Burgum Foundation Grants

The Burgum Foundation is a rural North Dakota-based private funder dedicated to supporting education and related projects that strengthen quality of life in rural communities across North Dakota. The Foundation describes education as central to the future of rural communities and supports the people, places, and programs that contribute to educational opportunity and community well-being. Its place-based funding is directed to rural North Dakota communities that are not connected to or part of the state's larger cities. The Foundation's current priorities are informed by input from partners, rural community needs, and state reports on well-being indicators, and those priorities may change as circumstances evolve. The Foundation supports rural education and related projects that demonstrate a clear contribution to improving rural education in North Dakota. Its three stated funding focus areas are Supporting Students, which seeks to ensure access to academic fundamentals and remove barriers to learning; Equipping Educators, which helps educators develop their skills through advanced education, resources, and professional experiences; and Cultivating Innovation, which enables schools to implement innovative practices that respond to evolving rural needs. The Foundation currently places particular emphasis on requests designed to improve literacy education and outcomes. Grant funding may support programs and capacity-building activities. Examples identified by the Foundation include curriculum development, professional training, enrichment programs, and behavioral and mental health support benefiting students, teachers, and connected school professionals. The Foundation does not fund capital campaigns or major capital expenditures, lobbying or political activities, sports events or athletic groups, direct support for individuals, or organizations whose 501(c)(3) status is pending. No required matching contribution, award minimum, award maximum, total program funding amount, number of awards, or specific period of performance is stated in the provided information. Eligible applicants include public school districts and tax-exempt organizations recognized by the IRS as 501(c)(3) public charities, including colleges and universities. Charitable projects operating under a fiscal sponsor may also apply. Geographic eligibility is limited to rural North Dakota communities that are not connected to or part of the state's larger cities. The provided information does not define the eligible rural communities by county, municipality, ZIP code, or another specific geographic list, so applicants should evaluate whether their project clearly serves the Foundation's stated rural North Dakota focus. The official 2026 grant round has concluded, but the Burgum Foundation continues to accept applications on a rolling basis. Applications submitted before the dates for the 2027 grant round are announced are welcome and will be considered in the upcoming 2027 grant round. The Foundation states that dates for that round will be finalized and released by the end of 2026. The updated application supports both general and teacher tuition applications. No required letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating step is identified in the provided information. Application notification timelines for the 2027 grant round will be shared after the grant round details are announced. When possible, the Foundation uses site visits and virtual meetings in addition to written applications to evaluate grant requests. Applicants with time-sensitive requests should identify the time-sensitive nature of the request in the application, provide an explanation, and email info@burgumfoundation.org so the Foundation team can respond in a timely manner. The Foundation's mailing address is 210 Broadway N. Suite 200, Fargo, ND 58102. No individual program contact, telephone number, explicit PDF application or guidelines URL, or fixed application deadline is provided in the supplied material.

Clearly demonstrate how the project supports the goal of improving rural education in North Dakota. Align the request with Supporting Students, Equipping Educators, or Cultivating Innovation. Give particular attention to the Foundation's current emphasis on improving literacy education and outcomes. Time-sensitive applicants should explain the timing need in the application and contact the Foundation by email.