Ortendahl Family Foundation
The Ortendahl Family Foundation exists to support charitable initiatives that improve lives, strengthen communities, and expand educational opportunity. Inspired by the lives of Nannette and Velma Ortendahl, the Foundation seeks to carry forward their quiet but enduring commitment to helping others.
The Ortendahl Family Foundation supports charitable, educational, and community initiatives that advance opportunity and improve the well-being of individuals and communities.
The Foundation was established to ensure that the values of generosity, responsibility, and service embodied by Nannette and her mother Velma continue to benefit others for generations to come.
Velma Ortendahl spent her life as an educator, helping shape the lives of countless students. Through careful stewardship and a lifelong commitment to helping others, she and her daughter Nannette built a legacy that now continues through the Ortendahl Family Foundation.
The Foundation seeks to honor that legacy by supporting initiatives that create opportunity, particularly in education and community development.
The Foundation is preparing to launch its scholarship program in 2027.
The scholarship program will honor the educational legacy of Velma Ortendahl and is intended to support students pursuing meaningful educational paths. Additional details about eligibility and application procedures will be announced as the program launch approaches.
The Ortendahl Family Foundation was created to preserve and extend the charitable vision of Nannette Ortendahl and her mother, Velma Ortendahl.
Velma Ortendahl devoted her career to education as a teacher and believed strongly in the transformative power of learning. Over time, through disciplined saving and thoughtful investment, she built modest financial resources that she used to quietly support charitable causes and help those in need.
Following Velma’s passing in 2022 at the age of 93, Nannette sought to honor her mother’s lifelong commitment to generosity and education. She established the Ortendahl Family Foundation to ensure that this legacy of giving would continue to benefit others for generations to come.
The Foundation exists to support charitable activities that serve the public good, including:
As the Foundation grows, its programs and initiatives may expand while remaining faithful to its core mission of service and responsible stewardship.
The Foundation is currently developing a scholarship program that will support students pursuing higher education and meaningful career paths.
The scholarship program is expected to begin in 2027.
The program will be designed to reflect the educational legacy of Velma Ortendahl and to provide meaningful support to students committed to building productive and impactful lives.
Further details regarding eligibility, application procedures, and scholarship awards will be published prior to the launch of the program.
In addition to scholarships, the Foundation may support other charitable initiatives consistent with its mission, including:
As programs are developed, updates will be published on this website.
The Ortendahl Family Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, which is responsible for ensuring that the Foundation fulfills its charitable mission and operates in accordance with applicable nonprofit laws and fiduciary standards.
The Board oversees the Foundation’s programs, finances, and operations, ensuring that all activities serve the public benefit.
The Ortendahl Family Foundation is a designated charitable beneficiary of the Ortendahl Family Trust.
The Trust provides long-term stewardship of assets intended to support the Foundation’s charitable mission. Oversight is structured to ensure that the Foundation operates consistently with its public-benefit purpose and applicable nonprofit law.
Trustees and officers of the Foundation are responsible for:
To promote transparency and good governance, key organizational documents are available below.
Additional governance and compliance documents may be published as they become available.