OTTO BREMER COMMUNITY RESPONSIVE FUND AT GREATER TWIN CITIES UNITED WAY

Greater Twin Cities United Way (United Way) is grateful to be one of seven intermediary partners across Otto Bremer Trust’s (OBT) 4 state region to receive Community Responsive Funds this year. In 2025, United Way received $4M from OBT to administer as part of their Community Responsive Fund.

This page will provide information on United Way’s process to administer these funds, including the requirements set by Otto Bremer Trust. If your organization has questions about a current grant, pending application, or pending report with OBT, please contact the OBT team here.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility criteria for Community Responsive grants through United Way are set by Otto Bremer Trust.

CRITERIA:

Organizations are 501c3, are not fiscally sponsored, must be headquartered in Twin Cities
Located and doing work in 9-county metro area
Organization has 5 years operations
Organization's expenses last year were $3M or more
Organization does not have an open OBT strategic grant
Grant award cannot be more than $75,000; funds are restricted to the focus area below; grants can't be more than 10% of orgs philanthropic revenue (revenue less government funding, fee for service, in-kind)

FOCUS AREAS

Organizations must work in one or more of the following areas, as determined by Otto Bremer Trust. Intermediaries do not need to fund in each area. United Way will provide funding in areas that best align with their grantmaking strategy. We do not anticipate funding in each of these focus areas.

Literacy - Organizations and programs advancing literacy.
Adoption and Foster Care Services - Organizations and programs that support adoption and foster care.
Children's Health - Organizations and programs that provide health-related access and services for children.
Children's Disability Services - Organizations and programs focused on supporting children with physical/cognitive disabilities.
Mental Health - Organizations and programs that support access to and delivery of mental health services, with preference given to work that addresses the needs of children aged 5-15.
Capital Projects for Hospitals and Clinics - Activities supporting the maintenance of hospitals, construction of facilities, and purchase of medical equipment.

Grantmaking Process

Intermediaries can use a variety of grantmaking process that best meet the needs of their organization’s strategy and community to distribute funds, including invite-only processes, competitive grant process, or blending funds into existing grant programs. United Way does not anticipate running a competitive RFP for Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive funds this year.

More Information from Otto Bremer Trust

Learn more about changes to OBT’s grantmaking process by visiting their website or contacting their team.

Organizations with current OBT grants should contact the OBT team to learn more about grant reporting and funding opportunities.

More Information from United Way

For questions regarding Otto Bremer’s Community Responsive Fund at Greater Twin Cities Way, please contact us at partners@gtcuw.org.

For a list of currently available grant opportunities, visit our nonprofit portal. For notifications of future funding opportunities, sign up for our email list.