Community Emergency Grant Program

About the Program

Mardag Foundation’s Community Emergency Grant Program supports community-driven solutions to emergent needs in the East Metro and Greater Minnesota. We offer one-time emergency grants to food access or housing organizations that serve low-income children, youth, families, and/or older adults when those organizations are filling unexpected financial gaps.

• Natural and/or environmental disasters
• Unexpected maintenance or repairs for buildings, vehicles, technology, and/or equipment

Eligibility

• An organization can only receive one Community Emergency grant at a time from Mardag Foundation and must wait a full calendar year before being eligible for another.
• Priority will be given to organizations that have not received a grant from this program in the last 18 months.
• Eligible applicants include 501(c)3 nonprofits, government entities, educational institutions, and groups with an eligible fiscal sponsor.
• Demonstrated commitment to the geography served, with preference for organizations based in Minnesota.

Preference will be given to organizations that:

• Address disparities and/or create more equitable outcomes for communities experiencing marginalization due to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, or geography.
• Establish a clear connection to the Informs, Forms, Benefits framework, which states that those experiencing barriers should not only benefit from the work we support but inform, form, and lead it as well.

Geographic Focus

Mardag Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations and public entities located within and serving residents of Minnesota. Our geographic focus is the East Metro (Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties) as well as Greater Minnesota.

Grant requests will not be accepted for organizations exclusively serving Minneapolis and the surrounding West Metro area or proposals to replace a loss in government funding.

Funding Priorities

This program will only consider proposals from food access or housing organizations that serve low-income children, youth, families, and/or older adults in the East Metro or Greater Minnesota, filling an unexpected emergency financial gap in response to:

• Natural and/or environmental disasters
• Unexpected maintenance or repairs for buildings, vehicles, technology, and/or equipment

Two-thirds of the Community Emergency Program funding will be allocated to Greater Minnesota, with the remaining one-third allocated to the East Metro.

Grant Details

• One-time emergency support of $2,500 to $20,000 per grant, depending on the need.
• Grant periods will not exceed one year.
• $250,000 is available for this grant program in 2026.

Current grantees are eligible for funding. Please contact a member of the Grants Team with questions.

Contact

If you are interested in submitting a request for this program, email Derek Taylor to ensure the grant program fits your needs.