The purpose of the North Dakota United Foundation is to promote educational excellence and quality public service in North Dakota. The Foundation’s goal is to aid educators, public servants, and students in achieving greater educational success.
The Foundation accomplishes this by offering specifically designed and administered grants and scholarships to individual educators, public servants and college students designed to enhance their skills. In addition, the Foundation administers funds for local education associations in Glenfield, Hillsboro, Minot, Oakes and Ray.
It is with pride that the Foundation’s Board of Directors has established this special alliance with education and public service leaders who understand that their professional growth is the key to success.
NDU Foundation Board of Directors:
| Name | Position | City |
| Brenda Seehafer | Foundation president, active member | Rolla |
| Nick Archuleta | NDU president | Mandan |
| Alicia Bata | NDU vice president — K-12 education | Cavalier |
| Kala Christensen | NEA director | Grand Forks |
| Gary Feist | NDU vice president — public employees | Bismarck |
| Aaron Flynn | Active member | Grand Forks |
| Toni Gumeringer | NDU-Retired | Bismarck |
| Clarice Hackman | Active member | Fargo |
| Derrick Hertz | General public member | Mandan |
| Sheila Peterson | Active member | Bismarck |
| Jason Rohrer | General public member | Minot |
| Kaitlin Walker | Active member | Bottineau |
Professional Development:
Promoting educational excellence through professional development has been a long-term goal of the NDU Foundation. With the dedication of 50% of the special assessment paid by NDU members to professional development, the Foundation was able to partner with the Professional Development team at NDU to again provide quality coursework at no cost to NDU members in 2025. This resulted in North Dakota United members saving $142,500 in professional development course fees in 2025, a tremendous gift to our members.
At the date of publication, for the 2025-26 cycle there are 2,935 registrations for NDU professional development offerings including 60+ book studies, Podcast PD, Educator Ethics, Aspiring Educator events, NDU-Retired book club, inperson professional development presentations, Leadership & Advocacy Summit, Delegate Assembly, Lobby Day, Teacher of the Year events, and negotiations trainings.
Giving Hearts Day:
Giving Hearts Day is a regional online giving event which raises funds for charities in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota every year in February. Ninety individuals contributed $5,920 on Giving Hearts Day, which was matched by NDU for a total revenue of $11,840. The revenue was credited to the endowments selected by the donor. If no endowment was selected, the gifts were credited to the NDU Memorial Endowment.
Scholarships and Grants:
The North Dakota United Foundation currently offers scholarships and grants specifically designed for individual educators, public servants, and college students to enhance their skills. Scholarships are available to North Dakota United members, including Student NDU and NDU-Retired members, as well as the dependents of all members. Twenty-two scholarships and grants were available in 2025, including two new year-round grant offerings:
- The Betty Lu Lenthe Speech Education Grant — Available to assist an individual member or group of members or their students in speech, debate, and drama activities. The award is open to individual members, students, student organizations, or educational institutions.
- Harris & Arlyce Widmer Family Business Education Grant — Available for an individual member or group of members to support student-oriented activities such as the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Bata Lamda, Junior Achievement, and/or Young lnvestment Clubs, etc.
In May, the North Dakota United Foundation announced that 59 NDU members and dependents, across twenty-five counties in North Dakota, had been selected to receive $75,000 in scholarships and grants. Scholarships are open December 1st through March 31, and grants are awarded year-round on a rolling application basis. For more information on 2025 recipients and to apply, please CLICK HERE.
Teacher of the Year Events:
The North Dakota United Foundation proudly partnered with the North Dakota State Teachers of the Year (NDSTOY) Chapter to offer a Day of Professional Learning for former Teachers of the Year and finalists on April 7 at the Heritage Center in Bismarck. The day provided Teachers of the Year with an opportunity to network, share best practices and participate in the ND legislative session. The NDSTOY spent time at the ND Legislature sitting in on the Senate Education Committee, participating in a Governor’s office bill signing ceremony, and observing the passage of the school cell phone bill on the Senate floor. At the Heritage Center, seven of the state’s best educators presented information on topics ranging from service learning, to music in the classroom, to high-impact teaching. The participants ended the day with plans to return to their schools and share all they had gained with their colleagues.
On Sept. 26, the NDU Foundation hosted a Celebratory Luncheon at the ND Governor’s Residence for the 2026 ND Teacher of the Year finalists, their friends and families, former Teachers of the Year, Governor & First Lady Armstrong, and partnering organizations. The luncheon was held before the Teacher of the Year announcement ceremony at the state Capitol. The Teacher of the Year events are made possible by generous donations from businesses across North Dakota.
