Thorpe Foundation Grants: Support For Youth Grant

The James R. Thorpe Foundation provides support for youth-focused organizations in Minneapolis, prioritizing those that serve low-income communities. With a commitment to fostering self-awareness, academic skills, and artistic engagement, the Foundation aims to assist youth aged 12 to 18 in their transition to adulthood. Grants are typically awarded for general operating costs or program support, ensuring impactful aid reaches smaller nonprofits with budgets under $3 million.

We have chosen to focus on smaller groups (those with operating budgets of $3 million or less), feeling that our dollars can provide more meaningful assistance to these groups. Thorpe Foundation has contributed nearly $12 million to the Minneapolis community.
The Thorpe Foundation limits its support to organizations with operating budgets of $3 million or less (even if the program for which the organization is seeking funding has a budget of less than $3 million).
The Thorpe Foundation funds organizations that provide individual youth, ages 12 to 18, with the support and services needed for a successful and healthy transition to adulthood. The Foundation supports efforts that:
Promote the development of self-awareness, self-management, and interpersonal skills needed for success in life, work, and school,Focus on teaching youth the academic and employment skills necessary for adulthood,Build participation in the arts and other enrichment activities which incorporate positive youth development goals, andUse reciprocal multigenerational programs that foster empathy and build relationship across-generations.
Types of Support
The Thorpe Foundation is most likely to make general operating or program support grants.

Eligibility

The Thorpe Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that are located in and/or primarily serving residents of Minneapolis and its first- and second-ring suburbs.In addition, an organization must have at least one paid employee to receive consideration.The Thorpe Foundation is most likely to fund organizations or programs that prioritize services to members of the community who have low incomes as measured by common benchmarks such as: AMI, SNAP, Free and Reduced Lunch, or the Federal Poverty Rate.

Ineligibility

Organizations that operate through a fiscal sponsor are not eligible for funding consideration. The Foundation does not support capital purchases or campaigns, or endowments.