Private foundation
FARGO, NDEIN
The funder's latest Form 990-PF says it accepts applications. Read the instructions below before you write.
Application policy: Accepts applications, as stated on the FY2025 return.
These lines count this foundation's own Form 990-PF returns that the IRS has published as data. An amended return replaces its original. They describe past returns only.
This is a count from past returns. It does not say the foundation will consider a new request. How it is counted: names are compared as written on the returns, without "The" at the start, without endings such as "Inc" or "LLC", and without spaces and punctuation. A recipient also counts as already listed when our records link it to the same organization as an earlier recipient, or when its name is almost the same as an earlier name (a trigram similarity of 0.8 or more, where 1 means identical). The state on the grant row is not compared. Grants that the foundation marked as paid to an individual, such as a scholarship, are left out of both numbers, and no count is shown when most of its grants are marked that way. A person whom the foundation did not mark as an individual is still counted as a recipient. A recipient can still look new when its name is written very differently from year to year, and two different recipients with almost the same name can be counted as one.
Application guidance comes from the funder's own Form 990-PF, Part XV (the section where a private foundation says how to apply), shown as filed. It is the funder's words, not ours. These fields are free text and the IRS form cuts them short. Filers sometimes put whole sentences in the contact-name box. Shown exactly as filed.
Giving by year
Total assets by year
| Year | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Giving | Assets | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 990-PF | $576,950 | $434,565 | $395,722 | $5,640,630 |
Figures are as reported on the e-filed return, with no restatement. Fiscal years are the funder's own tax year, labelled by the calendar year the period ends in. A blank line means the return does not carry that figure; a real zero shows as $0. When an amended return replaces an original, every figure here uses the amended return. The original is not shown. Giving is what the funder actually paid out toward its charitable purpose in the year (qualifying distributions on Form 990-PF, charitable disbursements otherwise). Assets are what it holds; giving is what moves.
Recipient focus areas
Where recipients are
Based on the 37% of grant rows we could match to an organization record. The rest stay as reported. The IRS assigns the NTEE category when it grants exemption. It often reflects the original filing, not today's giving.
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FERGUS FALLS YMCAFERGUS FALLS, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2017 | |
Recipients are shown as the funder wrote them on the return. A recipient with a link was matched to an organization record; the rest stay as reported and are never guessed. Some links come from other funders' returns: when three or more of them wrote the same name and state with one EIN, and the city on this row matches, we use that EIN. The name on this row is still shown as this funder wrote it.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen F Rufer | Co-Trustee | 1.00 | $15,000 |
| Matthew Mcgovern | Co-Trustee | 1.00 | $15,000 |
| H Morrison Kershner | Co-Trustee | 1.00 | $15,000 |
| Bell Bank | Co-Trustee |
From the officer list on the latest e-filed return. Compensation is as reported there; a blank means the return carries no figure.
| $5,640,630 |
| FY2024 | 990-PF | $470,973 | $404,036 | $344,290 | $5,498,245 | $5,498,245 |
| FY2023 | 990-PF | $702,980 | $339,833 | $301,531 | $5,431,308 | $5,431,308 |
| FY2022 | 990-PF | $498,191 | $363,403 | $303,961 | $5,064,661 | $5,064,661 |
| FY2021 | 990-PF | $487,666 | $145,385 | $48,357 | $4,929,873 | $4,929,873 |
| FY2020 | 990-PF | $1,099,852 | $364,144 | $309,866 | $4,587,270 | $4,587,270 |
| FY2017 | 990-PF | $213,139 | $302,878 | $269,401 | $3,855,378 | $3,855,378 |
| FY2016 | 990-PF | $117,381 | $230,964 | $200,407 | $3,945,692 | $3,945,692 |
| General Operations |
| $10,000 |
| 2025 |
| AMERICAN RED CROSSFARGO, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2020 |
| OTTER COVER CHILDREN'S MUSEUMFERGUS FALLS, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2020 |
| AMERICAN RED CROSSFARGO, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2017 |
| WEST CENTRAL INITIATIVEFERGUS FALLS, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2016 |
| Fergus Falls Area YMCAFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $10,000 | 2023 |
| SAINT JOHN'S UNIVERSITYCOLLEGEVILLE, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2016 |
| FRIENDS OF MAPLEWOOD STATE PARK - SUGARST PAUL, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2016 |
| Cardinal Athletic FoundationAlexandria, MN | General Operations | $10,000 | 2023 |
| FERGUS FALLS YMCAFERGUS FALLS, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $10,000 | 2016 |
| Otter Cove Childrens MuseumFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $10,000 | 2025 |
| OTTER TAIL COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYFERGUS FALLS, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $9,000 | 2021 |
| Fergus Falls Youth Baseball IncFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $7,500 | 2023 |
| Fergus Falls Curling ClubFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $6,000 | 2022 |
| A Center for The Arts FoundationFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $5,500 | 2022 |
| Fergus Falls Area Youth ActivitiesFergus Falls, MN | Friends of the Orchestra | $5,500 | 2025 |
| UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FDNMatched to this organization because 6 grant-making charities wrote this name with its EIN. Source: Schedule I of their Form 990 returns, fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Counted Oct 9, 2026.MINNEAPOLIS, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $5,000 | 2017 |
| FRIENDS SCHOOL OF MINNESOTAST PAUL, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $5,000 | 2016 |
| Fergus Falls Salvation ArmyFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $5,000 | 2024 |
| Matthew HouseFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $5,000 | 2025 |
| UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FDNMatched to this organization because 6 grant-making charities wrote this name with its EIN. Source: Schedule I of their Form 990 returns, fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Counted Oct 9, 2026.MINNEAPOLIS, MN | GENERAL OPERATING | $5,000 | 2016 |
| Matthew HouseFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $5,000 | 2024 |
| LUTHER COLLEGEDECORAH, IA | SCHOLARSHIP | $5,000 | 2020 |
| Otter Coaches AssociationFergus Falls, MN | General Operations | $5,000 | 2025 |
| 1.00 |
| $36,056 |
Nearest by size, location and giving pattern in the database. Geography weighs heavily. Treat it as a starting list, not a ranking of fit.
Form 990-PF · FY2024 · period ending Dec 31, 2024IRS bulk XML
Filing id 202510789349100211
Form 990-PF · FY2023 · period ending Dec 31, 2023IRS bulk XML
Filing id 202420809349100307
Form 990-PF · FY2022 · period ending Dec 31, 2022
Filing id 202331289349103628
Form 990-PF · FY2021 · period ending Dec 31, 2021
Filing id 202232459349100503
Form 990-PF · FY2020 · period ending Dec 31, 2020
Filing id 202101319349100545
Form 990-PF · FY2017 · period ending Dec 31, 2017
Filing id 201801189349100700
Form 990-PF · FY2016 · period ending Dec 31, 2016
Filing id 201731259349100943
IRS filings are the source for every fact on this page. Nothing a model writes is ever a source; it can only point at a row here.