Minnesota · Nonprofit
MINNDEPENDENT
MINNDEPENDENT (Minnesota) receives grants from 17 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,243,599 to it, the largest being SCHOTT FOUNDATION ($500,000). 14 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $729k
- Funders on record
- 17
- Grants received
- $2.2M
- Net assets
- $923k
What Minndependent does
Mission
Minndependent connects and strengthens minnesota's private and independent schools through programming, partnerships and public policy so members can be student-centered and mission-driven.our vision is a vibrant educational ecosystem that promotes success for all minnesota students.we create meaningful professional development opportunities and resources for educators, educational leaders and school communities to build exceptional schools and deliver high-quality education for all students.we foster authentic relationships with funders, businesses and community organizations on behalf of member schools, resulting in grants, in-kind services and professional resources.we advocate with a focused and united voice for the interests of private and independent schools, ensuring that local and state policy makers will understand and support policies and practices that strengthen minnesota's private and independent schools.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Minndependent empowers schools to fulfill their missions by connecting them to opportunities for funding, support and know-how to expand and improve their stem or other high-priority programs.Minndependent's stem program has three components: (1) stem grants that support schools to create, improve and expand stem offerings for students by providing funding for materials, curriculum development, and training; (2) professional development that prepares teachers to provide high-quality and evidence-based stem learning experiences, and (3) community partnerships that ensure member schools have access to high-quality programs and resources.Minndependent hosts an annual stem education conference for private & independent school staff. In august 2024, 79 educators attended the stem education conference. The community partnership program facilitates stem programming at schools with limited access to resources through partnerships with the following community partners, (science from scientists - 8 schools), and (we share solar- 9 schools). In april 2025, the Minndependent stem grant program awarded 17 schools a total of $47,918 in stem grants. Minndependent has awarded over $1.7 million in…
$156,316 spentof which $44,355 as grants$36,645 earned by the program33% of program spendingMinndependent membership consisted of 181 schools serving 41,352 students. Total membership consisted of 95 schools that serve elementary grades (k-8), 21 schools that serve grades (k-12), 4 schools that serve grades (7-12), 20 schools that serve high school grades (9-12), and 41 schools that serve unique grade ranges (k-12). Since 1976, Minndependent has focused on the strength and vitality of the independent school community in minnesota, a community that serves nearly 73,000 students. We respect the autonomy of each school while recognizing their shared desire for support. We bring member schools together for connection, collaboration, capacity building, critical resource access, and collective action.
$141,667 spent$214,613 earned by the program30% of program spendingOur professional development program matches schools with exceptional content providers to inspire learning, fuel innovation and create transformative education experiences that convey best practices and address challenges impacting the sector. During 2023-2024, Minndependent hosted 6 professional development webinars, and continued to provide timely guidance specific to covid-19 funding and equitable services. More than 200 school leaders and staff from the state's k-12 private and independent schools participated in the webinars. The school leadership conference was held in september, 2024 and engaged seventy six (76)school leaders and administrators for exceptional learning opportunities. In april, 2025, Minndependent hosted the 17th annual private & independent education awards and distributed the following awards: 2 - honor teachers (k-12), leadership (k-8) leadership (9-12), community champion, behind the scenes and program award.
$107,893 spent23% of program spendingMinndependent provides a strong and united voice for the private and independent schools in minnesota and plays a vital role by advocating, defending, and monitoring issues and legislation that impacts private schools. We build strong partnerships with key contacts at the state level, simplify and clarify requirements to ensure equitable participation in state and federal programs and provide a watchful eye to ensure the unique missions of member schools are protected.we foster relationships with funders, businesses, and community organizations on behalf of member schools, resulting in grants, in-kind services, and professional resources.
$63,414 spent14% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $469,290.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $724k to $946k (+31%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2022 10% · 2023 8%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
61% of MINNDEPENDENT’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (57% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Michael Lamb
Chairperson
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 3 funders to 10 funders, grant income rose $72k → $516k.
4 of 17 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 15% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of MINNDEPENDENT’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 16 of 17 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
MINNDEPENDENT has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 22% of grant income, and it takes 3 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 3 funders to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 72% · 2018 59% · 2019 38% · 2020 37% · 2021 18% · 2022 32% · 2023 48% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
70% of MINNDEPENDENT's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 82% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
100% of MINNDEPENDENT's grant income comes from Minnesota funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $341k arriving through sponsors registered in 3 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
MINNDEPENDENT holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 16,849 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 16,849 education nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Organizations like MINNDEPENDENT
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Minnesota
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
67% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
48%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for MINNDEPENDENT: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds MINNDEPENDENT?
- MINNDEPENDENT (Minnesota) receives grants from 17 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,243,599 to it, the largest being SCHOTT FOUNDATION ($500,000). 14 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does MINNDEPENDENT have?
- IRS filings report 17 organizations giving $2,243,599 in grants to MINNDEPENDENT, 14 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of MINNDEPENDENT?
- SCHOTT FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $500,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like MINNDEPENDENT find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Minnesota. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 17 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing