Pamela Bakken Foundation
The Pamela Bakken Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Minnesota.
Pamela Bakken Foundation at a glance
In short: Pamela Bakken Foundation gave $90K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Minnesota. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $90,400
- +15.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -14.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,533
- +34.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,596,799
- -1.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (2 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (91% 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 Pamela Bakken Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 80 S 8Th St Ste 4200, Minneapolis, MN 55402-2223
Phone: (612) 339-7151
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Pamela Bakken Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Southern Valley Alliance ($25K). Together the top 10 received $88K.
Grant Size Distribution
63 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 63 grants of 63 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota, 6% to Illinois, and 3% to Missouri.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Pamela Bakken Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 36% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 105% 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 $64K (2023) to $90K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $90K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Valley Alliance Shakopee, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $25,000 |
| Prior Lake Rotary Foundation Prior Lake, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $15,000 |
| Golden Gopher Athletics Minneapolis, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $12,400 |
| Elks Lodge 2221 Hopkins, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $10,000 |
| Adopt a Husky Minnesota Blaine, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $5,000 |
| Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association Inc Chicago, IL | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $5,000 |
| Cap Agency of Scott Carver & Dakota Counties Shakopee, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $5,000 |
| Children's Health Care Foundation Minneapolis, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $5,000 |
| Prior Lake Fire Department Prior Lake, MN | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $3,000 |
| Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Kansas City, MO | General Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee | $3,000 |
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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 | $1,596,799 | $85,874 | $101,503 | $90,400 | 12 | $95,187 | $79,658 | $90,268 |
| 2024 | $1,612,428 | $-11,716 | $90,115 | $78,400 | 14 | $79,781 | $39,497 | $85,753 |
| 2023 | $1,714,271 | $58,653 | $88,259 | $64,400 | 9 | $66,592 | $46,186 | $71,922 |
| 2022 | $1,743,877 | $499,536 | $81,699 | $66,400 | 12 | $67,751 | $487,088 | $68,652 |
| 2021 | $1,326,040 | $89,727 | $88,114 | $79,500 | 16 | $80,162 | $82,798 | $82,074 |
| 2020 | $1,325,966 | $66,513 | $88,181 | $78,600 | 14 | — | $58,861 | $74,277 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pamela Bakken Foundation reported a distributable amount of $90K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied purposes. For example, Southern Valley Alliance says it supports victims of domestic violence and their families in Carver and Scott counties, Minnesota. Children’s Health Care Foundation says it raises community resources to support high-quality, family-centered pediatric healthcare. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $90,400. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $25,000, with a median of $5,000.
Its largest grants included $25,000 to Southern Valley Alliance, $15,000 to Prior Lake Rotary Foundation, $12,400 to Golden Gopher Athletics, and $10,000 to Elks Lodge 2221. Other grants included $5,000 each to Adopt A Husky Minnesota, Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Disorders Association, Cap Agency of Scott Carver & Dakota Counties, and Children’s Health Care Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Pamela Petersmeyer as president.
Pamela Bakken Foundation is led by Pamela Petersmeyer, President on every filing since 2021 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Pamela Petersmeyer
President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Wells Fargo Bank N A (2020) — Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about Pamela Bakken Foundation
How much does Pamela Bakken Foundation give each year?
Pamela Bakken Foundation gave $90K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $78K across 14 grants.
What is Pamela Bakken Foundation's typical grant size?
Pamela Bakken Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,533, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Pamela Bakken Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Pamela Bakken Foundation give grants?
Pamela Bakken Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Prior Lake, MN (3 grants), Shakopee, MN (2 grants) and Minneapolis, MN (2 grants).
Does Pamela Bakken Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Pamela Bakken Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Pamela Bakken Foundation's largest grantees?
Pamela Bakken Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Southern Valley Alliance ($25,000), Prior Lake Rotary Foundation ($15,000) and Golden Gopher Athletics ($12,400), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Pamela Bakken Foundation?
Pamela Bakken Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $95K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $90K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Pamela Bakken Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied purposes. For example, Southern Valley Alliance says it supports victims of domestic violence and their families in Carver and Scott counties, Minnesota. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Pamela Bakken Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Pamela Bakken Foundation's EIN?
Pamela Bakken Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1850599. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Pamela Bakken Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 17, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Pamela Bakken Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Pamela Bakken Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Pamela Bakken Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pamela-bakken-foundation-morg_be395597393844b8be9d00cf68678cec
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_411850599_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Pamela Bakken Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/pamela-bakken-foundation-morg_be395597393844b8be9d00cf68678cec},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Pamela Bakken 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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