In 1953, Archibald Granville Bush, chairman of the executive committee of the 3M Company, and his wife Edyth Bassler Bush brought their many giving efforts into focus by establishing the Bush Foundation. Click here to view a PDF with more information about the Bush family.

Through the Foundation, the Bushes were able to continue to help those who were less fortunate for many years. As the Foundation grew, it expanded beyond Minnesota to include support for the changing needs of communities in North Dakota and South Dakota.

We now serve these communities as an independent foundation with a focus on the needs of those states. Since 1953, the Foundation has provided more than $800 million in grants and fellowships to improve the well-being of people in these three states. Specific information about the Foundation’s goals can be found in Goals and Programs. To view a timeline of the Foundation's activities in its first 50 years (1953-2003), click here. In 2009, the Foundation launched the legacy portion of its website, focused on the major accomplishments of the first 56 years. To visit the legacy site, click here.

The Foundation’s income derives from assets given by Mr. and Mrs. Bush in the early 1970s, primarily 3M stock. Since then the investment portfolio has been diversified and, prior to the current economic downturn, had grown to more than five times its original value. Additional information can be found in Financial Information.

The Bush Foundation is a member of the Minnesota Council on Foundations and the national Council on Foundations. We subscribe to the Minnesota Council’s Principles for Minnesota Grantmakers.

 
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