Strengthening Democracy: Community Voices and Civic Engagement in Minnesota

Impact in Action: Democracy

Panelists at the Giving Together Democracy event

Democracy is More Than an Election: A Recap of Our Giving+Together Donor Event

By Chris Garner, Communications Specialist

Democracy is the bedrock of civil liberties, community voice and a shared future. It's the engine of our society's progress.

Recently, the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation hosted a Giving+Together event to tackle this vital topic, gathering local leaders and community members for a lively, important discussion at the Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul.

Panel participants included:

Steve Simon - Minnesota Secretary of State

Mukhtar Ibrahim - Principal Consultant of the Sayid Group and former CEO of Sahan Journal

For those who joined us, thank you for being part of this essential dialogue. For those who missed it, here are the key takeaways from the conversation and ideas about how you can also get involved.

The Foundation's Role: Moving Resources & Modeling Integrity

Foundation President & CEO Chanda Smith Baker welcomed guests by setting the stage for philanthropy's role in a healthy democracy.

"Philanthropy has an important role to play. We have the privilege and the responsibility to move resources to those who are strengthening the fabric of our democracy every single day...philanthropy's role also means modeling the kind of equity, transparency and accountability that we want to see in all systems among us."

In her remarks, she explained how the Foundation's work supports civic engagement and trusted messengers for dialogue across differences — all critical components of a thriving democracy.

“We have the privilege and the responsibility to move resources to those who are strengthening the fabric of our democracy every single day.”

Chanda Smith Baker

Panel Highlights: Setting the Standard & Valuing Local News

Moderated by Associate Vice President of Community Impact Tsega Tamene, the discussion focused on the challenges and opportunities in local news and voter engagement.

Setting the Standard for Voting

Secretary Simon shared his pride and confidence in Minnesota’s democratic participation. His shared insights included:

Voter Turnout Leader: "We were, once again last year, number one in the country [for voter turnout]."
Youth Engagement: Last year, Minnesota was also number one in youth voter turnout (ages 18 to 29). This is a testament to the state's ongoing efforts to engage all citizens, including newly enfranchised voters and non-English speakers.
Restoring Rights: Secretary Simon also highlighted the crucial work of restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals.

The Indispensable Value of Local News

Mukhtar Ibrahim emphasized the critical connection between local journalism and a strong democracy. His shared insights included:

Civic Engagement: 60% of Minnesotans care about local news and feel more engaged in civic activities. This knowledge impacts voting from the presidential race all the way down the ballot.
Filling the Gap: With the decline of traditional newspapers, the rise of new models — like nonprofit news organizations — is essential for strengthening the local media ecosystem and educating the next generation of critical news consumers.

Mukhtar Ibrahim and Steve Simon speaking on a panel

Donors gathered together at the Landmark Center

Steve Mukhtar and Tsega standing together

Alfonso Wenker speaking to a group of donors

What’s Next? Your Impact in Action

Ideas for Action

Support Local Nonprofits

Find Organizations to Support: Use the Foundation’s What We Fund tool to find nonprofits that are focused on investing in local news, voting rights or civic engagement in Minnesota.
Check out the work of Press Forward Minnesota.

Ensure Your Voice is Heard

Get Ready to Vote: Visit the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website to find your polling place, view a sample ballot and learn about voter rights.

Dive Deeper into Reflections about Voter Engagement with Steve Simon

Listen to Chanda Smith Baker’s interview with Steve Simon, “Failure to Vote Is Not Rebellion, It’s Surrender” on the Conversations with Chanda podcast

Fund the Fabric of Democracy

Open a Fund: Are you interested in making an ongoing impact? Open a fund with the Foundation to sustainably support the democracy-strengthening causes you care about most.

The Foundation's Impact in Action

Our Giving+Together events bring fundholders together to gain relevant and timely insights into charitable giving while exploring key community issues from multiple perspectives.

See Our Democracy Impact

As communications specialist, Chris Garner supports the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s work by highlighting it to the community through words, photo, video and other media. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Alabama State University and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Strengthening Democracy: Community Voices and Civic Engagement in Minnesota

The Foundation's Role: Moving Resources & Modeling Integrity