BENTSON FOUNDATION
Annual Giving
$7.5M+65% YoY
Grants
43
Median Grant
$25K
Organizations Funded
71
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Foundation Overview
Mission
Founded in 1956 by Nancy and Larry Bentson who were lifelong philanthropists. Created The Bentson Foundation to continue their legacy of giving. Core philosophy: Out of genuine gratitude and sincere desire to share our blessings, philanthropy has been a core value for us throughout our lives.
Focus Areas
Grant Types
Funded Initiatives
$1 million endowment for Bentson Scholars Program at UC Santa Barbara marine biology, $10 million donation to United Hospital neuroscience programs, $1 million to Walker Art Center for Ruben/Bentson Film and Video Study Collection, University of Minnesota scholarship programs and Bentson Scholarship Challenge.
Based on publicly available information from the foundation's 990 filings and website.
Giving History
$7.5M
Grants
43
Median
$25K
States
8
$4.5M
Grants
48
Median
$10K
States
8
$7.2M
Grants
56
Median
$13K
States
9
Grant Size Distribution
$25K
Typical Grant (Median)
$5K
Smallest
$10K
25th Pctile
$139K
75th Pctile
$2.5M
Largest
Excludes grants ≤ $5K. Half fall between $10K and $139K.
Largest Recent Grants
$2.5M
2024
ALLINA HEALTH
MN · GENERAL
$1.0M
2024
U OF M - COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY HEALTH CARE CENTER
MN · GENERAL
$515K
2024
PRODEO ACADEMY
MN · GENERAL
$500K
2024
HOPE ACADEMY
MN · GENERAL
$500K
2024
CHILDREN'S MINNESOTA
MN · GENERAL
Geographic Focus
Top states by total grant dollars. Based on IRS filing data.
Financial Overview
Grants paid shown as percentage of total assets
Data sourced from IRS 990 and 990-PF filings and publicly available foundation websites. Grant data, financial figures, and organizational details reflect historical filings and may not represent current operations or funding priorities. Verify directly with the foundation before applying. See an issue? Let us know.