Grants for Churches in Minnesota (2026 Guide)

For the national picture, including federal rules on what churches can and can't fund, start with our grants for churches guide. This page covers Minnesota. For federal money that reaches Minnesota beyond churches, see federal grants by state.

Foundation Grants to Minnesota Churches by the Numbers

Minnesota ranks 19th among states, with 2,415 foundation grants to churches and ministries, according to Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records. That's 1.7% of the 139,417 faith-related grants in the national dataset, and 807 foundations is 2.5% of the 31,737 national funders.

The average is nearly five times the median. According to the same filings, Minnesota's $58.9 million total divided by 2,415 grants gives about $24,400, while the median is $5,000. Large gifts to a few recipients lift the average. A Minnesota congregation planning a request for a program or a repair should anchor on the median and treat a five-figure ask as a stretch that needs a funder with a record of giving at that size.

Minnesota pays more per grant than Wisconsin. Wisconsin, next door, has 3,018 grants totaling $54.8 million and a $3,500 median, which works out to about $18,100 per grant. Minnesota's 2,415 grants total more dollars, and its median is $1,500 higher. A Minnesota church near the Wisconsin border should check which side of the line its local funders sit on.

Each Minnesota funder gives to few recipients. Minnesota foundations average 3.0 grants each, against 4.4 nationally. That fits a state where many family foundations give to a handful of congregations and ministries near home. It also means the list of foundations in your own region matters more than the statewide total.

You can see how many foundations gave to churches in Minnesota for free, with two named and one shown in full. The Grantsights church funder list costs $39 and covers Minnesota and every other state. It names each foundation that reported church or ministry grants on its own IRS filings, with what it gave, to whom, for what, and a link to those filings. It's one payment, not a subscription, and you can get a refund within 30 days.

Where Minnesota Church Money Goes

Minneapolis-area recipients drew 721 of Minnesota's 2,415 church grants, about 30%, according to Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records. The data groups recipients by the first three digits of their ZIP code, so each row below is a ZIP area named for its best-known town.

Three things stand out. The western suburbs hold 476 grants, more than St. Paul's 357, a sign of how many family foundations sit around Lake Minnetonka. Mankato's median of $1,767 is about a third of Minneapolis's, so a southern Minnesota church should plan smaller asks. And outside these six areas the counts thin out fast, so a congregation in Duluth, St. Cloud or the northwest should lean harder on the denominational and preservation programs below.

The public money follows a different map. Legacy grants in February 2026 reached Faribault, St. Paul, and Minnetonka; the National Fund for Sacred Places' October 2026 round included St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Red Wing; and EFSP gave Hennepin County $406,991, more than twice Ramsey County's $172,172, in Phase 43.

By stated purpose, missions led with 197 grants, then schools (90), community work (79), youth (54) and building or repair (44). Most purposes are blank or "general support", so those buckets undercount every category.

Working the $39 List in Minnesota

The list covers all 807 Minnesota foundations above. Three ways to use it here:

1. Pick funders by region, not by size. With about 3 grants per funder, a foundation that gave to a church two towns over is a better lead than a large foundation that gave once.
2. Check the application route. A foundation that tells the IRS how to apply is worth a cold inquiry. If the 990-PF says it only gives to preselected organizations, don't send a proposal.
3. Match the ask to the median. A $2,000 to $5,000 request for one defined project fits what Minnesota funders typically pay. A six-figure building project belongs with the Legacy and national routes below.

Our guide to foundations that give grants to churches explains how to read a 990-PF and includes a sample inquiry letter.

What the Minnesota Constitution Says About Public Money and Churches

Minnesota's Bill of Rights has a religion clause that names the treasury directly. Grantsights read Article I, Section 16 on the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes' constitution page (opens in a new tab) on November 2, 2026. It says in part that no one shall be compelled "to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or to maintain any religious or ecclesiastical ministry, against his consent," that no "preference be given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship," and that "nor shall any money be drawn from the treasury for the benefit of any religious societies or religious or theological seminaries."

That clause is the reason Minnesota agencies write church eligibility carefully. It's also why the practical answer is more interesting than the text. The Minnesota Historical Society's Legacy grants, a state program, paid $265,000 to the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault and $175,000 to Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill in St. Paul in the February 2026 round. Grantsights didn't find a Minnesota Supreme Court decision on whether those grants satisfy Section 16, and didn't find a current case challenging them. That's an absence of evidence, not a ruling, and a congregation shouldn't treat it as clearance for any other state grant.

The federal backstop. A church that's turned away from a program open to everyone else can cite Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer (opens in a new tab) (2017), which held that a state can't exclude a church from a generally available public grant solely because it's a church. Federal money that Minnesota agencies pass through, including NSGP, TEFAP, and EFSP, still bars spending on worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing. Our government grants for churches guide explains those limits.

