Koenig Roloff
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ross Allen
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sanjit Sethi
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne Rivera
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alison Byerly
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Kelley
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rob Vischer
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alison Brown
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Buress
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Dolan
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Anderson
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Rundell Singer
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Coline Irvine
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
De'mon Wiggins
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matt Entenza
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Wallace
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarina Baker
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ethan Keller
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gwendolyn Freed
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jacob Wolkowitz
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Murray
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marcheta Evans
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mayme Hostetter
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Natalia Hernandez
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Pratt-Cook
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gene Pfeifer
Treasurer & Secretary
Director → Treasurer & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stacey Holland
CFO
Chief Financial Officer → CFO, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tom Morin
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erin Omberg
CFO
Finance, Operations & CFO → CFO, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (22)
- Former: Fayneese Miller (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Kathleen Cooney (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Susan Eich (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Brian Bruess (2024) — Director
- Former: Melissa Franzen (2024) — Director
- Former: Nicholas Van Deelen (2024) — Director
- Former: Patricia Pratt Cook (2024) — Director
- Former: Angie Wordell (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Ann Houser (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: David R. Anderson (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Teresa Mogensen (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: William Craft (2021–2023) — Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Corbin Hoornbeek (2023) — Director
- Former: Dexter Davis (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Doug Stang (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: James Mullen (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Julie Sullivan (2021–2022) — Director-Outgoing
- Former: Laurie Hamen (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Mansco Perry (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Michael Lovett (2021–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Steven G. Poskanzer (2021–2022) — Director-Outgoing
- Former: Eugene McAllister (2021) — Director-Outgoing
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Minnesota Private College Fund
How much does Minnesota Private College Fund give each year?
Minnesota Private College Fund gave $933K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.0M across 17 grants.
What is Minnesota Private College Fund's typical grant size?
Minnesota Private College Fund's median grant in 2025 was $51,449, and its average grant was $54,856, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Minnesota Private College Fund give grants?
Minnesota Private College Fund gives mostly in Minnesota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were St. Paul, MN (6 grants), Minneapolis, MN (2 grants) and Northfield, MN (2 grants).
Does Minnesota Private College Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Minnesota Private College Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Operations, Student Scholarships" (17 grants).
Who are Minnesota Private College Fund's largest grantees?
Minnesota Private College Fund's largest 2025 grantees include University of St Thomas ($132,988), Augsburg College ($67,652) and St Olaf College ($66,776), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($31,645), which are not listed by name. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Minnesota Private College Fund?
Minnesota Private College Fund reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.8M.
What does Minnesota Private College Fund fund?
The Fund’s stated mission is to serve its members’ shared needs by seeking philanthropic support from corporations, foundations, and others for the benefit of member colleges and universities and their students. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Minnesota Private College Fund?
Minnesota Private College Fund has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Minnesota Private College Fund's EIN?
Minnesota Private College Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 51-0166951. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
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 2021 (received by the IRS November 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS November 6, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Minnesota Private College Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Minnesota Private College Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/minnesota-private-college-fund-morg_46a6fe2548c7490eb515c29fa353eccf
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_510166951_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Minnesota Private College Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/minnesota-private-college-fund-morg_46a6fe2548c7490eb515c29fa353eccf},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Minnesota Private College Fund'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.
Minnesota Private College Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?