Otto Bremer Trust
OVERVIEW: The Otto Bremer Trust broadly supports programs that contribute to the increased health, safety and well-being of the people in Bremer’s community and region, which includes Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
IP TAKE: The Otto Bremer Trust is a regional powerhouse that has invested more than $1 billion in the Upper Midwest region of the U.S. Beyond this geographic limitation, it works closely with its grantees.
While the trust recently radically transformed approaches towards giving, the trust’s commitment to grant seekers remains the same. This change occurred as the result of a successful pilot program that worked with intermediary partners that worked to identify and recommend grants to organizations addressing community needs. “While we are changing how we invest, our objectives and mission will not change and will continue to align with Otto Bremer’s vision he started 80 years ago,” says Charlotte S. Johnson, co-CEO and trustee of OBT.
The trust also now includes support for Montana, as well as previous geographic interests. At this time, the trust no longer accepts unsolicited applications, but applications may become more accessible in 2025. The trust may still be contacted and it is otherwise transparent. It appears to only fund organizations that spent at least $500,000 in the previous year and is at least five years old. The trust is still figuring out details of the new grantmaking approaches it has adopted, so contact it to learn more; however, this picture should be clearer in late 2024 and early 2025.
PROFILE: The Otto Bremer Trust (formerly known as the Otto Bremer Foundation), was founded in 1944 by Otto Bremer, who came to the US from Germany in 1886 and rose to the position of chairman of the American National Bank. Based in Minnesota, the trust is on a mission to invest in “people, places, and opportunities in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.”
Grants for the Upper Midwest
Though the Otto Bremer Trust has revamped it’s giving programs and initiatives, funding interests have remained the same across the region in which it conducts grantmaking. The trust still prioritizes grants for housing, community development and economic development, health, criminal justice and humanitarian aid, but appears to be expanding approaches, which may include more giving areas down the line.
Bremer has streamlined giving strategies, which now take a two-pronged approach offering:
Strategic grants initiated and provided directly by OBT that meet the “trustees’ criteria and objectives and have demonstrated impact that will be sustained and enhanced through further investments from OBT.” To qualify, grant seekers must check to see if they meet the trust’s eligibility requirements in this grant space.
Community Responsive Fund grants occur through intermediary partners that will be selected through a closed process and announced in the fall of 2024.
Previous grantees in community development and housing, health and well-being, disaster relief, violence prevention and criminal justice work include:
Past community development grantees include 180 Degrees, Accessible Space Inc., Advocacy and Inclusion Matter of West Central Minnesota, African American Leadership Forum, and Alexandria Opportunities Center.
Past grantees in health and well-being include the African-American Leadership Forum, Cass County Economic Development Corporation, and the Ability Building Center.
Grantees for disaster relief in this category include American Red Cross, Ashby Fire Department, Boyce County Ambulance District, and Brandon Fire and Rescue.
Grantees for violence prevention in this category include Abuse Resource Network, Abused Adult Resource Center, Advocates Against Domestic Abuse, Alexandra House, and Anishinabe Legal Services.
Important Grant Details:
The Otto Bremer Trust’s grants generally range from $20,000 to $100,000. Grantseekers may peruse the foundation’s Grants Database for more information on the organizations it supports. Note that Bremer exclusively funds organizations operating in the Upper Midwest—namely, Minnesota, North Dakota, and western Wisconsin.
Bremer accepts applications online in four grant cycles per year, with deadlines generally falling in January, April, June and October. Detailed information about eligibility and guidelines is available at the trust’s grantseekers page
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