Minnesota Security Grants for Churches

Minnesota received less than 2% of the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program's dollars in FY2024, roughly $8 million of $454 million, according to a 2025 Minnesota Senate flyer. The flyer, a legislative informational handout (opens in a new tab) posted with a Senate committee's March 5, 2025 meeting materials, explains the process and lists houses of worship among the beneficiaries.

How the process works, per the flyer:

• Applicants. Nonprofits submit an application to the Homeland Security and Emergency Management division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
• Review. The division forwards the application to FEMA, which decides who gets federal funds.
• Payment. Once notified of an award, organizations spend funds on security work and are reimbursed by the State of Minnesota.
• The ask. The flyer argues Minnesota needs supplemental state dollars to close the gap, because of its small federal share.

Grantsights couldn't confirm that the supplement became law, and couldn't open an HSEM notice for the current cycle, because the division's grant pages returned not-found errors on November 2, 2026. Nationally, FEMA's NSGP page (opens in a new tab) lists $300 million for FY2026 with $150 million each for the urban-area and state tracks, and names places of worship among the target groups.

What this means in practice. A small federal share means competition. A Minnesota congregation should expect the vulnerability assessment and quotes to carry real weight, and shouldn't assume a decent application will win. Our church security grants guide covers how to build that package, and our SAM registration guide explains how to get the unique entity identifier applicants need.

Historic Preservation: Legacy Heritage Grants and Tax Credits

The Minnesota Historical Society's large Legacy grants paid $440,000 to two church buildings in its February 2026 round, and small grants up to $20,000 have deadlines on January 8 and April 9, 2027. According to the Society's February 19, 2026 announcement (opens in a new tab), the round totaled $4,668,796 across 38 grants.

Church-related awards in that round:

The Society's apply page (opens in a new tab) sets the rules:

• Applicants. 501(c)(3) nonprofits, units of state and local government, federally recognized tribes, and educational institutions, all residing in Minnesota. Individuals are ineligible.
• Religious organizations. The page doesn't mention them either way. Ask the grants office before you plan around a grant.
• Properties. The property must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places for construction projects. Other project types need the property listed or determined eligible.
• Sizes. Small grants are requests of $20,000 or less, and large grants are requests over $20,000, which need a pre-application.
• Match. A match isn't required at any level but is encouraged and is an evaluation criterion, and funds from the State of Minnesota can't be used as match.

The Society's Legacy grants page (opens in a new tab) lists small-grant deadlines of October 9, 2026 (now past), January 8, 2027, and April 9, 2027, and says the Historic Resources Advisory Committee met September 17 and 18, 2026 to discuss funding recommendations for the FY27 large round. It lists no deadline for large grants.

A common mistake is to plan a roof project around a large grant without the National Register listing in hand. The listing is a prerequisite for construction projects, and nominations take months. A congregation that isn't listed yet should look at small-grant planning and assessment projects first.

One city in Minnesota, Red Wing, has a congregation that won nationally. St. Paul's Lutheran Church was among the 30 awardees in the National Fund for Sacred Places' October 2026 round (opens in a new tab), which funded 30 of 466 applicants with capital grants up to $500,000. Partners for Sacred Places also runs a Nordic Churches project in the American Midwest offering training, repair planning support, and capital grants to a small group of congregations; its page doesn't name states, so ask whether a Minnesota congregation of Nordic heritage fits. For national building funders, see our church building repair grants guide.

Tax credits. Minnesota's state credit is 20% of qualified rehabilitation costs, and the State Historic Preservation Office's incentives page (opens in a new tab) says the completed project "must be income-producing" and that the completed work must be approved by the National Park Service and "allowed the federal tax credit." The page says the 2023 Legislature reinstated the credit and mentions a grant in lieu of the credit. The National Park Service says the 20% federal credit is available only to properties rehabilitated for income-producing purposes (opens in a new tab). A worship-only sanctuary doesn't qualify for either. A church that leases a wing to a paying tenant could ask the State Historic Preservation Office about the project.

Food: TEFAP at 300%, the Minnesota Food Shelf Program, and EFSP

Minnesota food shelves serve anyone whose household income is at or below 300% of the federal poverty guidelines, the highest limit among the four states in this series. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families' TEFAP page (opens in a new tab) says its Office of Economic Opportunity contracts with regional food banks, which it lists as Channel One Food Bank, North Country Food Bank, Second Harvest Heartland, Second Harvest Northland, and The Food Group. Households self-report income, and the 2026 annual limits run from $47,880 for one person to $167,160 for eight, with $17,040 for each additional member. The page doesn't describe how a food shelf joins, so contact the TEFAP grant managers.

