Common Ground.
Common Good.

The Citizens League is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that empowers people to engage in civic life and public policy to make Minnesota a better place to live and work for everyone.

Recent News

Capitol Pathways Student Spotlight: Sahra Jilaow

Capitol Pathways Student Spotlight: Sahra Jilaow

Learn more about Sahra Jilaow, a senior at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities double majoring in Sociology of Law and African & African American Studies. Through Capitol Pathways, she is interning at the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage.

Thanks for a great Civic Celebration!

Thanks for a great Civic Celebration!

Photos & Video: Hundreds of civic leaders, policy thinkers, and community builders gathered on April 10 for an evening to celebrate the people and ideas that make our state unique.

Current Work

Minnesota Legislative Exchange

The Minnesota Legislative Exchange is a first-in-the-nation effort to build trust and bipartisan relationships in state legislatures. As Minnesota’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit focused on civic engagement and public policy solutions, Citizens League is proud to lead this important effort, intentionally forging new relationships to bridge divides and govern our state effectively.

Capitol Pathways

With the long-term goal of making our government truly representative of our communities, the program opens access to the Minnesota Capitol to the next generation of leaders of color. Through this program, interns build relationships with established Capitol leaders, gain exposure to various kinds of careers in policy, get real-world experience in career fields they would like to learn more about and build a strong professional resume in the process.

Strengthening Public Service

Citizens League is embarking on a new project to dig deeper and explore the unique challenges and barriers to public service, with a particular emphasis on non-elected roles and people who make our state’s local governments work.

Events


The Citizens League hosts forums for civil discussion across Minnesota. Our event series includes events that are open to the public, member-only and workplace events to help inform and engage Minnesotans on important policy and civic leadership discussions.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Interconnected: Workforce Challenges and Opportunities for Local Government Entities in Minnesota

Join us for a timely Interconnected webinar co-hosted by the Center for Rural Policy and Development and the Citizens League exploring the findings of Strengthening Public Service in Minnesota, a new report from the Citizens League that examines the challenges and opportunities facing our state’s public workforce. Learn how Minnesota can better recruit, retain, and support the next generation of public servants—and why it matters for the future of our communities.