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Steve and Betsy leave a lasting impact on animal welfare as part of their estate plan.

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation recently made over $360,000 in grants to organizations in Minnesota that are focused on animal welfare. The grants were made possible by the Nordberg McDonald Fund, a realized planned gift from animal lovers Steve Nordberg and Betsy McDonald. The Nordberg McDonald Fund is one of the first funds at the Foundation dedicated to supporting animal welfare.

“In our Building Community Capacity grantmaking the funding for animal welfare organizations isn’t explicitly called out as an area of interest but every year we have one or two organizations in this area that reach out asking about eligibility,” said Program Officer Gina Kaeppe.

This year the Foundation made inaugural grants of $40,000 each to nine organizations selected based on their focus on conservation, low-cost veterinary services, pet rescue and foster efforts, and animal nutrition. These include:

Great Lakes Aquarium (Duluth)

Gopher Campfire Sanctuary (Hutchinson)

Pet Haven (Saint Paul)

The Bond Between (formally known as Secondhand Hounds - Minnetonka)

Bitty Kitty Brigade (Little Canada)

Feline Rescue (Saint Paul)

Second Harvest Heartland (for pet food shelves) (Twin Cities)

Minnesota Pet Foster Coalition (a coalition of several organizations)

Peaceful Passing for Pets (Minneapolis)

"This gift is a game-changer for us," said Executive Director of Pet Haven Kerry D'Amato. “We are so proud to be part of the historical Frogtown/Rondo community and dedicated to supporting the pets and people who need us most.”

Thanks to the fund, Pet Haven has been able to extend their reach in the community, creating programs and connecting animals with foster families and forever homes. They are grateful for the Foundation and Nordberg McDonald Fund for “seeing the value of the relationship people have with pets.”

In addition to these organizations, the fund also directs yearly support to the Animal Humane Society.

“ "This gift is a game-changer for us. We are so proud to be part of the historical Frogtown/Rondo community and dedicated to supporting the pets and people who need us most.””

Kerry D'Amato, Executive Director of Pet Haven

The Goodness of Betsy and Steve

Steve and Betsy enjoyed staying behind the scenes. While the Bloomington couple was passionate about their family, friends, food and animals, they kept much of their personal life to themselves.

“They were as generous as they were private,” said their niece, Christine Paquette. “They were genuinely good people who came from humble backgrounds. I think that through their education, hard work and the opportunities that they were given both professionally and personally, they were not only able to live full lives but built an estate where they could give back.”

Steve was the senior leader and co-founder of Virtual University Enterprises (VUE), now known as Pearson VUE. Betsy loved mentoring, volunteering and cooking.

Betsy was involved in her local church. Anytime there was any event that required food, she was the volunteer caterer, Christine said. “Even when friends and family were having a graduation party, she would offer to menu plan, shop, cook and serve. They gave of their time and their energy was boundless. Their motto was like Nike, ‘Just Do It.’”

In their will, they left a portion of their estate to the Foundation to establish the Nordberg McDonald Fund. The fund allows us to donate $1 million each year, with 25% each year going to the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley and 75% directed by the Foundation to nonprofits that support animal welfare.

This is in addition to the $6 million gift they gave the Animal Humane Society to support their capital campaign and strategic reserve fund. For years the couple were a part of their “bottle babies” volunteer program, providing around the clock care for dozens of kittens, helping them grow healthy for adoption.

“They led with their actions,” said Christine.

Growing up, she would come from New York often to visit her aunt and uncle. Most of her memories with them involved exploring their passions, which turned into fun learning experiences that helped her to expand her horizons.

“Steve loved to ski and was a pro on the slopes, but I was intimidated. At the time, I was working at Godiva in New York, and if the chocolate had even the slightest imperfection, it would come off the sales floor and go to employees. I wasn't even a big chocolate fan, but Steve was. So, he started Godiva Air Miles, where for every pound of chocolate I gave him, I received points towards a ski trip.”

Christine has a similar story about Betsy. As a gift for graduating with straight A's in high school French, her aunt took her to France.

“These are just ways that they tried to inspire and open me to new experiences, whether it's skiing, traveling, or speaking a language, but also learning how to set goals and how to achieve them. They did those extra steps.”