The Crimson & Cream Foundation logo

The Crimson & Cream Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Minneapolis, MN EIN: 41-1899126 Website

The Crimson & Cream Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Established in 1996, it supports charitable, educational, scholarship, leadership, and community projects for youth, with a stated mission centered on deserving youth in Minnesota.

Key facts about The Crimson & Cream Foundation

In short: The Crimson & Cream Foundation gave $58K across 21 grants in 2024 (avg $3K), top state Minnesota. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
41-1899126
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$58,000
Grants made (2024)
21
Average grant
$2,762
Median grant
$3,000
Total assets
$776,900
Primary geography
Minnesota (46% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
How to apply
The filing says scholarship application forms are provided by the foundation and directs applicants to its website for additional information. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$777K

+16.7% YoY

Annual Giving

$58K

+29.4% YoY

Grant Count

21

+10.5% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$3K

+17.1% YoY

How The Crimson & Cream Foundation gives

  • Giving grew 22% from 2021 to 2024. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation states that its mission is to engage in, advance, promote, and administer charitable and educational scholarships, leadership activities, and projects for deserving youth in Minnesota. Its 2024 filing describes its direct charitable activity as grants and causes to further educational enrichment and social guidance of youth.

Its 2024 grants included scholarships to individuals and service grants to organizations. Among the organizations supported, Open Cities Health Center describes its mission as providing culturally competent primary and preventive healthcare to a largely underserved Twin Cities population. Positive Image says it works to strengthen families and rebuild communities through service, while Phyllis Wheatley Community Center says it creates pathways for people to discover their strengths and take control of their futures.

Grantmaking

The foundation reported 21 grants totaling $58,000 in 2024. Grants ranged from $500 to $6,250, with a median grant of $3,000. Among the larger awards were $6,250 to Various Charitable Organizations for a service grant; $6,000 to Brouke Brookins for a scholarship; $5,000 each to Open Cities Health Center and Brian Banks; and $5,000 to Hallie Roby. The awards to Brian Banks and Hallie Roby were scholarships, as were grants to other individual students. Open Cities Health Center’s award was a service grant.

Review Cycle

; that deadline has passed. The 2024 filing states that scholarship awards are limited to individuals in the St. Paul–Minneapolis metropolitan area and that the foundation does not restrict its giving to preselected organizations.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation states that its mission serves youth in Minnesota, and its website identifies the Twin Cities as a focus for youth leadership and social-skill development. In 2024, 46% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota. Other leading recipient-state shares were Virginia (12%), Wisconsin (9%), Arkansas (9%), and the District of Columbia (7%).

Grant Distribution by State

12states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.

Cities

MinneapolisSt. PaulBrooklyn CenterBirminghamFarmvilleAtlantaBemidjiBrooklyn ParkClaremontCollegevilleDurhamHamptonHuntsvilleIthacaMadisonMaple GroveMaplewoodMenomonieNew HavenPine Bluff

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$20K$40K$60K13 grants2020 14 grants2021 20 grants2022 19 grants2023 21 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $31K (2020) to $58K (2024). In 2024 it made 21 grants totaling $58K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 7 recipients in 2024

Open Cities Health Center: $5KOpen Cities Health Center$5KPositive Image: $3KPositive Image$3KAgape Oasis: $2KAgape Oasis$2KPhyllis Wheatley Community Center: $2KPhyllis Wheatley CommunityCenter$2KHalle Q Brown Community Center: $2KHalle Q Brown Community Center$2KSanctuary Church: $1KSanctuary Church$1KRobert Russa Moton Museum: $1KRobert Russa Moton Museum$1K

The largest 2024 recipient was Open Cities Health Center ($5K). Together the top 7 received $16K.

Organizations only. It also paid 13 individual scholarships ($36,250), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

87 grants across all recorded years

87<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 87 grants of 87 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Various Charitable Organizations Minneapolis, MNService Grant$6,250
13 individual scholarships Recipients not named —$36,250
Open Cities Health Center St. Paul, MNService Grant$5,000
Positive Image Brooklyn Center, MNService Grant$3,000
Agape Oasis Minneapolis, MNService Grant$2,000
Phyllis Wheatley Community Center Minneapolis, MNService Grant$2,000
Halle Q Brown Community Center St. Paul, MNService Grant$1,500
Sanctuary Church Minneapolis, MNService Grant$1,000
Robert Russa Moton Museum Farmville, VAService Grant$1,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Grants reported Number of grants
2024 $58,000 21
2023 $44,815 19
2021 $47,500 14
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$776,900$665,778$572,426
Revenue$99,885$99,115$64,169
Expenses$80,660$76,390$60,129
Qualifying Distributions$78,393$74,764$59,312
Net Investment Income$25,373$32,407$19,502

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 November 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Clarence Knox Jr as chairman; Larry Suarez as vice president; Fred Harris as treasurer; and Lovell Davis as secretary. It also lists Lindsay Benjamin, Byron Jackson, Edrin C Williams MDiv, Jeffrey McVay, Dr Phil Rosier, and Sam Powers as board members.

The Crimson & Cream Foundation is led by Clarence Knox Jr., Chairman on every filing since 2020; none of the 11 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Clarence Knox Jr.

    Chairman

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Byron Jackson

    Board Member

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Edrin C. Williams Mdiv

    Board Member

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Fred Harris

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jeffrey McVay

    Board Member

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Larry Suarez

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lindsay Benjamin

    Board Member

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lovell Davis

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Phil Rosier

    Board Member

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Harvey Rucker

    Chariman Emeritus

    New on the 2024 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sam Powers

    Board Member

    New on the 2024 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (2)
  • Former: John Henderson (2020–2023) — Board Member
  • Former: Rodney Anderson (2020–2023) — Board Member

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Application contact: Clarence Knox Jr
Mailing address: 5413 Nicollet Ave S, PO Box 138, Minneapolis, MN 55419
Phone: (612) 812-2357
Email: knoxc02@aol.com
Website: https://mncrimsonandcream.org

Frequently asked questions about The Crimson & Cream Foundation

How much does The Crimson & Cream Foundation give each year?

The Crimson & Cream Foundation gave $58K across 21 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $45K across 19 grants.

What is The Crimson & Cream Foundation's typical grant size?

The Crimson & Cream Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $3,000, and its average grant was $2,762, across 21 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Crimson & Cream Foundation give grants?

The Crimson & Cream Foundation's top state is Minnesota, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Virginia (12%) and Wisconsin (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (4 grants) and St. Paul, MN (2 grants).

Does The Crimson & Cream Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on The Crimson & Cream Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (13 grants) and "Service Grant" (8 grants).

Who are The Crimson & Cream Foundation's largest grantees?

The Crimson & Cream Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Open Cities Health Center ($5,000), Positive Image ($3,000) and Agape Oasis ($2,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 13 individual scholarships ($36,250), which are not listed by name. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Crimson & Cream Foundation?

The Crimson & Cream Foundation reported $777K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $100K.

What does The Crimson & Cream Foundation fund?

The foundation states that its mission is to engage in, advance, promote, and administer charitable and educational scholarships, leadership activities, and projects for deserving youth in Minnesota. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Crimson & Cream Foundation?

The filing says scholarship application forms are provided by the foundation and directs applicants to its website for additional information. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Crimson & Cream Foundation's EIN?

The Crimson & Cream Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1899126. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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