Impact in Action: Democracy
Democracy doesn’t start or end at the voting booth. It is our collective power to participate in the decisions that shape our lives — where we live, learn, work and play.
It is our capacity to dream and decide how we take care of each other. Our democracy is not a given. We get to shape our shared future. We get to build a bigger we — engaging with people and ideas different from us, inviting our neighbors whose voices have long not been centered.
Our Commitment
At the Foundation, we invest in leaders and organizations who inspire this vision of a more just Minnesota where all communities and people thrive — from grassroots organizations driving policy change across our state to training organizations equipping the next generation of movement leaders to broad coalitions responding to the urgent moment.
In addition to investing in community-led solutions, the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation also advocates around important issues affecting all Minnesotans.
Program Officer Anaïs Deal-Márquez and Director of Advocacy, Community Engagement and Engagement Katya Zepeda share more about our commitment to democracy.
How We Invest in Democracy
Grantmaking
We and our donors care deeply about investing in civil rights, social action and advocacy. In recent years, the Foundation and our fundholders together granted millions of dollars to civic organizations.
One statewide grant program, the MN Forward Pooled Fund, awarded $1.35 million in funding in 2025. This new program was started by a collaborative of funders to address communities that were impacted by short- and long-term effects brough on by recent federal shifts.
Advocacy
As we look to the year ahead, the following areas have emerged as priorities for our advocacy agenda in 2026.
- Ensuring Housing for All, alongside organizers and legislative champions in housing justice
- Realizing Our Democracy, bolstering civic participation in elections, through local media, and beyond
- Driving Equitable Community & Economic Development, as our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods experience rapid change
- Strengthening Our Changemaking Ecosystem, amplifying the leaders, nonprofits, and infrastructure that make change happen in Minnesota
Spotlight on Community-led Solutions
Finding Common Ground
The Foundation’s Director of Marketing & Communications Kathleen Smith attended a week-long Facilitating Cultural Change workshop this summer, and it changed the way she approaches community-building.
Kathleen Smith
Inspiring Generosity
Community Voices and Civic Engagement
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.
Giving+Together event panelists
Inspired to Make a Difference?
Here are three ways you can support civic engagement and democracy.
- Support Local Nonprofits. Use the Foundation’s What We Fund tool to find nonprofits focused on investing in local news, voting rights or civic engagement in Minnesota. Check out the work of Press Forward Minnesota, a local chapter of the national Press Forward movement to strengthen democracy by revitalizing local news and information.
- 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. 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
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.