Our Mission:
Serve. Strengthen. Celebrate.
We impact people by bringing them together to serve, strengthen, and celebrate our community.
Watch a recap of our May 4th Art & Wine event
What does the Edina Community Foundation Do?
We provide programs for the community
ECF creates programs that help connect and make Edina more livable for all citizens. One popular program is the Connect Card which offers under-resourced families a one-stop application to access scholarship dollars at nine partnering organizations including Edina Parks & Recreation, Edina Basketball Association, and the Edina Girls Athletic Association.
Edina Reads offers speaker programs as well as an annual writing contest and neighborhood book clubs.
The new Meal with a Mentor Program links adults with youth aged 15-20 for a mentoring lunch, offering an opportunity for seasoned professionals to make a difference in the lives of young people.
We host meaningful events
ECF hosts events that spread joy and celebrate members of our community. Perhaps our most well-known event is the Edina 4th of July Parade and Fireworks. The Edina Community Foundation raises funds and steers the planning committee that maps the logistics, contracts with the entertainment, registers community groups, and coordinates volunteers to make it a celebration worthy of the 20,000-25,000 enthusiastic fans who line the streets at 10 a.m. each July 4th.
The night before the annual 4th of July Parade, we celebrate veterans with a special dinner, speakers, music, and companionship to honor our community’s veteran heroes and their families.
The Connecting with Kids Leadership Breakfast is another annual event where ECF recognizes Edina youth and adults who mentor or uplift children.
We incubate other nonprofits
The Edina Community Foundation provides support to more than 80 local nonprofits through its Community Impact Program. ECF helps with operational services and financial management and guidance so other nonprofits can serve our community. From arts and sports organizations to neighborhood groups and memorial funds, the Edina Community Foundation is the incubator for the Edina nonprofit community.
photo credit: MN Wild Sled Hockey
photo credit: Gardenware Project
Our Impact
From $25,000 in donations for the COVID-19 Relief Fund in 2020 to the hundreds of Edina kids who have benefitted from a Connect Card to the 118 adults and students who have been recognized at our Connecting with Kids Leadership Awards to the 20,000 fans who enjoy the annual 4th of July Parade, the Edina Community Foundation makes a difference in our community!
80+
nonprofits
Eighty nonprofits operate in our community impact program, allowing Edina residents to launch and run activities and events that enrich our community. You can launch a nonprofit in a day!
260
Active Connect CArds
Nine organizations in Edina work with ECF to offer one-stop access to scholarships to extracurricular activities in Edina for those families who would struggle to pay to have their kids participate. As of June 2024, there are 260 active Connect Cards being used to link scholarships to students.
18+
years of Connecting with Kids Leadership Breakfasts
A highlight each March when we select and honor community-nominated adults and high school students who have made an impact on the youth of Edina.
Get Involved
Impact our community through one of ECF’s programs!
Donate to your favorite program. Attend an event like our annual Connecting with Kids Leadership Breakfast or our Lucky Duck Race. Volunteer in our Meal with a Mentor Program. Join an Edina Neighborhood Reads group. Start your own charitable organization. There are unlimited opportunities to help make our community great.
attend an event
Check the calendar for upcoming events.
Make a donation
Donate to any of the programs that you are passionate about!
start a nonprofit
Yes, hundreds of others have done it. You can too!
Thank you, Edina Community Foundation
Letters to the Editor, Edina Sun Current, Feb 12, 2020
Bluebirds and Blooms would like to express our gratitude to Edina Community Foundation for its support over the past two years. Edina Community Foundation helps aspiring organizations such as Bluebirds & Blooms to launch by providing grants, mentoring, administrative and fiduciary support. This support created the space for the dream of childhood friends who grew up in Edina and met in the Bluebirds to begin an exciting venture.
The support of the Edina Community Foundation has made it possible for Bluebirds & Blooms to deliver more than 13,000 bouquets of repurposed flowers to residents in 25 care centers and hospice programs in the southwest Minneapolis suburbs.
We are excited to have transitioned from being an Impact Partner under the umbrella of Edina Community Foundation to becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.