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
Mind Opener: How Urban Design Can Affect a Community’s Health
Join our virtual event September 3rd to hear from experts about the importance of urban design, how space and place can impact our health.
Mind Opener recap: What is Food Justice, and Why is it Important?
Reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, culturally appropriate, and nutritious foods is an important social determinant of health and a lack of these can lead to serious health and mental health consequences.
#CapitolPathways Student Spotlight: Genesis Carrazco
As a senior at Hamline University, Genesis interned with Ramsey County during the 2020 Capitol Pathways program. Genesis is now one of 164 alumni of our policy internship program for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in college.
Community resources surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota
While we may not know how the pandemic will evolve, there are organizations in the community that are acting and responding right now to this crisis. Given the concerns we heard, we wanted to share some of the resources that are available to you right now
Video: Lieutenant Gov Peggy Flanagan speaks to Capitol Pathways students and supporters
“If we’re truly going to achieve the the beauty of this democracy, our government needs to accurately reflect the people it seeks to represent.”
We’re looking for future EDtalks presenters!
Planning is underway for our ninth year of EDTalks – and we’re excited to focus our upcoming season on Black and Brown voices in the K-12 education, equity and youth development spaces.
Current Work
Interconnected: Rural-Urban Conversations
This conversation series – hosted by the Center for Rural Policy and Development and the Citizens League – bridges the divide between urban & rural Minnesota by exploring our shared challenges and how to design a future that works for our unique communities. All discussions are recorded and can be listened to and viewed online.
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.
2025 Civic Celebration
Join hundreds of civic leaders, policy thinkers, and community builders for an evening to celebrate the people and ideas that make our state unique, and to recognize our 2025 honorees: Peter Bell and Sharon McMahon.