Oliver Din is the CEO and executive director of the Manitou Fund, one of the largest grantmaking foundations in terms of assets in Minnesota. Din was and is a family friend of the McNeely family, who founded and funded the organization and was already on its board prior to becoming CEO. When the fund underwent major changes in 2019, due to an influx of roughly $1 billion in 2019, Din declined to answer questions from the press regarding his background.  ¹

Career

Little information is publicly known about Oliver Din and his past work and life history prior to becoming the CEO of the Manitou Fund in 2019. He was and is a family friend of the McNeely family who founded and funded the organization and was already on its board prior to becoming CEO. ^{1 2}

The late Donald G. McNeely founded the Manitou Fund in 1966 and funded it with proceeds from his warehouse business, Space Center. Following McNeely’s death and prior to the sale of Space Center, business executives from the company had seats on the board of the fund, but his will stipulated that upon the sale of the company, all such members must resign and all funds from the sale were to be assigned to the fund. When this occurred in 2019, control of the fund fell to McNeeley’s children and Din. ¹

Upon assuming control, Din began receiving a large salary, amounting to $750,00 in 2023, in addition to nearly $35,000 in other compensation. He also hired five McNeeley family members, including the three board members, as well as Heather Din. ^{1 2}

Advocacy

Under Din’s leadership the Manitou Fund has provided grants to many left-of-center organizations, especially environmentally focused ones, such as the Environmental Defense Center, but also more general left-of-center organizations, such as Human Rights Watch. ³

1. McKinney, Matt. “Manitou Fund Rises Near the Top of Minnesota Foundations.” Star Tribune, November 20, 2019. https://www.startribune.com/manitou-fund-rises-near-the-top-of-minnesota-foundations/565073042.
2. Manitou Fund, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2023, Part VII.
3. Manitou Fund, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2023, Part XIV.