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
Capitol Pathways: 2nd Annual End of Session Celebration
We are excited to announce that Governor Mark Dayton declared June 1, 2017 Capitol Pathways Day! We are so proud to have this day in honor of our Capitol Pathways work, our students, host organizations and many community supporters. Read the full proclamation here! We...
Our Partnership with the University of St. Thomas
Last week, we said goodbye to two of our interns from the University of St. Thomas: Mallory Patrow and Kelsea Kern, both now graduated from St. Thomas with a degree in political science. During the past school year, Mallory and Kelsea played an instrumental role in...
Almanac at the Capitol: Catching up with Capitol Pathways
Last year TPT’s “Almanac at the Capitol” profiled Capitol Pathways’ inaugural year and followed one of our Capitol Pathways students around for a day — from working at his host site, the Department of Natural Resources, in St. Paul, to making the one hour drive back...
“Policymaking has changed” – Sean Kershaw on KFAI Radio
As Citizens League Executive Director Sean Kershaw sat down with KFAI Radio‘s Tom O’Connell, one theme emerged: Policymaking has changed in a way that calls us to do things differently. Through League events that bring different perspectives together in one room, to...
TPT Almanac: Rethinking Taxes in Saint Paul
Is there a way to get tax-exempt non-profits to contribute to city services? Citizens League Executive Director Sean Kershaw visited TPT Almanac on April 14, 2017 to discuss a new Citizens League project that hopes to help St. Paul reimagine taxes. Watch the clip...
Almanac’s People in Policy: Capitol Pathways alum David Collier
Past Capitol Pathways student and now aide to James C. Burroughs, Minnesota’s Chief Inclusion Officer, working in Governor Mark Dayton & Lt. Governor Tina Smith‘s office. Hear David Collier speak about his journey and the experiences that have led him to where he...
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.