Bush Prize: Native Nations, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota
Contact program partners for info
About the Bush Prize
The Bush Prize celebrates organizations that are highly valued within their communities and have a track record of successful community problem solving.
We offer this program in partnership with four community grant partners that are also known and valued in their communities. Our partners include:
- Good Relatives Collaborative operates Bush Prize: Native Nations
- Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation operates Bush Prize: Minnesota
- South Dakota Community Foundation operates Bush Prize: South Dakota
- Strengthen ND operates Bush Prize: North Dakota
Each partner operates the Bush Prize using similar criteria and has the flexibility to ensure that the program is guided by community members with equity at the center. The four partners (with Bush Foundation in an advisory role) select and announce the Bush Prize winners, as well as provide any support along the way.
Bush Prize grants are flexible and can be used to build reserves, test a big idea or for anything else that would best support the organization's ongoing good work. The grant amounts are up to 25% of an organization’s most recent fiscal year expenses, with a maximum of $500,000.
If you have questions about the Bush Prize, please use the links above to contact each community grant partner directly.
2024 Bush Prize Winners
Green Card Voices (GCV) uses multimedia storytelling to build inclusive and integrated communities between immigrants and their neighbors. Their use of video narratives, books, bilingual graphic memoirs, touring exhibits, and the conversational card game, Story Stitch, aims to help people see immigrants in our communities as individuals through authentic, first-person stories. GCV’s track record of successful community problem solving taps into the power of storytelling with a trauma-informed process that centers the storyteller while engaging a broad audience and building empathy critical to cross-cultural awareness.
Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MnEEP) transforms systems, structures, and public narratives to advance race equity and excellence in education. Working alongside students, parents, educators, and community members, they aim to change institutional policies and practices to build a racially just education system. MnEEP has a strong track record of innovation, using a unique framework designed to equip educators and school district leaders with evidence-informed solutions to enhance outcomes for POCI students. They have partnered with education leaders and race equity advocates to inform, shape, and advocate for core policies that support the success of Minnesota’s students of color, English Learners, and Indigenous students through legislation, research, advocacy and leadership services.
Mni Sota Fund is a Native CDFI committed to building Indigenous wealth and supporting the economic self-determination of Indigenous peoples in Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota). They provide financial tools and resources to strengthen small business development, commercial and consumer lending, and financial wellness within Native communities. Their track record of innovation addresses community needs through equitable and sustainable approaches like Mni Sota Mortgage Company, a groundbreaking initiative that provides culturally relevant and accessible mortgage solutions, and the Ozhigin Fellowship, which helps Native artists and entrepreneurs with the support and resources needed to succeed in their businesses. The success of its holistic wealth-building approach serves as a model, not just for other CDFIs, but for a more equitable and supportive lending economy overall.
Learn more about Bush Prize: Minnesota and the winners at Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC) has been a strong advocate for change working to end sexual violence and sex trafficking across Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations, urban Native bases, and Tribal communities across the country. They utilize a Native-focused curriculum, developed in partnership with survivors, to train advocates and community members on topics related to sexual assault advocacy and they are a leader in engaging Native men and boys in sexual violence prevention. They focus on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, sex trafficking prevention, improving Black and Indigenous solidarity, and launching national resource centers to address sexual violence. MIWSAC’s work is far reaching, but they always center the needs and experiences of Native survivors of sexual violence by keeping their voices at the forefront.
The Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) convenes the largest multi-sport youth empowerment tournaments in South Dakota, connecting Native youth across a broad spectrum of athletic, academic, and cultural events centered on respect, accountability, and inclusivity. Each year, 20,000 people from across the state, as well as North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wyoming come together to watch over 2,500 young athletes from 30 different states compete in Rapid City, SD. LNI serves as a point of pride for Native youth and their respective Nations as they share their histories and culture with other non-Native players and attendees in a safe space. Their unique events foster the next generation of leaders by empowering youth, allowing their ideas to shape future planning and growth.
Learn more about Bush Prize: Native Nations and the honorees at Good Relatives Collaborative.
North Dakota Native Vote (NDNV) addresses the unique challenges faced by Native communities throughout the state to ensure Native people have access to and participate in the democratic process. Their efforts to overcome barriers and strengthen civic engagement among Native populations includes navigating the state’s voter ID laws, which require voters show a physical address — a huge challenge for many Tribal citizens living on reservations. NDNV’s work to overcome barriers like this is one of the many ways they have turned obstacles into opportunities. Through innovative approaches and a deep commitment to their communities, they have a strong pattern of problem solving to ensure Native voices are heard and counted.
North Dakota Assistive aims to “discover what’s possible” for people living with disabilities and older adults across North Dakota. Whether seeking solutions to live independently, pursue their hobbies, connect with their loved ones or excel in school, individuals who work with North Dakota Assistive receive access to the latest innovative assistive technologies to break barriers and create personalized solutions for their needs. The organization’s innovative approaches include providing low-interest loans to meet the diverse needs of the people they work with to purchase products that will strengthen independence and improve quality of life or identifying simple yet transformative modifications to physical spaces that support individual identities. North Dakota Assistive is committed to connecting individuals to whatever tools they need so they can live, learn, work, play and thrive.
