Free funder guide · North Dakota · Last checked 16 October 2026
Which North Dakota environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in North Dakota have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 11 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in North Dakota that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Of the 26 open North Dakota foundations, 12 made an environmental grant in their latest filing, and 9 of those also gave to a church, a ministry, a YMCA or YWCA, or a faith-based school. After I read every remaining grant list, one North Dakota private foundation is on this list. The biggest open money here is the state's oil-and-gas-funded Outdoor Heritage Fund.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In North Dakota, 34 of the 60 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 57%.
That leaves 26 larger North Dakota foundations that say they will read an application. It is a lower share of closed doors than in Montana (65%, 113 of 173), South Dakota (74%, 79 of 107) and Minnesota (75%, 676 of 907), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with a North Dakota address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (mostly tax year 2025). Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota. Counting them too gives 58% (38 of 65).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
11 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in North Dakota.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 16 Oct 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm firstCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
North Dakota Industrial Commission: Outdoor Heritage Fund
Bismarck · statewide
State grants, funded from oil and gas tax revenue, under four directives: access to land for hunters and anglers, stewardship practices on farms and ranches, fish and wildlife habitat, and natural areas, parks and recreation areas. State agencies, tribes, local governments and nonprofit organizations can apply.
Typical grant
No less than $2,500, with no set maximum, and at least a 25% match of total project cost (2026 program policies). Each application carries a $100 fee.
Next deadline
Twice a year, May 1 and November 1. Grant Round 29 closes November 1, 2026 Verified.
How to apply
Online through the Commission's grants management system; the $100 fee is collected when you submit.
North Dakota DEQ: Nonpoint Source (Section 319) Grants
Bismarck · statewide
Federal Clean Water Act money for projects that reduce polluted runoff and for information and education projects, reviewed by the state's Nonpoint Source Task Force. Local sponsors, including nonprofits, propose projects.
Typical grant
Award size is not published; project budgets must show the sponsor's match (its site).
Next deadline
Fiscal 2027 round: draft project proposals due November 1, 2026 Verified, by email; final proposals due March 2027, with awards in May or June 2027.
How to apply
Email a draft proposal to the program contact named in DEQ's grant timeline, using the templates on the program page; the task force comments before the final proposal.
North Dakota Parks and Recreation: Recreational Trails Program
Bismarck · statewide
Federal money for building and restoring motorized and non-motorized recreational trails. Registered nonprofit organizations are eligible, along with public agencies; an advisory committee of trail users ranks applications.
Typical grant
$30,000 to $250,000 on an 80/20 match; sponsors pay first and are reimbursed, and must have their 20% share in hand when they apply (its site).
Next deadline
The fiscal 2027 window ran April 1 to 13, 2026 and has closed. Next about April 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Application during the spring window, following the program timeline on the department's page.
North Dakota Game and Fish: Sponsorship, Education and Conservation Grants
Bismarck · statewide
Small grants for projects or events that educate people about fish, wildlife, habitat and conservation, promote environmental stewardship, build landowner and sportsmen relations, or get young people outdoors.
Typical grant
Typically nominal amounts, for costs such as printing, supplies, speakers or facility rent (its site).
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Northern Great Plains Program
Washington, DC · Dakota Grasslands focal area
Voluntary grassland conservation and restoration with ranchers and tribes: grazing management, prescribed fire, wet meadow and prairie restoration, grassland bird habitat. The Dakota Grasslands is one of its four focal areas.
Typical grant
Typically $200,000 to $1.5 million, 15 to 25 grants a year, with 1:1 match encouraged (2026 request for proposals). North Dakota nonprofit grants in its filing for the year to September 2025, which does not name the program: The Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund $54,858 (pollinator habitat), North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition $27,754 (grassland conservation on ranches).
Next deadline
About February 2027 Expected. The 2026 round closed February 25, 2026; the 2027 request for proposals is not posted yet.
How to apply
Online proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system, following the request for proposals when it is posted.
