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: 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...
Capitol Pathways Student Spotlight: D’Andre Anthony Gordon
As the 2018 Legislative Session continues, so does our Capitol Pathways internship program, providing opportunities at the Capitol for college students of color. Part of our 33-student cohort this year is D'Andre Anthony Gordon, a 2nd year student at...
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.
MinnPost Festival
MinnPost Festival is a full day of in-person programming featuring national and local voices you already know, along with new ones that you’ll want to know. Experience insightful conversations and community that brings together the people and ideas shaping the future of Minnesota and beyond. Past guests include Laura Coates, Gov. Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, Samantha Bee, Sen. Tina Smith, David Rohde and more.