Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation is designed to support Delta Dental of Minnesota's mission of improving the oral health of the people in Minnesota and advancing the science and art of oral health in Minnesota. Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation was formed out of the proceeds of the 2009 sale of the dental benefit management company, DeCare Dental.

In 2012, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation awarded 12 grants for a total of $1,940,000. Four highlights of the 2012 grants include:

• Minnesota Dental Foundation. $150,000 to help fund Minnesota's first Mission of Mercy (MOM) event. The significant monetary value of this gift made Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation the Signature Sponsor of Minnesota's 2012 MOM event in August 2012.
• Minnesota Department of Health. $300,000 for the Minnesota Oral Health Surveillance System. The Minnesota Department of Health will create a consolidated easy-to-use data source that contains Minnesota oral health indictors for program planners, managers, funders, policy makers, students, government agencies, and dental and other health professionals and communities.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities. $450,000 for the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile to provide preventive and restorative dental treatment to children ages birth to 21. Annually, the Care Mobile serves over 1,000 underserved patients with approximately 1,500 overall patient visits.
• Special School-Based Sealant Initiative. $500,000 to expand Minnesota’s school-based sealant programs to reduce dental disease for children. The Foundation will invite proposals to create and/or expand sealant programs in underserved areas throughout Minnesota.

In 2011, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation awarded three grants, totaling $3,925,000, to the following organizations:

• University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. $3.5 million for the University of Minnesota Pediatric Dental Clinic, Made Possible by Delta Dental of Minnesota. The clinic is a regional resource for children with complex medical, developmental and emotional needs. It is also home to an advanced education program in pediatric dentistry.
• Metropolitan State University. $250,000 to support the creation of an Advanced Dental Therapy Teaching Clinic. Metropolitan State University's Master of Science: Oral Health Care Practitioner program, operated in partnership with Normandale Community College, is the first program of its kind in the nation. The program provides a new dental service provider which many believe will increase access to dental care for underserved populations, especially in low-income, inner-city and rural communities.
• Rice Regional Dental Clinic. $175,000 to support this ten chair dental clinic within the Rice Memorial Hospital. Located in Willmar, Minnesota, the clinic was opened in December of 2007 to serve the oral healthcare needs of the underserved population in a seventeen county area surrounding the clinic. Rice Regional Dental Clinic is a collaborative effort between Rice Memorial Hospital and the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.

Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation is not currently accepting applications for funding. Delta Dental of Minnesota's philanthropy program remains in place and will accept letters of inquiry for its March 2013 deadline.