Impact in Action
Impact in Action: How Minnesotans Turn Generosity Into Lasting Change
Across housing, the arts, democracy and human services, the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation moves resources to where communities say they’re needed most.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — January 1 — Generosity in Minnesota rarely makes headlines. It shows up quietly — a grant that keeps a food shelf open, a loan that brings affordable homes online, an artist given room to tell a story that needed telling. Impact in Action is the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s account of that work: how donors, nonprofits and community leaders turn shared resources into real-world change across the state.
As Minnesota’s largest community foundation, the Foundation’s role is to connect — bringing capital, partners and community knowledge together and directing them where they do the most good. In 2025, the Foundation and its fundholders directed $128 million to 3,550 organizations. Below is a snapshot of some of that impact.
Protecting the arts is part of building thriving, equitable communities. The Foundation and its donors together granted more than $100 million to arts, culture and humanities organizations from 2019-2024. This included investments across the state in communities like Red Wing, Warroad, and Saint Paul.
Stable and affordable housing is foundational to well-being. Alongside grantmaking, the Foundation supports affordable housing through impact investing, advocates for housing policy at the state and local level, and partners on housing initiatives across philanthropy, nonprofits and government. In partnership with F. R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation, it launched Our Home State — a five-year, $20 million initiative expanding access to safe, stable and affordable housing statewide by supporting shelters, preventing evictions and advancing policy that promotes new production.
The Foundation invests in leaders and organizations advancing a more just Minnesota — from grassroots organizers to coalitions meeting urgent moments. Among them is ISAIAH, which uses faith as a catalyst across churches, mosques, barbershops and childcare centers, working to protect voting rights and the freedom to care for a new baby or a loved one at life’s end. The Foundation also advocates on policies that impact housing, democracy, inclusive community and economic development, and developing a strong changemaking ecosystem.
Everyone deserves the basics — food, clothing, medical and dental care, legal aid. Over the last five years, the Foundation’s application-based program has made more than 600 grants totaling over $24 million to 274 organizations working in the health and human services field. Its partnership with the Taylor Family Farms Foundation supports services across 29 counties in southern Minnesota and 11 in northwest Iowa, and in 2025 a direct grant supported the Winona Community HUB.
“The stories behind this work remind us that impact doesn’t happen by accident — it’s built through shared commitment, collaboration and a belief in what’s possible for our communities. Impact in Action is a snapshot of that collective effort and the kind of future we can continue to build together.”
— Alfonso Wenker, senior vice president of community impact, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
About the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation believes in the best of Minnesota and the power of its communities. With roots in Saint Paul and partners across the state, it is Minnesota’s largest community foundation and the partner of choice for thousands of donors, nonprofits and community organizations. The Foundation aspires to create an equitable, just and vibrant Minnesota where all communities and people thrive by inspiring generosity, advocating for equity and investing in community-led solutions. To learn more, visit spmcf.org.