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
Announcement: Citizens League Policy Director Update
It is with deep gratitude, great appreciation, and a little sadness that I write to tell you that Angelica Klebsch, who has been our Policy Director since March 2018, has accepted a position with an exceptional community partner of ours, CLUES, or Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio.
Capitol Pathways alum is named a 2019 Truman Scholar
Our sincere congratulations to Raie Gessesse, Capitol Pathways 2018 alumna, for being named a 2019 Truman Scholar!
Wells Fargo Stories highlights Citizens League’s Capitol Pathways
We are proud to see that Capitol Pathways was recently featured in Wells Fargo Stories, the online journal of longtime Citizens League corporate member Wells Fargo! The piece highlights current interns, who speak about their experiences in policy before and after acceptance into our internship program.
Capitol Pathways Student Spotlight: An Garagiola-Bernier
“For me, this picture represents the great advances Indigenous Women are making into the political sphere, and the recognition of the value of our voices in crafting policy that will impact many generations to come.”
Capitol Pathways Student Spotlight: Maddie Schumacher
Our #CapitolPathways internship program has crossed the halfway point! 34 college students of color are working with their individual host organizations for 10+ hours a week in a paid internship, which provides them access to legislators, lobbyists, and...
“Every big social change is powered by people.”
We were pleased to welcome Bush Foundation President Jennifer Ford Reedy to speak to our board a month ago to give a version of a talk she gave to bushCON 2018 on how big social change happens.
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.