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
Welcome, incoming 2025 board members!
Citizens League is proud and excited to welcome four new prominent civic and community leaders to its Board of Directors this year.
Watch now: From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems
Hear from authors Mariah Levison and Robert Fersh about their new book From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems.
Welcome to our 2024-25 interns!
We’re proud to host two interns from Macalester College to play a crucial role in our work!
Watch now: Geographic disparities to health care access in MN
Watch this online conversation exploring the geographic disparities to health care access in the state.
Fall Newsletter 2024
Sent to the mailboxes of our individual and organizational supporters, our newsletter offers deeper insights into the ways Citizens League is creating unique spaces to bring different perspectives together and find great solutions.
Watch Now: Interconnected — Youth mental health in Minnesota
The Center for Rural Policy & Development and the Citizens League hosted another conversation in their Interconnected series on Thursday, September 12, 2024 on youth mental health in Minnesota.
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.