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
Citizens League Voice: Game Up
When it comes to public discourse , it takes courage and imagination to consider another person’s point of view, writes David Schimke in the Citizens League Voice magazine.
Citizens League Voice: Listen to This
Shared experience leads to lasting solutions, writes Pahoua Hoffman in the Citizens League Voice magazine.
Citizens League members wanted for minimum wage study
Earlier this year, the Citizens League published the findings of a scoping project regarding potential changes to the minimum wage in St. Paul. Commissioned by the Saint Paul Foundation, we began our work in November of 2017, identifying key questions, assessing data...
Video: Catching up with Capitol Pathways alum Adrian Benjamin
TPT Almanac’s David Gillette caught up with Capitol Pathways 2016 alum Adrian Benjamin, now a Legislative Assistant with the Minnesota House DFL caucus.
A Good Debate: Pension Tension
A Good Debate strives to model thoughtful dialogue that encourages disagreement while discouraging rancor. This time, does Minnesota have a pension problem?
What’s the problem with pensions in Minnesota?
As the Pioneer Press reports, "government pension plans are paying out more than they are taking in." According to the latest valuation reports, state public pensions should have $16 billion more in investments right now to pay for future retirement benefits that have...
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.