The Leonard Rydell Foundation
Grand Forks, ND · EIN 45-0459133. Reported 129 grants totalling $304,000 to 90 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Leonard Rydell Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $2,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,000 and $2,000; the smallest was $2,000 and the largest $8,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State University | Fargo, ND | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND | $18,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Iowa State University | Ames, IA | $8,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE | $8,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | $8,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY | $8,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Augustana University | Sioux Falls, SD | $6,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN | $6,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lake Area Technical Institute | Watertown, SD | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Mitchell Technical Institute | Mitchell, SD | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD | $6,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Minnesota - Rochester | Rochester, MN | $6,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Winona State University | Winona, MN | $6,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Bethel University | St Paul, MN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Concordia University | Mequon, WI | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Dakota County Technical College | Rosemount, MN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Minnesota State University - Moorhead | Moorhead, MN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan University | Lincoln, NE | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Northern State University | Aberdeen, SD | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Rochester Community and Technical College | Rochester, MN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Minnesota - Morris | Morris, MN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Valley City State University | Valley City, ND | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Alexandria Technical and Community College | Alexandria, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Aveda Institute | Avondale, AZ | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bethany Lutheran College | Mankato, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Bismarck State College | Bismarck, ND | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Boise State University | Boise, ID | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Brigham Young University | Provo, UT | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Coastal Carolina University | Conway, SC | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Colorado Mesa University | Grand Junction, CO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dakota State University | Madison, SD | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Dakota Wesleyan University | Mitchell, SD | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Des Moines Area Community College | Des Moines, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Fort Lewis College | Durango, CO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | St Peter, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| International Air and Hospitality Academy | Vancouver, WA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Inver Hills Community College | Inver Grove Heights, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Iowa Central Community College | Fort Dodge, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lakeland University | Plymouth, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lakeshore Technical College | Cleveland, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Laramie Co Community College | Cheyenne, WY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, LA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Marian University | Fond Du Lac, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Michigan Tech University | Houghton, MI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Millikin University | Decatur, IL | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Minnesota State College Southeast | Red Wing, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Morningside College | Sioux City, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mount Mary University | Milwaukee, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| New Mexico State University | Las Cruces, NM | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Northeast Community College | Norfolk, NE | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | Green Bay, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Northeastern Junior College | Sterling, CO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ozarks Technical Community College | Springfield, MO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Rocky Mountain College | Billings, MT | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| San Diego Miramar College | San Diego, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Snow College | Ephraim, UT | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | Rapid City, SD | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Spring Arbor University | Spring Arbor, MI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St Cloud Technical and Community College | St Cloud, SD | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of California - La Jolla | La Jolla, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Minnesota - Crookston | Crookston, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Montana Western | Dillon, MT | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center | Omaha, NE | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Providence | Great Falls, MT | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of St Thomas | Saint Paul, MN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Wisconsin - Platteville | Platteville, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, IN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wayne State College | Wayne, NE | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Whitworth University | Spokane, WA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
28 of 90 (31%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 31%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 50 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | $80,000 | $2,000 |
| 2022 | 29 | $68,000 | $2,000 |
| 2023 | 28 | $60,000 | $2,000 |
| 2024 | 40 | $96,000 | $2,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 22% of this one's giving went to organizations in Minnesota. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $2,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Minnesota.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Leonard Rydell Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 2700 So Washington St Po Box 133, Grand Forks, ND, 58208. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 45-0459133 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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