Edson & Margaret Larson Foundation Funding Opportunities

The Edson & Margaret Larson Foundation (EMLF) is a committed supporter of higher education in North Dakota.

The foundation provides annual funding opportunities to the University of North Dakota’s colleges to support scholarships, student development, and institutional advancement. Through a close partnership with the UND Alumni Association & Foundation (UNDAAF), EMLF fosters opportunities for student success across campus.

UNDAAF facilitates all application and reporting processes, working closely with college deans and program directors to meet all EMLF requirements. The guidelines below outline important steps, responsible parties and deadlines for those applying for funds. The following steps must be completed to remain eligible for EMLF funding in the 2025 cycle.

Proposals

Proposals Submitted for Review

Deadline: September 23, 2025

Responsible Party: College or Unit

Colleges will submit proposals to UNDAAF’s Jenn Lukens (jennl@UNDalumni.net) for review. She will return with suggestions for revision within 3 business days for alterations to be made and resubmitted.

Each proposal should include the following:

Opening statement / message from dean/director
Number of scholarships awarded last academic year and total dollars distributed
Summary of impact / justification for continued or new support
Dollar amount of funds requested for the upcoming year and plans for use

Note: EMLF considers funding requests that directly support student scholarships and leadership programs. Operational, facility, or administrative requests will not be eligible. View a sample proposal that highlights key points.

Proposals emailed to EMLF

Deadline: October 1, 2025

Responsible Party: UNDAAF

CHANGE IN PROCESS: UNDAAF will be responsible for submitting final proposals to EMLF board members. After final changes have been by each college, UNDAAF will email all proposals at one time to EMLF.

Student Bios

Student Bio Preparation & Mailing

Deadline: September 9, 2025

Responsible Party: UNDAAF

UNDAAF will prepare student bios using post-acceptance responses from Scholarship Central and submit them to EMLF along with the previous year’s grant financial report. The bios will include the following details, as required by EMLF:

Student name, major, year
Academic achievements and leadership roles
Post-graduation plans
Intention to remain in North Dakota

Exceptions: Because the School of Law and the School of Medicine & Health Sciences are not currently a part of the Scholarship Central post-acceptance process, UNDAAF will coordinate directly with their representatives to collect the necessary information.