Our Favorite Dysfunctional Financial Corporation – Our friends at Otto Bremer Trust are getting things together with the help of Ramsey County District Judge Robert Awsumb. Two big things:
- The judge removed trustee Brian Lipschultz from the OBT board of trustees. Read the Star Trib article here.
- The judge said the trustees could still move forward with the proposed sale of Bremer Bank, one of the things that started the relationship meltdown between the trustees and the bank official.
Lots of questions about the remaining trustees’ ongoing interest in selling the bank. But there’s no question that someone would be willing to pay big bucks for it, its presence in four states and its great relations with local (rural and urban) communities.
One of the top current bidders is Huntington Bank (the new TCF). Would Huntington keep up OBT’s community grants and outreach programs? They don’t have a history in their own banking practices, but maybe.
Meantime, the trust’s grantmaking operation remains remarkable, one of the best, if not the best, in Minnesota. April announcement of $7.3 million to 96 organizations.
James R. Thorpe Foundation, one of our favorite local funders, offers funding twice a year, once for youth and once for seniors. Youth requests are due June 15. Most grants are in the $6,000 to $12,000 range.
Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council — This is the voter-approved State of Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, one of four funds created by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Deadline May 27, 2022.
G4GC’s Black Girl Freedom Fund (BGFF) is part of the Grantmakers for Girls of Color network. In only its second round of grants, BGFF awarded $4 million to 68 groups nationwide