Mike Tangen

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In honor of NMF's upcoming 30th anniversary and National Philanthropy Month, we want to celebrate the contributions of our donors! We will be highlighting a donor a day for the month of November.

Please be sure to check the blog often to read about the wonderful stories of giving back to the northwest region. 

If you are interested in making a difference through the services of our community foundation, our development officers would be happy to assist you. Please contact Caryl Turnow or Lisa Peterson at 218-759-2057 to learn more.



Mike Tangen came to Bemidji for band camp in the sixth grade, and fell in love with the land, lakes and the town. Later in life when he and wife, Shannon were starting to establish their roots, Bemidji seemed to be perfect. "It's not so small that you can't accomplish things, and not too big that you can't make a difference," said Mike.

 And quite a difference he has made, in particular among the arts community. "When we first moved here, there was a pretty good choir and a hockey team. Now, we have a vibrant arts community and it has brought such life to this town." 

 His background in education was his initial introduction to philanthropy. "I would visit developmentally challenged classrooms and introduce music to them. There wasn't enough money at the time to support that in every classroom, so I would give my time to them." 

 It wasn't long before Mike became active in various arts organizations, still volunteering his time and energy. Mike has served on the Bemidji Area Arts Endowment (BAAE) advisory board for close to a decade. "BAAE has given thousands of dollars back to the community and provided a need for many aspiring artists in our area." If it weren't for NMF, that wouldn't have been possible, according to Mike. 

"To have such a trusted resource in our community is invaluable. I don't have time to help every group I want to support - but I know NMF is doing that for me." 

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