Myra Foundation logo

Myra Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Grand Forks, ND EIN: 45-0215088 Website

The Myra Foundation is a private foundation based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awards grants for charitable, character-building, and educational purposes in Grand Forks County, including the City of Grand Forks, and is open to eligible tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations other than private foundations.

Myra Foundation at a glance

In short: Myra Foundation gave $761K across 85 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in North Dakota. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$760,669
+6.1% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
85
+13.3% vs 2024
Average grant
$8,949
-6.4% vs 2024
Median grant
$5,000
Total assets
$15,640,111
+9.6% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
18% first-time grantees (14 of 78, 2025)
Primary geography
North Dakota (98% 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 Myra Foundation

How to Apply

The Foundation’s website provides online application instructions and says applications may also be submitted by mail; applicants can obtain the required application information from the website. Eligible applicants must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations and cannot be private foundations under section 509(a). Multi-year commitments are not permitted. Recipients must file a final report documenting how grant funds were spent by October 1 of the following year.

Review Cycle
The website says applications for the 2026 funding cycle opened June 1 and are due November 1, 2026. Awards are typically determined by mid-December, with funding normally received in late December.
Deadline
The website says applications for the 2026 funding cycle opened June 1 and are due November 1, 2026.
Contact

Application contact: Myra Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 13536, Grand Forks, ND 58208-3536
Phone: (701) 739-2927
Website: https://myrafoundation.org

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Myra Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Grand Forks Children's Museum Inc: $60K across 2 grantsGrand Forks Children's MuseumInc$60K · 2 grantsUniversity of North Dakota Foundation: $54KUniversity of North DakotaFoundation$54KCircle of Friends Animal Shelterhumane Society of Grand Forks: $30K across 2 grantsCircle of Friends AnimalShelterhumane Society of…$30K · 2 grantsEmpire Arts Center: $30KEmpire Arts Center$30KUnited Way of Grand Forks East Grand Forks & Area: $30KUnited Way of Grand Forks EastGrand Forks & Area$30KGrand Forks Senior Center: $25KGrand Forks Senior Center$25KSt Joseph's Social Care: $25KSt Joseph's Social Care$25KNorthlands Rescue Mission Inc: $22K across 2 grantsNorthlands Rescue Mission Inc$22K · 2 grantsGrand Forks County Water Resource District: $20KGrand Forks County WaterResource District$20KSpecial Olympics North Dakota: $20KSpecial Olympics North Dakota$20K

The largest 2025 recipient was Grand Forks Children's Museum Inc ($60K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $316K.

Grant Size Distribution

381 grants across all recorded years

368<$50K13$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 368 grants of 381 (97%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The Foundation’s website says awards are confined to Grand Forks County, including the City of Grand Forks. Its 2025 filing reports grant dollars going to recipients in North Dakota (98%), Minnesota (2%), and South Dakota (1%).

Grant Distribution by State

5states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 85 itemized grants.

Cities

Grand ForksEmeradoLarimoreFargoManvelNorthwoodRosevilleInksterSioux FallsThompsonEden PrairieGilbyHattonArkadelphiaGoldenMedoraReynolds

Is Myra Foundation open to new grantees?

18%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 14 of 78 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $10K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $6K repeat.

  • 71% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+4%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 109% 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

$0$250K$500K$750K$1M69 grants2020 73 grants2021 77 grants2022 71 grants2023 75 grants2024 85 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $704K (2023) to $820K (2021). In 2025 it made 85 grants totaling $761K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
University of North Dakota Foundation Grand Forks, NDMyra Foundation Scholarships$54,000
Grand Forks Children's Museum Inc Grand Forks, NDGrand Forks Children's Museum Inc. Naming Opportunity$50,000
Empire Arts Center Grand Forks, NDIs It Cold in Here?$30,000
United Way of Grand Forks East Grand Forks & Area Grand Forks, NDBackpack Program$30,000
Circle of Friends Animal Shelterhumane Society of Grand Forks Grand Forks, ND2026 Myra Spay and Neuter, Medical and Outreach$25,000
Grand Forks Senior Center Grand Forks, NDSenior Meals$25,000
St Joseph's Social Care Grand Forks, NDEmergency Assistance Program$25,000
Northlands Rescue Mission Inc Grand Forks, NDRoof Top Units Maintenance for Dorm$20,400
Grand Forks County Water Resource District Grand Forks, NDMyra Arboretum$20,000
Special Olympics North Dakota Grand Forks, ND2026 State Soccer & Bocce Tournament$20,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$15,640,111$1,318,454$917,305$760,66985$803,489$1,215,325$739,658
2024$14,272,803$1,324,234$865,646$716,77375$753,227$1,232,421$639,454
2023$13,339,293$828,575$836,511$703,64971$737,827$755,133$643,258
2022$12,245,773$446,473$880,378$730,87877$750,988$343,022$702,352
2021$15,585,409$941,815$961,444$820,11173$840,952$836,957$749,229
2020$14,626,819$509,360$839,558$724,84869—$383,524$715,618

