Bush Prize: Minnesota
Congratulations to the 2025 Bush Prize honorees! We are excited to recognize Dakota Wicohan and Foster Advocates for the extraordinary impact they’ve had on the state of Minnesota.
Congratulations to our 2025 Honorees
Dakota Wicohan
Dakota Wicohan is a Native-led nonprofit based in the Dakota homelands of Cansayapi, dedicated to preserving Dakota as a living language and transmitting Dakota lifeways to future generations.
Founded in 2002, the organization offers intergenerational cultural, language and leadership programming that strengthens identity, well-being and community resilience. Through this work, Dakota Wicohan empowers youth, adults, elders and families to carry Dakota values forward as culture bearers and community leaders.
Foster Advocates
Foster Advocates is the only organization in Minnesota focused on advocacy, systems change and organizing led by and for Fosters (those with out-of-home foster care experience).
Foster Advocates builds a Foster Movement led by Fosters’ vision for change, creating a system where all Fosters are provided safety, opportunities to grow and be nurtured and agency over their futures so all Fosters can have the access to the same outcomes and opportunities as their peers.
We Also Celebrate Our 2025 Finalists
COPAL, Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina, is a member-based organization established in 2018 to improve the quality of life of Latine families by creating opportunities, building collective power and transforming systems. Over the past seven years, COPAL has grown into a recognized, grassroots force for change and a visionary transnational organization, unwavering in its commitment to building power and transforming systems for our community.
Since 1971, Family Tree Clinic has been cultivating healthy communities through comprehensive sexual health care and education. Rooted in the belief that health care is a human right, Family Tree provides excellent, affirming, person-centered care and education for diverse needs - all on a sliding scale so cost is never a barrier.
Fe y Justicia is a faith-based Latinx-led organization in Central Minnesota organizing immigrants across Stearns, Kandiyohi, Sherburne, Wright, Morrison, Todd, Otter Tail and Stevens counties. In addition to facilitating access to services like health and immigration legal support, we work with the community to develop leadership and build power. We strive to make it possible for our members/leaders/volunteers to advocate for themselves and others with strength and dignity in the spaces where decisions are made.
Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming (Long Ago Women Birthing in Lodge, Home, or Hospital) is an all-female Anishinaabe nonprofit providing community-centered, holistic maternal and child healthcare in Bemidji and across the surrounding Leech Lake and Red Lake Nations. Since the early 2000s, we have laughed, cried and built trust with more than four generations of birthing families. Our integrated bundle of care includes maternal and family health, midwifery, doula services, nutrition, Two-Spirit advocacy, plant medicines and traditional healing — reflecting the fullness of our Anishinaabe knowledge and community strength. Our work shows that when community knowledge leads, the impact ripples outward — creating healthier families, stronger communities and a renewed vision for health and wellness.
Northfield Union of Youth operates The Key, the nation’s longest-running youth-led drop-in center, and Wallflower House, Rice County's sole transitional home for youth ages 18-24. Our mission is to provide power and voice to youth through the creation of a caring and enriching community. NUY provides comprehensive support, including food access, mental health resources, substance use support, housing assistance and creative art opportunities, all within a safe, welcoming environment. Our work is grounded in three core pillars: harm reduction, trauma-informed care and a strengths-based approach.
Penumbra’s mission is to empower Black communities and allies through excellent live theater, robust equity programs and culturally informed wellness services. Building upon our legacy of rootedness and resilience, we acknowledge racism, address disparities and attend to the trauma sustained by those weathering racism. Through the integration of art, wellness and equity programs, we foster racial healing, nurture creativity and cultivate compassionate communities where justice and joy can thrive.
Thank You to the Community Selection Committee
Honorees and finalists were chosen by a Community Selection Committee – a diverse group of community members from across the state convened by the Foundation for this purpose.
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation would like to recognize the members of the Community Selection Committee who diligently considered each applicant and the impact each had on their community.
Carly Bad Heart Bull, JD - Executive Director, Native Ways Federation
Phil Hintz - Loan Officer, West Central Initiative
Matuor Alier - Executive Director, Community Connect Center
Fayise Abrahim Ecclesiaste - Director of Strategic Initiatives, Youthprise
Ivy Vainio - Associate Producer & Cultural Liaison, PBS North Native Report
Jessica Brandon - CEO, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center
Anne Hoyt Taff - Founder & Principal, Anne Hoyt Taff Consulting LLC
Camila Mercado Michelli - Program Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation
Kit Fordham - Principal, Fordham & Company
Tea Rozman, Ph.D. - Co-Executive Director, Green Card Voices
Ann Hill - Executive Director, Twin Cities Food Justice
2024 Bush Prize: Minnesota
Green Card Voices
Green Card Voices (GCV) is an immigrant and BIPOC-led organization that empowers immigrants by supporting them in the development and sharing of their immigration stories. GCV aims to help people see the growing number of immigrants in our communities as individuals through authentic, first-person stories of family, hard work and cultural diversity to build stronger communities.
Green Card Voices is a leader in innovative storytelling, focusing on narratives created by and with communities instead of narratives about them. Their graphic anthology Our Stories Carried Us Here led to the development of bilingual graphic memoirs for grades 3-8 helping teachers better serve multi-lingual classrooms. Another innovation is Story Stitch, a game facilitating equitable conversations across diverse groups. Through their efforts, Green Card Voices has reached over 500,000 people nationwide, fostering connection and empathy.
Minnesota Education Equity Partnership
Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MnEEP) transforms systems, structures and public narratives to advance race equity and excellence in education. MNEEP works alongside students, parents, educators and community members to change institutional policies and practices that build a racially just education system rooted in healing, joy and opportunity for students of Color and Indigenous students.
MnEEP’s history of innovation focuses on racially equitable systemic change through collaboration between communities and educators. Through a multi-year process, their Local Action Plan in Worthington addressed racial disparities in one of the most diverse school districts in the state. This successful model has been replicated in other Minnesota communities. Additionally, MnEEP inspires others to innovate by making their learnings and toolkits around racial equity and higher education available for all on their website.
Mni Sota Fund
Mni Sota Fund is a Native-led Community Development Financial Institution committed to building Indigenous economic sovereignty. They provide financial tools and resources to empower Native communities, foster self-determination and create a sustainable future for all.
Mni Sota Fund has a strong track record of innovation. To address the barriers to homeownership faced by Native families in Minnesota, they launched the Mni Sota Mortgage Company — a groundbreaking initiative that provides culturally relevant and accessible mortgage solutions and contributes to an increase in the local Native homeownership rate. Mni Sota Fund also supports Native artists and entrepreneurs through the Ozhigin Fellowship, which focuses on arts-based cohorts, mentorship and loan readiness. This tailored approach has boosted business establishment, growth and collaboration within the Native arts community.
2024 Finalists
In addition to the three Bush Prize: Minnesota winners, seven finalists were also recognized for their innovative contributions and commitment to advancing community-led solutions: Community Action Center of Northfield, Epimonia, ISAIAH, Keystone Community Services, Open Cupboard, Way to Grow and Youthprise.
About the Bush Prize
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.