Information on the Foundation’s 2026 Annual Grant Cycle is below.

Click here to view a webinar recording which includes insights about the Annual Grant Cycle application, information about the Foundation, and advice on how to improve your organization's grant application.

The Ciresi Walburn Foundation seeks to partner with 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions and K-12 schools that support youth and families in Minnesota.

The Foundation reviews grant applications through an Annual Grant Cycle, outlined here. To learn more about submitting an application through Submittable, our new Grants Management Tool, please click here.

Grant applications are reviewed against the Foundation’s mission and 5 key priorities.

Please note:

• We seek to make strategic investments during critical phases in an organization's history and to be a catalyst for innovative, bold ideas, approaches, and initiatives. Therefore, past recipients of funding should not necessarily assume that they will receive funding every year.

• The Foundation does not typically provide funding for endowment or capital expense (CapEx) campaigns.

• The Foundation will not consider for funding project or program budgets which are solely or predominantly related to technology expenses, but will consider requests for support for technology (hardware and software) that are ancillary to broader, innovative proposals.

• The Foundation requires all K-12 School finalists to complete our Schools Data Dashboard Form, which can be downloaded from our website (see below) or the online application portal. In order to be eligible for funding, schools must commit to, during the grant period, assess all students, as appropriate, using either: a) The State Standards-Based Accountability Assessments (MCAs or MTAS); and/or b) A nationally-normed growth and proficiency assessment (such as the NWEA/MAP) at least twice during the school year; and, to share the results of the assessment(s) with the Foundation.