Bush Prize: Minnesota
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation operates Bush Prize: Minnesota as a Community Grant Partner of the Bush Foundation.
About Bush Prize: Minnesota
The Bush Prize program identifies and honors extraordinary organizations that consistently engage and lead their community toward creative solutions, provides them with flexible support to keep doing that work, and supports them to amplify their story to inspire others.
In 2025, two organizations will be selected as Bush Prize: Minnesota honorees. Honorees will receive an award of $250,000. The award is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purposes in the state of Minnesota, including operating costs, program-related expenses, capital expenditures or whatever else would best support the organization's ongoing work.
The application period for the 2025 Bush Prize: Minnesota begins on Tuesday, April 1, and closes at 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 30.
Previously known as the Bush Prize for Community Innovation, the Bush Prize is implemented in partnership between the Bush Foundation and its four community grant partners – the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Good Relatives Collaborative, South Dakota Community Foundation and Strengthen ND. The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation was selected as the community grant partner for Minnesota and began implementing Bush Prize: Minnesota in 2024.
Learn more about the 2024 Bush Prize: Minnesota honorees and finalists.
For more information on the Bush Prize and to find previous years’ Bush Prize recipients, visit the Bush Foundation website.
2024 Bush Prize: Minnesota Winner Green Card Voices
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
Wondering if your work is a fit for the Bush Prize? We’re here to help. If you have specific questions about eligibility or selection criteria, contact the Foundation’s Bush Prize: Minnesota team at bushprizeminnesota@spmcf.org or 651.325.4202.
Eligibility
Honorees will be selected among Minnesota organizations meeting the following criteria:
- Organizations must be located in Minnesota, and the specific work of the organization highlighted in the Bush Prize: Minnesota application must also have occurred within the state of Minnesota. If awarded, all grant funds must be used for charitable purposes to benefit communities in Minnesota.
- Organizations that are 501(c)(3) public charities or government entities (including schools and tribal governments) are eligible to apply.
- Organizations or programs that are fiscally sponsored are eligible to apply. Fiscal sponsors must be 501(c)(3) public charities or government entities (including schools and tribal governments).
- The sponsored organization or program should register and complete the application as the primary applicant and will be asked to provide information on their fiscal sponsor and a copy of a fiscal sponsorship agreement.
- If the applicant is selected as a grant recipient, their fiscal sponsor will serve as the grantee and receive the funds.
- Groups of organizations (such as coalitions or collaboratives) are eligible to apply, but only one organization may apply and receive the award on behalf of the group.
- Organizations that have received a Bush Prize in the last 10 years are not eligible to apply.
Bush Prize: Native Nations
Native-led organizations (with at least 60% of board members and senior leadership/ED identifying as Native) located in and serving Minnesota may ALSO be eligible and are encouraged to apply for Bush Prize: Native Nations, managed by the Good Relatives Collaborative. Bush Prize: Native Nations is a separate opportunity, but eligible applicants would be considered for and could be selected as honorees through BOTH opportunities. Through the Foundation’s partnership with the Good Relatives Collaborative, applications and selection criteria have been aligned to make dual applications as simple as possible.
Selection Criteria
The Foundation and the Bush Prize: Minnesota Community Selection Committee will consider the following criteria for grant review and honoree selection:
History of Creative Solutions
Bush Prize: Minnesota honors organizations which have at least three years of history using innovative approaches that offer real solutions for the challenges and issues affecting their community. Bush Prize finalists will be able to identify specific examples of processes, programs or projects that use creative approaches, technologies, collaborations, and methods to drive sustainable change and solve problems more effectively.
Community-led Solutions
Bush Prize: Minnesota honors organizations which understand that communities are best positioned to articulate and effectively respond to today's challenges. Bush Prize finalists will show a consistent commitment to listen, engage and involve the community to ensure the people they serve inform, form and benefit from the organization’s impact.
- Benefits – The community served realizes significant impact and change for the issues and challenges they identify as most critical to them.
- Informs - Work should be shaped by input from the community itself. This means the organization listens to the experiences, needs, and feedback from the community it serves to align its goals and initiatives with the actual needs and priorities of the community.
- Forms - Beyond being informed by the community, the community has an active role in shaping the work. The community is directly involved in designing and implementing programs and solutions, and the organization’s work reflects the values, culture, and strengths of the community.
Culture of Creative Problem Solving
Bush Prize: Minnesota honors organizations that exemplify a culture of innovation and creative community problem solving. Bush Prize finalists will articulate how their organization’s values, policies, practices, people and partnerships allow them to innovate and utilize community assets and resources in creative ways to develop sustainable solutions to community issues.
Transformational Impact
Bush Prize: Minnesota honors organizations which have created meaningful, long-lasting change to address the challenges and issues affecting their community. Transformational impact can happen through ideas of all sizes, within communities of all sizes, and through organizations of all sizes. Bush Prize finalists will have approaches and outcomes that:
- Challenge the status quo and address the root causes of significant community issues and systemic challenges.
- Create sustainable and equitable solutions for community, particularly for communities which have been historically underserved.
- Inspire others in the region and serve as a model for future success.
How to Apply
The Bush Prize: Minnesota application period begins on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
The deadline for submitting Bush Prize: Minnesota applications is 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
All applications will be submitted using the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s online grant portal, GranteeView. All applicants must register for GranteeView to apply for the Bush Prize: Minnesota. Registration is open now and registration instructions (PDF) are available. We encourage all prospective applicants to complete registration early.
Once you have begun an application in GranteeView, you can save it and return later to continue working. To return to an in-progress application, log in to GranteeView using the username and password you created when registering your account.
