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
A Coming-of-Age Story
As Minnesota’s “older adult” demographic multiplies, innovation is needed to address the opportunities and challenges Public dialogue around immigration rates, insurance costs, and educational trends too often fails to factor in the aging of America. According to the...
Trains, Politics, and Automobiles
"State lawmakers could save themselves time and trouble with the counsel of 21 Minnesotans brought together by the Citizens League to make sense of the state’s vexing disagreement over sustainable transit funding,” exclaimed the Pioneer Press’s editorial board in the...
Beyond Civility
Healthy disagreement is essential to our democracy, and it doesn't have to hurt By David Schimke, founding editor, Citizens League Voice I’ve been itching for an argument since I learned to talk. Just ask my parents. When I was in grade school, I spent countless hours...
A Website for the Ages: Calling Home
What does home mean to you? When we’re starting our careers and families, it’s a question we often answer unconsciously as we make in-the-moment life decisions. On the other side of middle age, though, the concept becomes more complex and tends to require more...
MinnPost Commentary: The case for good debate
In case you missed it, Citizens League Executive Director Sean Kershaw and Citizens League Voice founding editor David Schimke explain why healthy debate is needed now more than ever. "Instead of working together to find the best solutions to our common concerns, too...
A GOOD DEBATE: WHOSE STREETS?
The Case For and Against Disruptive Protest Essays by Representative Nick Zerwas, Sarah Janeblum, and Neeraj Mehta. Each quarterly issue of Citizens League Voice will feature a section that involves bringing people together to share their differing opinions on a...
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.
MCN & MCF Joint Conference
The Citizens League team is proud to present at the upcoming Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) & Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) Joint Annual Conference. Registration is now open for this two-day conference!
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Mind Opener: Trustworthy Elections — Do conservatives and liberals agree?
In the midst of another challenging and hyper-polarizing election season, join us to hear from Braver Angels and others about how to enhance trust in our elections.