The Minnesota Food Shelf Program. According to The Food Group's grant page (opens in a new tab), the program serves nearly 300 food shelves and Tribal Nation partners, and it's open to "Tribal Nations and 501(c)(3) nonprofits participating in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)." The grant is non-competitive, ranging from $10,000 to $175,000, and amounts follow combined food shelf visit statistics. Applications were closed on November 2, 2026, with funds scheduled for distribution on November 1, 2026 "or as funds are available." A church food shelf that runs under the church's own tax status should ask The Food Group whether it qualifies, because the page names 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

EFSP. Minnesota's Emergency Food and Shelter Program allocation for Phase 43 (FY2025) totals $1,992,561, according to the EFSP National Board's Phase 43 allocation table (opens in a new tab).

Only 6% of Minnesota's EFSP dollars, $124,457, sit in the State Set-Aside for counties that don't qualify on their own. Wisconsin's set-aside holds 40% of its total. That's the red flag for a church pantry in a rural Minnesota county: the pool is small, and the metro counties hold most of the money. In qualifying counties, local boards usually convened by the United Way choose recipients. Our church food pantry grants guide covers the records food banks and EFSP boards ask for.

Denominational Funds and Foundations in Minnesota

Two Minnesota ELCA synods ran 2026 congregation grants, and both windows have closed. Grantsights checked each on its own site on November 2, 2026.

The Minneapolis Area Synod's guidelines say the grants are funded from its Resurrection Fund, built from the sale of property donated by congregations that closed, and that applicants hear back by March 31 after the January window. Grantsights didn't find the 2027 dates.

Grantsights didn't verify United Methodist, Catholic, or Episcopal denominational grants in Minnesota, nor the religious-organization rules of individual Minnesota community foundations. Many community foundations fund churches only for community programs that don't require religious participation. Read each foundation's exclusions before writing a request.

What Minnesota Church Grant Lists Don't Tell You

Most Minnesota church grant lists stop at national foundations. Five things they miss:

1. State heritage money reaches church buildings. The Legacy grants paid two church buildings $440,000 in one round, though the program page doesn't say religious organizations are eligible.
2. The federal security share is small. Minnesota got less than 2% of NSGP dollars in FY2024.
3. TEFAP is the most generous in the region. 300% of the poverty level is higher than Indiana, Massachusetts, or Wisconsin.
4. The EFSP set-aside is thin. 6% of Minnesota's EFSP money is outside the qualifying counties.
5. Statewide totals hide local pools. About three grants per foundation means local funders matter most.

A 90-Day Plan for a Minnesota Church

1. Now through December: documents. Pull together IRS status evidence (a group exemption letter usually works), incorporation papers, a board list, and a financial statement. If your building is old, find out whether it's listed on the National Register.
2. By January 8: small Legacy grant. If you're listed or eligible, a planning or assessment project can go in the January 8, 2027 round. Call the grants office to confirm eligibility.
3. Weeks 4 to 8: security and foundations. Arrange a vulnerability assessment and two contractor quotes for the next federal cycle. Use the funder list to find regional foundations that name an application route.
4. Weeks 9 to 12: food and denominational. If you run a food shelf, call your regional food bank about TEFAP partner status and ask The Food Group about the next Minnesota Food Shelf Program cycle. If you're ELCA, ask your synod for 2027 grant dates.

Choosing between routes? The free eligibility checker matches an organization to open programs, and the church grant path index groups options by project type. For small congregations, our grants for small churches guide and how to apply for church grants cover the paperwork.

Limits of This Data

Minnesota's foundation numbers understate the money. The counts cover only filers in the Grantsights dataset, 990-PF filings arrive a year or more after grants are paid, and name matching misses churches recorded under other names. ZIP areas are a rough guide to place: a grant counts where the recipient's mailing address is, which can be a diocese or synod office rather than the congregation. Grantsights couldn't confirm any current HSEM notice, whether a state security supplement was enacted, whether Legacy grants apply a religious-use test beyond what the program pages say, the Minneapolis Area Synod's 2027 dates, or the religious-organization rules of individual Minnesota community foundations.

Sources Checked

All sources were checked on November 2, 2026:

• Minnesota Constitution Article I, Section 16, on the Revisor's constitution page (opens in a new tab); Trinity Lutheran (opens in a new tab)
• Minnesota Senate Judiciary NSGP flyer (opens in a new tab); FEMA NSGP page (opens in a new tab)
• Minnesota Historical Society: Legacy grants (opens in a new tab), apply page (opens in a new tab), February 19, 2026 announcement (opens in a new tab); State Historic Preservation Office incentives (opens in a new tab); National Park Service tax credit eligibility (opens in a new tab); National Fund for Sacred Places 2026 awards (opens in a new tab); Partners for Sacred Places Nordic Churches (opens in a new tab)
• Department of Children, Youth, and Families TEFAP page (opens in a new tab); The Food Group Minnesota Food Shelf Program (opens in a new tab); EFSP National Board Phase 43 allocations (opens in a new tab)
• Funder pages: Southwestern Minnesota Synod (opens in a new tab), Minneapolis Area Synod Ministry Imagination Grant guidelines (opens in a new tab), National Trust grants (opens in a new tab)
• Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records, tax years 2019 to 2025, pulled October 29, 2026