Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly does the Eden Prairie Foundation do?

We award money to deserving organizations and individuals to help make Eden Prairie a special place to live and work. Our focus is on non-profit or tax-exempt programs, including city and school district programs.

How is the foundation set up?

We are a 501(c)3 qualified non-profit organization, operating on a completely volunteer basis with no paid staff. Our 16-member board is made up of members of the city council, school board, faith community, service organizations such as the Optimists, Lions and Rotary Club, and local volunteers. The foundation was established in 1981.

What's a typical grant award?

There's no typical award, although we favor capital expenditures. In other words, most often we give money to purchase the "things" that help organizations achieve their charitable, civic, cultural and educational goals.

What's the process for grants and scholarships?

Grant applications can be downloaded from this site or picked up at the Eden Prairie City Center front desk. Grants are awarded each year in the Fall and Spring. Funding decisions are made shortly after the application deadline. Scholarship applications also can be downloaded from this site or picked up at the Eden Prairie City Center front desk or the Career Resource Center at Eden Prairie High School. Scholarships are awarded in the Spring.

Who reviews the grant and scholarship applications?

A Distribution Committee meets twice a year to review the grant applications. Primary (but not sole) consideration is given to projects which:

▣ Fund capital expenditures
▣ Support non-sports related organizations
▣ Benefit primarily Eden Prairie residents or employees
▣ Include matching or in-kind gifts from other sources
▣ Include expenditures breakdowns where applicable
▣ Have not been funded in a recent Foundation grant distribution

For Scholarships, the committee meets in Spring to select graduating seniors who are residents of Eden Prairie and/or graduating from Eden Prairie High School. Applicants must plan to pursue some type of post-secondary education. High GPA and class rank are not the main criteria for scholarships. In fact, we strongly encourage students who might be ineligible for traditional academic or athletic scholarships to apply. Given our mission, we are looking for students who show interesting potential, need or community involvement.

What are some examples of recent grant awards?

▣ Eden Prairie School District - Early childhood materials for Family Center
▣ Eden Prairie Fire Department - 100 radios
▣ City of Eden Prairie - Sound equipment for Riley-Jacques Barn
▣ Eden Prairie Senior Center - Tables
▣ Eden Prairie Historical Society - Armoire
▣ Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial - Memorial funding
▣ The PROP Shop - Store signage
▣ Shape ESL - Rosetta Stone Language Software
▣ Prairie Fest - Overnight Adventure funds
▣ Teens Alone - Laptops, software for counselors
▣ Meals on Wheels of Eden Prairie - Laptop, printer, Adopt-A-Senior
▣ Eden Prairie Eagle Scouts and Gold Awards - The foundation sponsors a special program for Eden Prairie residents who reach the level of Eagle Scout or the Girl Scouts' Gold Award. To honor this achievement, we give a $100 check to a charity chosen by the scout. In the past four years alone, we've presented checks to 65 scouts, for a total of $6500 in donations.

How does the Eden Prairie Foundation raise money?

Our main fundraiser is the annual Foundation Ball. The date for the 2011 gala will be announced soon.

We also have a program for Eden Prairie residents who want to contribute annually called the Century Club. Donors have three levels to choose from:
▣ Gold Century $500
▣ Silver Century $250
▣ Century $100

Contact Mary Gustafson (952-934-7411) or Mary Mackmiller (952-294-0526) for more information. The foundation gratefully accepts major gifts and other forms of giving. Because we are a 501(c)3 qualified non-profit organization, donations are tax deductible.

Any testimonials?

"The Eden Prairie Foundation granted $3200 to Meals on Wheels of Eden Prairie to purchase a laptop computer, printer, and food for the Adopt-A-Senior Program. The foundation is a wonderful resource within our community. The volunteer board members really understand their mission."
Lisa Toomey
Program Director, Meals on Wheels in Eden Prairie

"Teens Alone provides free counseling to suburban teens and their families in schools, home, and elsewhere in the community. With a donation of more than $6000, the Eden Prairie Foundation helped bring us into the twenty-first century! We were able to purchase a laptop and accompanying software for each Teens Alone counselor so they could be more mobile and timely in meeting young people and their parents who were facing conflict."
Lydia Kihm
Executive Director, Teens Alone

"Our program intends to purchase equipment that will improve our ability to serve autistic clients. Those items include weighted blankets, indoor swinging chairs, adapted games, visual timers and beanbag chairs. We're extremely grateful to the Eden Prairie Foundation for the grant." 
Mary Beth Schleif
Grant Coordinator,  Friendship Ventures