In the early 1940s, Andersen Windows President Fred Andersen took $3,900 from his bank account and started the Bayport Foundation. The first check cut was a $100 gift to Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.
Since then, the nonprofit now known as the Andersen Corporate Foundation has doled out more than $49 million to schools, hospitals, museums, libraries, scouting and disaster relief organizations. It's celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
"They are an amazing inspiration," said Jan George, executive director of the St. Croix Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, which has received $2.8 million from the foundation over the past 68 years.
"I don't know of an organization that has that kind of commitment and responsibility. Their gifts and generosity are life-changing for people. Without them we would cease to exist in the Valley."
In the past year, the funding allowed the chapter to provide blood to 28,080 patients, help 334 families with members in the military and provide disaster relief to 39 families, George said.
Corporate foundations play a big role in keeping the quality of life high in Minnesota. Though they represent only 10 percent of giving organizations, corporate foundations such as Andersen provide more than half of the dollars associated with organized philanthropy, said Wendy Wehr, vice president of communications for the Minnesota Council of Foundations. Beyond money, they often provide technical assistance, volunteers for community projects and other goods and services.
Andersen is not the oldest corporate foundation -- Target's started in 1918 -- but turning 70 is a milestone nonetheless, Wehr said.
"Corporate philanthropy should be celebrated," she said. "It is symbolic overall of the corporate generosity that the Twin Cities and Minnesota have benefited from all these decades."