Selection Process and Timeline
Selection Process
To ensure broad and equitable distribution of the Bush Prize: Minnesota award across the state of Minnesota, one honoree will be selected among organizations primarily located in each of the following communities:
- Twin Cities Metro Area - Organizations located within the seven counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington
- Greater Minnesota – Organizations located outside of the 7-County Metro Area
The Foundation will convene a Community Selection Committee to determine the Bush Prize: Minnesota honorees. Selection Committee members will include a diverse group of community members from across the state of Minnesota. The Community Selection Committee will review applications and identify eight finalists — four from the Twin Cities Metro Area community and four from the Greater Minnesota community.
The Selection Committee will receive staff support throughout the process, but the Committee will make final decisions on the two organizations selected as Bush Prize: Minnesota honorees. Each of the remaining six organizations will receive a grant of $10,000 to honor them as finalists of the program.
All selections are based on program eligibility requirements and selection criteria.
Timeline
Application Period
The Bush Prize: Minnesota application period begins on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
The deadline for submitting Bush Prize: Minnesota applications is 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
Finalist Selection
Applications will be reviewed from May-July, and finalists will be selected in early August 2025. The Bush Prize: Minnesota team and Community Selection Committee will meet with finalists in August. Bush Prize: Minnesota honorees will be selected from this group of finalists in September 2025.
Recipient Announcement
Recipients and all finalists of the 2025 Bush Prize: Minnesota will be announced in November 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I submit my application?
We use an online application system, GranteeView. To start an application, applicants must first register for GranteeView. Registration is open now and registration instructions (PDF) are available. We encourage all prospective applicants to complete registration early.
Once you’ve started your application, it can be saved for you to revisit and finish at any time during the open application period.
If I am unable to apply online, what should I do?
Contact us at bushprizeminnesota@spmcf.org or 651.325.4202, and we will work with you on submitting your application.
If I am having trouble completing my application online, what do I do?
For technical support or questions regarding accessing GranteeView, please contact grantsadmin@spmcf.org.
We encourage you to begin your application in GranteeView as early as possible in the application period so that we will have time to offer you support.
When is the next opportunity to apply?
The application period for the 2025 Bush Prize: Minnesota begins on Tuesday, April 1, and closes at 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. The Bush Prize: Minnesota is an annual program and will accept applications again in spring 2026.
Go to GranteeViewWhat if my organization is located outside of Minnesota or our work serves residents in multiple states?
The Bush Prize: Minnesota honorees must be located in Minnesota. The specific work of the organization highlighted in the Bush Prize: Minnesota application must also have occurred within the state of Minnesota, and all Bush Prize: Minnesota award funds must be used for charitable purposes to benefit communities in Minnesota.
If your organization also serves communities in South Dakota, North Dakota or any of the 23 Native Nations across the three-state region, you may consider applying to one or several of the other Bush Prize Community Partners:
- North Dakota - Strengthen ND
- South Dakota - South Dakota Community Foundation
- Native Nations - Good Relatives Collaborative
If your organization is eligible for more than one of these opportunities, you may apply to multiple programs. While these are separate opportunities with unique processes and selection criteria, eligible applicants would be considered for and could be selected as honorees through multiple opportunities.
If my organization is eligible for both the Bush Prize: Minnesota and Bush Prize: Native Nations opportunities, can we apply to both?
Yes, Native-led organizations (with at least 60% of board members and senior leadership/ED identifying as Native) located in and serving Minnesota are encouraged to apply for both opportunities. Eligible applicants will be considered for and could be selected as honorees through BOTH opportunities.
Bush Prize: Native Nations is a separate opportunity with its own application and selection process, so organizations will have to complete both applications. Through the Foundation’s partnership with the Good Relatives Collaborative, applications and selection criteria have been aligned to make dual applications as simple as possible.
What if my organization has multiple locations in Minnesota or serves communities in both Greater Minnesota and the Metro Area? How will the Foundation determine whether my organization will be considered in the Greater Minnesota or Metro Area community?
Organizations will be asked to provide a primary address for their organization and identify in which county that address is located. The address and county provided will be used to determine in which community the organization is considered. For the purposes of this opportunity, it does not matter which community your organization primarily serves, only where your primary address is located.
If your organization has multiple locations, you should choose one to serve as your primary address. Consideration for the Bush Prize: Minnesota application process is merit-based, and choosing a location in either community does not increase your likelihood of being chosen as a finalist.
What if the innovative work in our application is a collaborative effort? How do we determine which organizations will be publicly acknowledged and which organizations will receive the award?
We will only provide the award to one entity but will happily credit multiple organizations publicly, if that is your preference. The primary applicant organization will be the award recipient.
What can the Bush Prize: Minnesota honoree do with the award money?
Funding is unrestricted and can be used for anything that advances the charitable purposes of the honoree organization, including operating costs, program-related expenses, capital expenditures or whatever else would best support the organization's ongoing work. For example, some honorees will use grant funds to pay salaries or other operating expenses. Others may put the award funds in reserves to support the long-term sustainability of their organization.
Grant funds must be used for charitable purposes to benefit communities in Minnesota, and they may not be used to fund work in other states or regions, or any non-charitable purposes. No formal final report is required, but the Foundation hopes to work with honorees to support marketing and publicity to amplify their stories, so honorees may be asked to describe their plans for use of the funds, which may be shared publicly.
Would receiving a Bush Prize award affect future funding opportunities with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation or the Bush Foundation?
No. Consideration of your organization’s eligibility, application or grant selection for the Bush Prize: Minnesota will not affect consideration or eligibility for any other funding opportunities at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Bush Foundation or other funding partners.
Not finding an answer to your question? We’re happy to help. Please contact the Foundation’s Bush Prize: Minnesota team at bushprizeminnesota@spmcf.org or 651.325.4202.