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Myra Foundation reported a distributable amount of $740K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The Foundation’s stated purposes are charitable, character-building, and educational. Its 2025 grants illustrate support for a range of local organizations and projects. For example, Empire Arts Center describes its mission as promoting cultural activities for the community; Northlands Rescue Mission says it provides shelter and a place of hope for people recovering from homelessness, pain, and addiction; and Special Olympics North Dakota describes its work as providing year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Other 2025 recipients included organizations whose stated missions involve senior care, historical preservation, and hospice care.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 85 grants totaling $760,669. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $54,000, with a median of $5,000; its website says awards are typically between $1,000 and $10,000, with no set parameters. Notable awards included $54,000 to the University of North Dakota Foundation for Myra Foundation scholarships, $50,000 to Grand Forks Children’s Museum for a naming opportunity, and $30,000 each to Empire Arts Center and United Way of Grand Forks East Grand Forks & Area. Other recipients included Circle of Friends Animal Shelter, Grand Forks Senior Center, and St. Joseph’s Social Care, each receiving $25,000.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The Foundation’s website identifies Tracy Kennedy, Chris Griffin, and Emily Montgomery as its current trustees, with Montgomery serving as president. The 2025 filing lists John Botsford as president, Emily Montgomery as secretary-treasurer, and Tracy Kennedy as director.

Myra Foundation is led by John Botsford, President on every filing since 2020; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • John Botsford

    President

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    $16K (2020) → $22K (2025)

  • Tracy Kennedy

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    $1K (2022) → $2K (2025)

  • Emily Montgomery

    Sec-Treas

    Director → Sec-Treas, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    $1K (2020) → $2K (2025)

Former officers (2)
  • Former: Kent Cronquist (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Donna Gillig (2020) — Sec-Treas

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

John Botsford — President: $22KJohn BotsfordPresident$22KEmily Montgomery — Sec-Treas: $2KEmily MontgomerySec-Treas$2KTracy Kennedy — Director: $2KTracy KennedyDirector$2K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $22K, to John Botsford (President). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Frequently asked questions about Myra Foundation

How much does Myra Foundation give each year?

Myra Foundation gave $761K across 85 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $717K across 75 grants.

What is Myra Foundation's typical grant size?

Myra Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,949, across 85 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Myra Foundation that year got $5K on average.

Where does Myra Foundation give grants?

Myra Foundation gives mostly in North Dakota: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Grand Forks, ND (64 grants), Fargo, ND (4 grants), Larimore, ND (4 grants) and Manvel, ND (3 grants).

Does Myra Foundation give general operating support?

Occasionally: 2% of Myra Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 85) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Myra Foundation's largest grantees?

Myra Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Grand Forks Children's Museum Inc ($60,000 across 2 grants), University of North Dakota Foundation ($54,000) and Circle of Friends Animal Shelterhumane Society of Grand Forks ($30,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Myra Foundation?

Myra Foundation reported $15.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $803K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $740K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Myra Foundation fund?

The Foundation’s stated purposes are charitable, character-building, and educational. Its 2025 grants illustrate support for a range of local organizations and projects. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Myra Foundation?

The Foundation’s website provides online application instructions and says applications may also be submitted by mail; applicants can obtain the required application information from the website. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Myra Foundation's EIN?

Myra Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-0215088. 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 October 2026.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 12, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 17, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Myra Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/myra-foundation-morg_81f6d2a0adcf472c964d3c98d08349e9

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_450215088_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Myra Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/myra-foundation-morg_81f6d2a0adcf472c964d3c98d08349e9},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Myra 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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