Learn more about Bush Prize: North Dakota and the winners at Strengthen ND.
Call to Freedom (CTF) helps lead efforts in South Dakota to address and stop human trafficking. Their innovative and collaborative efforts include supporting survivors and raising awareness. One of their cornerstone initiatives, Marissa's House, provides a safe and welcoming shelter for survivors, allowing families to stay together while they work toward healing and self-sufficiency. This safe house has set a national standard for survivor-centered care. CTF also goes beyond direct services by partnering with law enforcement, schools, health systems, and community stakeholders to ensure better identification and support for trafficking victims. Their outreach efforts include multilingual communication efforts within public spaces across the state and utilizing data and resources to track trends in trafficking.
Learn more about Bush Prize: South Dakota and the winners at South Dakota Community Foundation.
2023 Bush Prize Winners
New Native Theatre is a theater company by and for indigenous people that is decolonizing the theater ecosystem. They exemplify the values of inclusivity and resourcefulness by being deeply grounded in the skills of their community of artists. By disrupting old narratives and incorporating a holistic and human-centered approach to theater, New Native Theater is transforming theater and creating abundance and visibility for Native people.
Ayada Leads is an organization that fosters an environment of leadership for African diaspora women in the Twin Cities. Their innovative approach builds a loving and inclusive community where African diaspora women feel a deep sense of belonging. Through innovative civic engagement strategies, leadership development, and demystification of the process of running for office, Ayada Leads is building a multi-racial democracy.
Our Justice is a reproductive justice organization and abortion fund that provides direct financial and logistical support for people seeking abortion care throughout Minnesota. Their innovative approach is rooted in their deep commitment to building caring relationships with abortion-seekers, working closely with healthcare clinics, and engaging in bold legal and policy advocacy. They center reproductive justice as a core value and exemplify a culture of radical care for their clients, collaborative partners, and staff.
Restaurant Opportunities Center-MN is a worker justice center that builds racial and economic justice through holistic organizing of restaurant workers. Using an innovative “snowflake model” approach, ROC is building collective power across an industry often characterized by inequities and divisions. Because of ROC-MN’s work, the Twin Cities has more dignified workplaces and more workers with the knowledge and skills to build a better world by working collectively.
Visit Headwaters Foundation for Justice for details about the 2023 winners.
Dream of Wild Health (DHW) was founded in 1986. DHW’s mission is to restore health and well-being in the Native community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways. With this Bush Prize grant, their dream is to grow the number of Indigenous farmers in the region, expand and deepen youth programming, and model a regenerative relationship with the land that adapts to and mitigates climate change.
Little Earth Resident Association (LERA) was founded in 1973. LERA’s mission is to empower residents by creating a culturally strong, supportive, healthy and unified Little Earth community. With this Bush Prize grant, their dream is to deepen mission impact by increasing Native homeownership, generational knowledge, and wealth.
Visit Good Relatives Collaborative for more information.
Ministry on the Margins is committed to supporting those who fall through the cracks during times of transition through inclusive hospitality and a space of welcoming, direct service and case management, and resourceful community-based partnerships. Ministry on the Margins was selected for its track record of innovation with small and large interventions, service pipeline development, and behavioral health adaptations. Their work is driven and influenced by the needs of homeless individuals, the law enforcement community, elected leadership, service providers (including public health), and the faith community.
The New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (NRABC) actively promotes community and economic development by bravely tackling issues most relevant to rural and remote communities. NRABC was selected based on its track record of innovation and its exemplification of being an organization with a culture of innovation.
Visit Strengthen ND for more information.
Black Hills Special Services Cooperative (BHSSC) practices innovative and collaborative processes in a number of ways in their work with schools and families across South Dakota, providing specialized educational services and resources to cater to the unique learning needs of students and families in the Black Hills region and across the state. BHSSC is a champion for community-led education, acting collaboratively as a liaison between schools and government policies.
Lost&Found advocates for mental health awareness and provides resources for individuals facing mental health challenges, reducing stigma and connecting people with vital support. Lost&Found was formed by high school students and has focused their efforts on the target demographic of 15-34 years old. Lost&Found demonstrates innovation through their data-driven and collaborative work with colleges across South Dakota, which has included developing and deploying a Campus Resilience Index as a planning tool, guiding a student-to-student mentorship program, and currently developing a mobile app as a peer support tool for the digital age. In addition to internal practices that promote leadership and innovation internally, Lost&Found has already made an impact in driving messaging for mental health awareness across South Dakota.
Visit South Dakota Community Foundation for more information.
Bush Prize through the years
Previously known as the Bush Prize for Community Innovation, the Bush Prize was introduced in 2012 to invest in extraordinary organizations that have demonstrated achievement and have amazing capacity to do more for our region.
When we upped our commitment to share more power in our grantmaking, we adapted the Bush Prize to share the design and operations of the program with community-based partners across the region.
One of our early community grant partners, Headwaters Foundation for Justice, led implementation of the 2023 Bush Prize: Minnesota. That Minnesota program has transitioned to the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
Today, the heart of the program remains the same and reflects our belief in working beyond ourselves.