Our Approach
The Tom & Frances Leach Foundation, Inc. is committed to sustaining vibrant, healthy communities where all people have the opportunities and means to achieve their dreams and make a positive difference in the world. Through our grants, we support effective organizations that are creating significant, lasting and transformational change either through smart and innovative responses to today's needs or through systematic solutions that address the root causes of economic and societal challenges.
The Foundation provides single and multi-year grants to support nonprofit organizations through direct program funding and general operating grants, as well as endowments, scholarships and capital campaigns. A significant portion of our grantmaking is geographically focused in the Bismarck-Mandan area and Western North Dakota.
Education
A quality education is the foundation for self-sufficiency, preparing young people for success in life.
Educational Opportunities
Our education goal is for all of North Dakota's children, regardless of the socio-economic status, to be equipped with the building blocks for lifelong learning and healthy social-emotional development. We support high-performing schools and evidence-based programs that have the capacity to make dramatic educational gains for all students. Our commitment to providing excellent educational opportunities spans from early childhood through secondary education.
Grantee Highlights
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
The team behind the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (TRPL) aims to create a presidential library in Medora, ND that shares the complex, exciting life of T.R. in order to foster reflection and inspire civic participation around values central to his legacy through an interactive, story-driven visitor experience.
Guided by three principles embodying the central values of Roosevelt's life—leadership, citizenship, and conservation—we aspire to curate an experience that, through exploring Roosevelt's legacy in these areas, influences visitors on a personal level and invites them to contemplate what it means to be “Rooseveltian” in today’s world. All aspects of design and storytelling will derive inspiration from these core values.
Visitors to the presidential library will embark upon a journey guided by Theodore Roosevelt who inspires them to get in the arena. The striking Badlands landscape that served as a fulcrum in the life path of T.R. becomes a place of realization for the modern-day TRPL visitors. Unlike traditional presidential libraries where the archives serve as a platform, our exhibits furnish experiences, and the president's story becomes the participant's story.
The TRPL will be more than the four walls in Medora, ND. The Library will have a national presence. With the country feeling increasingly divided, there is an imperative for a new platform where people with a diverse range of ideas and viewpoints can engage in civil discourse. The Library will provide that platform, hosting meaningful conversations on the crucial issues surrounding leadership, citizenship, and conservation. These gatherings will inspire everyday Americans to work together to address the many challenges we face as a nation.
In addition to convenings and symposia, the Library will provide thought-provoking programming and original content that will help amplify its mission and vision far beyond Medora. Some of those initiatives include a traveling speaker series, a podcast, and a publishing program, as well as a K-12 curriculum and a scholars program. Together, these will comprise an interconnected web of public-facing activities that will radiate out of Medora, across the country, and around the globe.
https://www.trlibrary.com/
International Peace Garden
The International Peace Garden was founded in 1932 to celebrate the longstanding peace and friendship between the United States of America and Canada. Built near the geographic center of North America along the longest undefended international border in the world, the Garden is nestled in the beautiful Turtle Mountains and includes both Canadian and U.S. territory. For nearly 90 years, it has stood as a powerful symbol of peace between two free and democratic nations and the strength and prosperity that result from their economic and political cooperation.
The International Peace Garden is one of the continent's most symbolic and scenic attractions—a place to celebrate, promote, and experience peace. At its heart are the magnificent Formal Gardens, featuring more than 80,000 flowering annuals and perennials in displays tucked into terraces and along walkways with a stunning Sunken Garden and an 18-foot floral clock. The calming sounds of nature can be heard throughout along with the lovely chimes from a Carillon Bell Tower that ring every quarter hour. The breathtaking displays of blooms change each year; the only two that remain constant are the floral representations of the American and Canadian flags. A centerpiece of the Garden is the Conservatory, home to one of the largest cacti and succulent collections in the world with over 5,000 unique species and cultivars.
The Peace Chapel, built in 1968, is a place for quiet contemplation, with Manitoba limestone walls etched with inspiring quotes about peace from international leaders. Near the chapel is the 9/11 Memorial Site, which includes remnants of steel girders from the collapsed World Trade Center towers. The site is a vivid reminder that we must continue to pursue peace among nations, and the resilience of friends and neighbors to unite and stand together.
The nearly 2,400 acres of the International Peace Garden offer something for every visitor, with a vast network of driving, hiking and biking trails. Pristine prairie and wilderness are dotted with natural and cultivated features including wildflowers, waterfalls, and freshwater lakes that attract a large variety of North American birds and animals. Modern and rustic camping facilities are available onsite, along with scenic picnic areas.
https://peacegarden.com/