# McKnight Foundation *Minnesota-based family foundation founded in 1953 that distributes grants from a large endowment.* The McKnight Foundation is a family foundation based in [[Minnesota]]. It was created in 1953 by William L. McKnight, an early leader at 3M, and Maude L. McKnight, who endowed it from their own resources. Its assets rose considerably in the 1980s after their estates passed to it.[^1][^2] The record's merged master, validated June 10–12, 2026, puts McKnight's assets at about $2.71 billion on the latest filings; Wikipedia, as retrieved October 26, 2026, gives the endowment as $2.5 billion.[^3][^4][^1] Wikipedia reports that the foundation made $120 million in grants in 2022.[^1] The merged master places McKnight within what it calls the Minnesota apex layer. That layer has six institutions: McKnight, the [[Bush Foundation]], Northwest Area Foundation, the [[Otto Bremer Trust]], and the state's two largest [[Community foundation|community foundations]], the [[Minneapolis Foundation]] and the [[Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation]]. The master computes their combined assets at $9 billion. Its validation confirmed an aggregate of about $8.9–9.6 billion, depending on whether book or fair-market value is used.[^3] A claim:link row in the record lists McKnight as an "apex MN philanthropic funder."[^5] ## History The McKnights established the foundation in 1953 with their own money.[^1] According to Wikipedia, the founders' estates drove substantial asset growth in the 1980s.[^1] In 2003 the foundation published an annual report that included a 50-year history of the institution.[^2] The foundation has announced that its Mississippi River Program would sunset. It has also published a retrospective on that program.[^6][^7] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Founders: William L. McKnight and Maude L. McKnight, 1953.[^1][^2] ### What - According to Wikipedia, the foundation's grants support cultural institutions in Minnesota, work on climate change, and social justice initiatives, along with other aims.[^1] - The foundation runs a Midwest Climate & Energy program and publishes material on climate action.[^8][^9] - It issues quarterly grant announcements. These include fourth-quarter grants supporting a transition to clean energy and first-quarter grantmaking on democratic participation.[^10][^11] - It has published a fact sheet on the Minnesota Initiative Foundations.[^12] It also hosts a tracker for the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.[^13] - The record cites McKnight's grant database as the single-donor source for grant disclosures to the Citizens League. It also cites the database for grants to MICAH, a faith-housing coalition.[^14][^15][^16] - The merged master describes the [[GroundBreak Coalition]] as convened by McKnight, with "over 40 partners mobilizing $5.4 billion."[^3] - The merged master documents public-money routing and federal litigation for the Minneapolis Foundation. It does not document either for McKnight.[^3] ### Where - Minnesota. The foundation's programs include a Midwest-wide climate and energy program and a Mississippi River program.[^1][^8][^6] ### How much - Assets: about $2.71 billion on the latest filings, according to the merged master's line items as of June 2026. Wikipedia gives a $2.5 billion endowment.[^3][^4][^1] - Grants: $120 million in 2022, according to Wikipedia.[^1] - GroundBreak Coalition: $5.4 billion being mobilized, according to the merged master.[^3] ### How many - GroundBreak Coalition partners: over 40, according to the merged master.[^3] - Institutions in the record's apex layer: six, with combined assets of about $8.9–9.6 billion.[^3] ## See also - [[Bush Foundation]] - [[Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation]] - [[Minneapolis Foundation]] - [[Otto Bremer Trust]] - [[GroundBreak Coalition]] - [[Community foundation]] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *McKnight Foundation* (revision 1351082046, retrieved 2026-10-26) — founding in 1953 by William L. and Maude L. McKnight; $2.5 billion endowment; $120 million in grants in 2022; asset growth in the 1980s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKnight_Foundation [^2]: McKnight Foundation, *2003 Annual Report / 50-year history* (2003) — the foundation's own 50-year history, consistent with founding in 1953. https://www.mcknight.org/wp-content/uploads/full-report-pdf-740-kb.pdf [^3]: *How Minnesota Got Here* (merged master, footnoted; validated June 10–12, 2026), §2 and n.27 — apex-layer line items (McKnight ~$2.71B); six-institution aggregate of $9B (validated range $8.9–9.6B); GroundBreak Coalition "over 40 partners mobilizing $5.4 billion"; Minneapolis Foundation's public and federal roles. Validated passage; no URL in pack. [^4]: McKnight Foundation (EIN 41-0754835), *IRS Form 990-PF*, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (filing date not stated in pack) — the foundation's filed federal return, the filing class from which the master's asset line items are drawn. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/410754835/202103169349105155/full [^5]: McKnight Foundation, *Homepage* (undated) — institutional homepage, listed in the record's claim:link row as "apex MN philanthropic funder." https://www.mcknight.org/ [^6]: McKnight Foundation, *McKnight River Program to Sunset* (undated) — announcement of the Mississippi River Program sunset. https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/mcknight-river-program-to-sunset/ [^7]: McKnight Foundation, *Honoring McKnight's Mississippi River Program* (undated) — retrospective on the program. https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/honoring-mcknights-mississippi-river-program/ [^8]: McKnight Foundation, *Midwest Climate & Energy* (undated) — program page. https://www.mcknight.org/programs/midwest-climate-energy/ [^9]: McKnight Foundation, *Inspiring Action on Climate Change: From Citizens to Policymakers* (undated) — foundation article on climate action. https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/inspiring-action-on-climate-change-from-citizens-to-policymakers/ [^10]: McKnight Foundation, *McKnight Supports Transition to Clean Energy in 4th Quarter Grants* (undated) — quarterly grant announcement. https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/mcknight-supports-transition-to-clean-energy-in-4th-quarter-grants/ [^11]: McKnight Foundation, *McKnight Strengthens Democratic Participation in First Quarter Grantmaking* (undated) — quarterly grant announcement. https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/mcknight-strengthens-democratic-participation-in-first-quarter-grantmaking/ [^12]: McKnight Foundation, *Minnesota Initiative Foundations fact sheet* (undated) — fact sheet. https://www.mcknight.org/wp-content/uploads/16_MIF_factsheet.pdf [^13]: McKnight Foundation, *Central Corridor Funders Collaborative tracker* (undated) — tracker hosted by the foundation. https://www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/resource/central-corridor-tracker/ [^14]: McKnight Foundation, *Grant search* (undated) — source of the record's Citizens League grant disclosures. https://www.mcknight.org/grant-search/ [^15]: McKnight Foundation, *Search our grants* (undated) — grant database. https://www.mcknight.org/grants/search-our-grants/ [^16]: McKnight Foundation, *Search our grants: grantee "metropolitan interfaith"* (undated) — grant records cited in the record's MICAH entry. https://www.mcknight.org/grants/search-our-grants/?_grantee=metropolitan+interfaith