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
2021 Slate of Board Nominees
With great enthusiasm, the Citizens League Board of Directors has approved the following slate of board candidates for 2021!
Announcement: Meet our New Executive Director, Kate Cimino
It is with great excitement that the Citizens League has named Kate Cimino as its next executive director!
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
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.
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.