Pamela Bakken Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Minneapolis, MN EIN: 41-1850599

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.

Key facts about Pamela Bakken Foundation

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.

EIN
41-1850599
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$90,400
Grants made (2025)
12
Average grant
$7,533
Median grant
$5,000
New grantees (estimate)
17% first-time grantees (2 of 12, 2025)
Total assets
$1,596,799
Primary geography
Minnesota (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 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-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.6M

-1.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$90K

+15.3% YoY

Grant Count

12

-14.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$8K

+34.5% YoY

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.

Is Pamela Bakken Foundation open to new grantees?

17%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. 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.

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.

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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

6states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.

Cities

Prior LakeShakopeeMinneapolisBlaineAnnandaleFalcon HeightsChicagoFinlandSt. PaulGarrisonOklahoma CityRosevilleAspenKansas CitySnowmass VillageEmilyHopkinsPhoenix

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$25K$50K$75K$100K14 grants2020 16 grants2021 12 grants2022 9 grants2023 14 grants2024 12 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $64K (2023) to $90K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $90K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Southern Valley Alliance: $25KSouthern Valley Alliance$25KPrior Lake Rotary Foundation: $15KPrior Lake Rotary Foundation$15KGolden Gopher Athletics: $12KGolden Gopher Athletics$12KElks Lodge 2221: $10KElks Lodge 2221$10KAdopt a Husky Minnesota: $5KAdopt a Husky Minnesota$5KAlzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association Inc: $5KAlzheimer's Disease & RelatedDisorders Association Inc$5KCap Agency of Scott Carver & Dakota Counties: $5KCap Agency of Scott Carver &Dakota Counties$5KChildren's Health Care Foundation: $5KChildren's Health CareFoundation$5KPrior Lake Fire Department: $3KPrior Lake Fire Department$3KVeterans of Foreign Wars of the United States: $3KVeterans of Foreign Wars ofthe United States$3K

The largest 2025 recipient was Southern Valley Alliance ($25K). Together the top 10 received $88K.

Grant Size Distribution

63 grants across all recorded years

63<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 63 grants of 63 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Southern Valley Alliance Shakopee, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$25,000
Prior Lake Rotary Foundation Prior Lake, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$15,000
Golden Gopher Athletics Minneapolis, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$12,400
Elks Lodge 2221 Hopkins, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$10,000
Adopt a Husky Minnesota Blaine, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$5,000
Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association Inc Chicago, ILGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$5,000
Cap Agency of Scott Carver & Dakota Counties Shakopee, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$5,000
Children's Health Care Foundation Minneapolis, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$5,000
Prior Lake Fire Department Prior Lake, MNGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$3,000
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Kansas City, MOGeneral Purpose to Be Determined by the Grantee$3,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $1,596,799 $85,874 $101,503 $90,400
2024 $1,612,428 -$11,716 $90,115 $78,400
2023 $1,714,271 $58,653 $88,259 $64,400
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,596,799$1,612,428$1,714,271
Revenue$85,874$-11,716$58,653
Expenses$101,503$90,115$88,259
Qualifying Distributions$95,187$79,781$66,592
Net Investment Income$79,658$39,497$46,186
Distributable Amount$90,268$85,753$71,922

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 12, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 9, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 17, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 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

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 80 S 8Th St Ste 4200, Minneapolis, MN 55402-2223
Phone: (612) 339-7151

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 September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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