MWE Scholarship Fund
MWE Scholarship Fund is a private foundation based in Grand Forks, an individual recipient It supports students with financial need through scholarships for post-secondary education.
MWE Scholarship Fund at a glance
In short: MWE Scholarship Fund gave $365K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in North Dakota. 40% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $365,324
- +19.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,444
- -10.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,333
- Total assets
- $7,909,909
- +7.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (4 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Dakota (74% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to MWE Scholarship Fund
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says to contact Lyle Hall and include the applicant’s name, address, and school attending. It lists no restrictions on awards and says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. The website’s application notice for the 2025–2026 academic year is a past cycle.
- Review Cycle
- None listed on the 2025 filing.
- Deadline
- None listed on the 2025 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Lyle Hall
Mailing address: PO Box 5445, Grand Forks, ND 58206
Phone: (218) 779-5126
Website: https://mwescholarships.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who MWE Scholarship Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of North Dakota ($175K). Together the top 10 received $275K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($89,892), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 43 grants of 49 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 74% of grant dollars went to recipients in an individual recipient, 19% to Minnesota, 4% to Iowa, and 3% to an individual recipient
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is MWE Scholarship Fund open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 10 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $38K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 115% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $306K (2024) to $389K (2020). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $365K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND | Scholarship | $175,326 |
| 2 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $89,892 |
| Moorhead State University Moorhead, MN | Scholarship | $17,658 |
| Iowa State University Ames, IA | Scholarship | $13,188 |
| Northland Community and Technical College East Grand Forks, MN | Scholarship | $13,113 |
| Northern State University Aberdeen, SD | Scholarship | $12,463 |
| St Olaf College Northfield, MN | Scholarship | $12,202 |
| University of Minnesota Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | Scholarship | $11,753 |
| Concordia College Moorhead, MN | Scholarship | $7,941 |
| University of Minnesota Morris Morris, MN | Scholarship | $6,140 |
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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 | $7,909,909 | $373,118 | $463,764 | $365,324 | 12 | $420,923 | $335,243 | $366,064 |
| 2024 | $7,342,020 | $215,820 | $388,351 | $306,342 | 9 | $353,240 | $194,198 | $356,554 |
| 2023 | $7,121,538 | $448,047 | $412,903 | $325,661 | 7 | $373,319 | $413,501 | $318,385 |
| 2022 | $6,477,448 | $241,677 | $409,488 | $319,564 | 11 | $366,029 | $206,876 | $336,211 |
| 2021 | $7,882,673 | $467,727 | $425,750 | $340,425 | 10 | $389,272 | $434,729 | $370,636 |
| 2020 | $7,245,485 | $278,297 | $471,431 | $389,243 | 12 | — | $248,152 | $319,695 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, MWE Scholarship Fund reported a distributable amount of $366K 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
The fund’s stated mission is to provide financial assistance to students who demonstrate financial need and to help remove financial barriers to education. Its website also describes post-secondary education as a path to developing skills for financial independence.
The 2025 grants went to educational institutions for scholarships. Among the recipients, St. Olaf College describes its mission as challenging students in the liberal arts and helping them explore meaningful vocations in an inclusive community. Concordia College says it aims to send thoughtful, informed people dedicated to the Christian life into society. The University of Jamestown describes its mission as developing wholeness in students through academic excellence, professional preparation, and personal growth.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the fund awarded 12 grants totaling $365,324. Grants ranged from $5,648 to $175,326, with a median of $12,332. The largest awards were $175,326 to the University of an individual recipient and $79,268 to an individual recipient State University, both for scholarships. Other awards included $17,658 to Moorhead State University, $13,188 to Iowa State University, and $13,113 to Northland Community and Technical College.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lyle Hall as president, Mark Sanford as vice president, and Bruce Kopp as secretary/treasurer.
MWE Scholarship Fund is led by Lyle Hall, President on every filing since 2020; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lyle Hall
President
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
$15K (2020) → $15K (2025)
Bruce Kopp
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
$15K (2020) → $15K (2025)
Mark Sanford
Vice President
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
$15K (2020) → $15K (2025)
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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $15K, to Lyle Hall (President). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about MWE Scholarship Fund
How much does MWE Scholarship Fund give each year?
MWE Scholarship Fund gave $365K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $306K across 9 grants.
What is MWE Scholarship Fund's typical grant size?
MWE Scholarship Fund's median grant in 2025 was $12,333, and its average grant was $30,444, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from MWE Scholarship Fund that year got $12K on average.
Where does MWE Scholarship Fund give grants?
MWE Scholarship Fund gives mostly in North Dakota: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Minnesota (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Moorhead, MN (2 grants).
Does MWE Scholarship Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on MWE Scholarship Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (12 grants).
Who are MWE Scholarship Fund's largest grantees?
MWE Scholarship Fund's largest 2025 grantees include University of North Dakota ($175,326), Moorhead State University ($17,658) and Iowa State University ($13,188), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($89,892), which are not listed by name. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is MWE Scholarship Fund?
MWE Scholarship Fund reported $7.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $421K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $366K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does MWE Scholarship Fund fund?
The fund’s stated mission is to provide financial assistance to students who demonstrate financial need and to help remove financial barriers to education. Its website also describes post-secondary education as a path to developing skills for financial independence. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from MWE Scholarship Fund?
The 2025 filing says to contact Lyle Hall and include the applicant’s name, address, and school attending. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is MWE Scholarship Fund's EIN?
MWE Scholarship Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-7169542. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 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 September 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
Live grants for the work MWE Scholarship Fund funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in MWE Scholarship Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). MWE Scholarship Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mwe-scholarship-fund-morg_9d59517f999c4af982e979884b40a5e9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_477169542_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{MWE Scholarship Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mwe-scholarship-fund-morg_9d59517f999c4af982e979884b40a5e9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 MWE Scholarship 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.
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