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DONORS

Generosity. For Good.

The Mankato Area Foundation empowers individuals, families, and organizations to make a lasting impact through annual, lifetime, and planned giving opportunities. We offer personalized giving strategies and funds to help donors achieve their charitable goals in meaningful ways.

As a donor, you can shape your contribution by selecting from flexible funding options, including designated, unrestricted, or donor-advised funds. With MAF, you gain the benefits of a private foundation—without the complexities of startup and management—allowing you to bring your philanthropic vision to life.

Why Give Through the Mankato Area Foundation?

Choosing the Mankato Area Foundation for your charitable giving comes with unique advantages that make giving simple, flexible, and impactful.

Simplicity

We serve as your one-stop resource for philanthropy, making it easy to support the causes you care about. Whether you're passionate about local initiatives or broader community needs, we streamline the giving process for you.

Tax Advantages

Your contributions to the Mankato Area Foundation qualify for the maximum tax benefits available for income, gift, and estate tax purposes—helping you make the most of your generosity.

Flexibility

We accept a wide range of gifts beyond cash, including grain, land, and stock. Working closely with you and your financial advisor, we create a customized giving plan that aligns with your financial goals and charitable vision—both now and for the future.

Contact us to get the conversation started

PLANNED GIVING

Giving Looks Good on Us

You can easily establish a charitable fund (or add to an existing fund) at the Mankato Area Foundation that speaks to your philanthropic intentions. A bequest can be for a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate or residue of the estate. MAF would be happy to provide you and your attorney with suggested language to include in your will or trust.

Learn More

TELLING OUR STORY

A DONOR ADVISED FUND

Time-honored Connections

For the Richards family, the words “home” and “Mankato” are interchangeable. “My dad was a proud Welshman who had a strong sense of ‘home’ or ‘hiraeth’ in Welsh, and that was the Greater Mankato area,” said Marcia Richards, daughter to Cecil Jones. The family’s legacy starts with Cecil. Read More

TELLING OUR STORY

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Supporting the Scene and Unseen

It doesn’t take much effort to feel the expansive presence of the arts in Mankato.

Look up near the river, and you’ll see a 135-foot tall mural of children painted on silos by internationally-renowned artist Guido van Helten.

Walk along the streets downtown, and you’ll see awe-inspiring sculptures on every corner, teasing your senses and admittedly leaving you feeling a bit unsatisfied until you complete the entire CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour every year. Read More

50 YEARS OF COMMUNITY IMPACT

Philanthropy Review 2024

This 2023 edition of our Philanthropy Review provides a glimpse into the connections we’re fortunate to make daily. You’ll read about the creative connections made between The REACH and 410 Project to provide hope and healing to at-risk youth. Also inside is a story of community connections and support experienced at an unlikely place—Blingo Bingo. Finally, you’ll read stories of family connections that honor loved ones by creating a philanthropic legacy that gives back to this community for generations. See Philanthropy Review 2023

News & Press

Who We Are


Since 1974, the Mankato Area Foundation has been dedicated to building a community of individuals that believe in the strength of giving. We continue today to shape Greater Mankato through connecting acts of giving with our community’s needs.

Location

Shared Spaces Philanthropy Center
212 E Walnut Street, Suite 1
Mankato, MN 56001
507-389-4583
[email protected]

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