Funding

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We fund in the state of Minnesota with priority given to the seven county metro area.

The best use of Sauer Family Foundation funding is to create change, fill gaps, or help create something new in an organization, government agency, or system. The Sauer Family Foundation is particularly interested in grants that will provide education on trauma across systems working with children and grants that will increase trauma and resiliency programs for children. The lens we use when we consider grants is focused on child and youth well-being.

There will be two grant rounds in 2018 with due dates of March 30th and October 5th. Through our funding we want to:

Child Welfare (Child Protection, Foster Care, and Adoption)

• Help create systems focused on child and youth well-being. This includes trauma-informed practices and supporting parents to meet the needs of the child.
• Increase trauma work in prevention and early intervention programs.
• Promote a family-first model resulting in less trauma for children and families.
• Promote culturally appropriate trauma work and training for professionals.
• Increase trauma-informed parenting for foster families.

Early Childhood Education

• Increase trauma-informed programming in early childhood education and parent education for disadvantaged children & their families.
• Promote a trauma assessment as part of Early Childhood Screening.
• Increase trauma education and support for early childhood providers.
• Increase trauma programs for Native American children ages 0-5.

K-12 Education – Public, Private & Charter Schools

• Increase school-wide trauma programs that decrease behavior referrals and increase academic achievement.
• Increase affordable teacher preparation pathways so teachers reflect the diversity of the student population.
• Increase personalized, competency-based learning.

The deadline for the spring grants is March 30, 2018, and the deadline for fall grants is October 5th, 2018. If you feel your organization or project fits into our funding priorities, please send an email to Colleen O’Keefe, our Executive Director, at Colleen@sauerff.org to discuss the potential fit. We do not want to waste your time applying for a grant that is unlikely to be funded. If Colleen invites you to apply, you will be given a username and password for our online grant system.

All applicants must comply with all Federal, State and local non-discrimination laws. The Sauer Family Foundation does not make grants to individuals, political and lobbying activities, endowments, deficit or debt reduction, fundraising activities or advertising.

Early Childhood

Brain development begins from day one, and we believe that early childhood development is critical for putting children on the path for a healthy, thriving life.

K-12 Education

Education is the pathway out of poverty. Every child deserves a relevant education that captures their interests and propels them into a career.

Child Welfare

How do we attend to our most vulnerable children? When children are abused or neglected, we need to attend to the child's well-being and support their family.