Over the last several years, our world and the communities we serve have undergone tremendous change, and there is a growing need to support residents and services in local communities throughout our region. As these needs have increased, the philanthropic landscape has become more complex. Because of this, we are continually assessing and improving our processes to be more efficient and effective and to lessen the burden on prospective grantees. With these approaches to our giving, we can accomplish both goals while focusing our grantmaking where it is most needed, as was Otto Bremer’s vision 80 years ago.

Our two-pronged approach to grantmaking includes:

1. Strategic grants initiated and provided directly by OBT
2. Community Responsive Fund grants administered through selected intermediary partners

While OBT has changed its processes, our objectives and mission have not changed. We have simply adjusted the process we use to deliver on our mission in a more impactful way.

Strategic grants are awarded to selected organizations and activities that align with the Otto Bremer Trust’s objectives and have demonstrated an impact that will be sustained and enhanced through further investments from OBT. We identify and engage with organizations in two main ways to do this:

1. OBT leverages internal knowledge, our robust funding history, engagement with external stakeholders including our intermediary partners, and research to identify strategic grant recipients.
2. Organizations that have never applied for OBT funding can submit an organization introduction form through our website when it becomes available sometime in 2025.

Community Responsive Fund grants leverage our intermediary partners’ expertise and local insights to extend the reach of OBT’s objectives and provide grants to organizations, projects, and services that will have the most significant impact and are most needed in their communities and regions. These intermediaries regrant from the Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund to support OBT’s priorities. Intermediaries will be selected through a closed process and announced in early 2025.

Grants are made only to organizations whose beneficiaries are Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and/or Wisconsin residents.

Grants are generally restricted to organizations described in
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and to governmental entities.

OBT does not make grants to individuals.

In accordance with federal regulations, the Otto Bremer Trust does not discriminate based on race, color, creed, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, or national origin. We require prospective grantees’ employment and service practices to comply with this policy.

As a regulated financial institution, we screen organizations in accordance with the Bank Secrecy Act and file Suspicious Activity Reports when warranted.