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
Host a Capitol Pathways intern for the 2026 legislative session!
Does your organization do policy, advocacy or civic engagement work? Learn about becoming a Capitol Pathways intern host!
Welcome, Domonick!
Domonick Fields joins the Citizens League as our new Capitol Pathways Program Manager!
Watch Now: 2025 Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Debate
Citizens League was proud to host a 2025 Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate debate on Friday, September 26. The debate can now be viewed in its entirety online.
2024-2025 Annual Impact Report
For more than 73 years, Citizens League has been a trusted, nonpartisan voice for civility, collaboration and pragmatic public policy solutions in Minnesota. Learn about the League’s impactful initiatives, milestones, and achievements of the last year.
Watch Now: Mind Opener – The Future of Small, Local, and Cultural Media
Watch this online discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing small, local and cultural media outlets.
Empathy and Collaboration Modeled on Inaugural Minnesota Legislative Exchange Trip
Rep. Mary Frances Clardy, a second-term Democratic State Representative (District 53A) recently visited six-term Republican Rep. Dave Baker in his district in the Willmar Lakes region (District 16B) for the first Minnesota Legislative Exchange (MLE) trip.
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
Through our engagement with communities in Minnesota, we strive to help people understand that public policy happens everywhere, and everyone has a role in decision-making.
Our events are organized around these goals, inviting a panel of different viewpoints to discuss policy issues that affect Minnesotans. We cover such topics as mental health, aging, disruptive protests, and water quality. Those in attendance can expect ample opportunity to voice their perspectives, questions, and ideas as well.