Bureau of Reclamation: WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program
North Dakota and 18 other western states
Funding for watershed groups to organize, write a watershed restoration plan and design projects. An existing watershed group incorporated as a nonprofit can apply, and a nonprofit can apply to sponsor a new group.
Typical grant
Up to $100,000 a year for up to three years, with no cost share (its site).
Next deadline
Four closing dates under the current notice: October 7, 2026 (passed), February 24, 2027, September 1, 2027 and February 15, 2028. Next: February 24, 2027 Verified.
How to apply
Apply to funding opportunity R26AS00349 through Grants.gov; the program page links a recorded July 2026 applicant webinar.
Washington, DC · nationwide, including North Dakota
Pays for qualified conservation nonprofits, local governments and tribes to buy private forest land outright and keep it as a community forest with public access. Conservation easements are not eligible.
Typical grant
Up to $600,000, covering at most 50% of project costs with a 50% non-federal match (its site).
Next deadline
Fiscal 2026 round: applications were due to state foresters by October 13, 2026, and that round has closed. The next round is not posted yet Check site.
How to apply
Notice of funding opportunity on Grants.gov; the application goes to the state forester (in North Dakota, the North Dakota Forest Service).
North Dakota Community Foundation: Statewide Greatest Needs Grants
Bismarck · statewide
The foundation's open statewide grant program for 501(c)(3) organizations and government and tribal agencies located in and serving North Dakota.
Typical grant
Generally no more than $5,000 (its site). Environmental-related grants in its 2024 filing, which mixes donor funds with open grants: Dakota Zoo $10,000, Finley Wildlife Club $8,150.
Next deadline
Once a year, June 1 to July 31; the 2026 window has closed. Next: June 1 to July 31, 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Online application form during the summer window; read the eligibility policy on the same page first.
Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region: Community Foundation Grants
Grand Forks · Grand Forks and East Grand Forks region
Competitive grants for project, program or operating support in three impact areas, one of which is Environmental Sustainability: conserving natural resources and protecting ecosystems. Nonprofits, schools, libraries and other public bodies can apply.
Typical grant
Up to $10,000; funds awarded in 2026 must be used during calendar 2027 (its site).
Next deadline
Letters of intent were due June 30, 2026, and that round has closed. Next letter of intent about June 30, 2027 Expected.
How to apply
A one-to-two-page letter of intent on the foundation's grant portal; invited groups then send a full application.
One general operating grant round a year for nonprofits serving Cass and Clay counties. Applicants choose one of the foundation's five areas of impact; the environment is not one of them, so conservation groups apply under Community Building.
Typical grant
$500 to $15,000 in general operating support (its site).
Next deadline
Once a year. The 2026 round ran February 16 to March 20, 2026 and has closed. Next about February to March 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Online application during the round; awards are announced in late June.
William C. and Jane B. Marcil Charitable Foundation
Fargo · North Dakota
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. A family foundation that made three large grants, one of them to the Fargo parks foundation.
Typical grant
Three grants totaling $350,000 in 2025. Green-space example: Fargo Park District Foundation $50,000 (general operations).
Next deadline
No specific deadlines, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
No specific form is required. Write to William C. Marcil Jr., 101 North 5th Street, Fargo, ND 58102.
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
Free short list
Want funders matched to your own organization?
Send me your name, your organization, your state, your annual budget and your mission in one line. You'll get a written reply within two business days, and a free short list of up to five funders that fit, by email.
If you later want the full version, a Funding Roadmap ($600, flat fee) covers ten to fifteen funders matched to your mission, place and size, the grants each one paid to groups like yours, and a 12-month grant calendar. Every deadline is labeled the same way as on this page. See a sample roadmap.
Everything happens in writing, by email and shared documents.
Received
Thanks. Your details are with me.
You'll get a written reply at your inbox within two business days, with up to five funders that fit.
Nothing by then? Check your spam folder, or write to [email protected].