Mission
The mission of the Morgan Fund is to promote economic development and civic pride in the Twin Ports (Duluth/Superior) area. Economic development, in order to qualify as a charitable purpose, must benefit the public directly and significantly and any private benefit is only incidental and insubstantial in comparison to the public benefits. The Morgan Fund was established by Richard R. Burns and Elizabeth M. Burns in honor of their parents, J. Morgan Murphy and Elizabeth Beck Murphy and Herbert Morgan Burns and Janet Strobel Burns, to recognize their parents’ involvement and interest in the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.
Requests for capital will be considered.
Priority will be given to projects that benefit both communities.
Examples
- Production of a 30-minute feature documentary aimed at building greater public awareness, improving the image and increasing the visibility of the city of Duluth.
- A youth-adult partnership that focused on developing student and citizen pride in Superior schools and the city of Superior.
- Upgrades and enhancements for a website that provides economic development information for new and existing businesses in the Northland.
- Public art project and festival
- Exhibit at the Great Lakes Aquarium
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for funding, an organization must:
Be classified as one of the following:
- Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (i.e., traditional nonprofit)
- Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g., governmental entities and schools)
- Section 7871 Tribal government
- Church
- Organization with a fiscal agent that is classified as one of the above
- Be located in or provide services to residents in Duluth, MN and/or Superior, WI.
Grant range
Grants generally range up to $10,000.
Application timeline
Fall Grant Cycle
- Application available August 1, 2024 – October 1, 2024 @ 5:00 pm
- Project begin date: January 1, 2025, or later.
- If awarded, funds would be available in January 2025. Notifications will be emailed at the end of December 2024.
