Community Sharing Fund Grant

About this program

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s Community Sharing Fund provides emergency grants (typically $100–$1,000, up to $1,500 for housing) to assist individuals and families with urgent short-term needs such as rent/deposits, utilities, medical expenses, childcare and transportation when other resources are unavailable. Applications are accepted only from referring nonprofit or government agencies/caseworkers via the Foundation’s online portal (caseworker registration required); grants are payable to the referring agency or vendors and decisions are usually made within about a week. Eligible clients must have lived in Dakota, Ramsey, or Washington County for at least 30 days, demonstrate a verifiable unforeseen emergency, and neither the applicant nor any household member may have received a CSF grant in the past 18 months; the Fund is treated as a last-resort resource. Ineligible requests include attorney fees, travel related to custody, bail, fines, funeral/burial expenses, costs related to illegal activity, and for-profit agencies must apply through a contracted 501(c)(3) or government partner for reimbursement.