McKnight Crop Research Program


THE McKNIGHT FOUNDATION
The McKnight Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation, established in 1953 by William L.
McKnight and his wife, Maude L. McKnight. Mr. McKnight was one of the early leaders of the 3M
Company; however, the Foundation is independent of that corporation. The Foundation assumed its
present structure in 1974, when a professional staff was hired. Since that time, its assets have grown
from $8 million to more than $1 billion and grants have increased from $741,000 in 1974 to about
$53.3 million in 1993.


The McKnight Foundation has a primary interest in assisting people who are poor or disadvantaged
by enhancing their capacity for productive living. The Foundation also seeks to strengthen
community and community institutions, to enrich people's lives through the arts, to encourage
preservation of the natural environment, and to advance scientific knowledge that can improve
peoples' lives. The Foundation's primary geographic focus in its human services and arts
grantmaking is the state of Minnesota. In addition to the Collaborative Crop Research Program, The
McKnight Foundation supports scientific research in two other fields, neuroscience and eating
disorders.


* *


Page 7 of 7