# Signature Fund *Tier of named funds of $1 million or more at the Minneapolis Foundation* The Signature Fund is a tier of funds of $1 million or more held by the [[Minneapolis Foundation]] in [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]].[^1] The record places the tier above the Foundation's donor-advised-fund channel, which it calls the "warehouse."[^1] The Foundation's own policy sets out how the tier's names work. Signature Fund names are "registered as assumed names of the Minneapolis Foundation, allowing grants to be issued in the name of the Signature Fund without reference to the Minneapolis Foundation."[^2] So a grant from a fund in this tier can reach its recipient under the fund's name, with no reference to the Foundation that holds the money.[^2] The record does not establish why any donor or the Foundation chose this arrangement. The record discusses the tier alongside donor-advised funds at two Minnesota community foundations. It reports figures from the [[Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation]]'s own reporting: donor-advised grantmaking of $56 million in 2023, $145 million of $197 million in 2024, and $60 million in 2025.[^3] It also states that a former Minneapolis Foundation board chair put an "80% DAF" figure on the record, citing Civic Caucus, 2016.[^3] It notes that, under federal law, donor-advised funds are exempt from the 5% mandatory payout that binds private foundations.[^3] In the same passage, the record reports a 1998 gift. On October 6, 1998, the firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi announced a $30 million gift to the Minneapolis Foundation, which the record describes as the Foundation's largest at the time. The record states that the gift was "funded by Minnesota tobacco-litigation legal fees." It was made as a supporting organization in the firm's own name.[^4] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - The Minneapolis Foundation holds the funds in the Signature Fund tier. Under the Foundation's policy, the fund names are registered as assumed names of the Minneapolis Foundation.[^2] ### What - The Signature Fund is a tier of funds of $1 million or more. The record places it above the donor-advised-fund "warehouse."[^1] ### How - Because the fund names are registered as assumed names, the Foundation's policy allows grants to be issued in the name of the Signature Fund without reference to the Minneapolis Foundation.[^2] ### How much - The tier covers funds of $1 million or more.[^1] ## See also - [[Miller & Ciresi]] ## Notes [^1]: *How Minnesota Got Here* (merged master, footnoted), validated passage "The money mechanics" — describes the Signature Fund tier as funds of $1 million or more, placed above the donor-advised-fund "warehouse." No source URL is carried in the pack. [^2]: *How Minnesota Got Here* (merged master, footnoted), validated passage "The money mechanics," quoting the Minneapolis Foundation's policy (marked "confirmed verbatim") — Signature Fund names are "registered as assumed names of the Minneapolis Foundation, allowing grants to be issued in the name of the Signature Fund without reference to the Minneapolis Foundation." No URL for the policy is carried in the pack. [^3]: *How Minnesota Got Here* (merged master, footnoted), validated passage "The money mechanics" — gives the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation donor-advised-fund grantmaking figures for 2023–2025 (from the foundation's own reporting; the master's note 32 is not carried), the "80% DAF" figure (Civic Caucus, 2016), and the federal 5% payout exemption for donor-advised funds. No source URL is carried in the pack. [^4]: *How Minnesota Got Here* (merged master, footnoted), validated passage "The money mechanics" — reports the October 6, 1998 announcement by Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi of a $30 million gift to the Minneapolis Foundation "funded by Minnesota tobacco-litigation legal fees." The passage says this was confirmed against the firm's release; the master's note 33 is not carried. No source URL is carried in the pack.