Who We've Funded

Minneapolis, MN — Twin Cities Startup Week 2021 inspires, equips and connects entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses through a week of inclusive events designed for teaching, reflecting, networking and celebrating Minnesota's diverse innovators

Sturgis, SD — Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, through its Technology and Innovation in Education division, will support Rapid City Area Schools in its transformation of at least five schools toward individualized learning models (additional school year 21-22).

Minneapolis, MN — To support the Racial Equity to Accelerate Change (REACH) Fund at Borealis Philanthropy in 2022 and 2023

New York, NY — Bush Foundation membership dues for Candid for 2022 and 2023

Saint Paul, MN — The Powering Inclusion Summit and Series equips leaders to lead through a lens of Race + Place + Income to position the Minneapolis-St. Paul region as a hub for talent, investment, and innovation to increase its economic competitiveness.

Saint Paul, MN — The 2021 Overcoming Racism Conference aims to sharpen critical consciousness about race and inspire bold strategies to overcome racism. The conferences will address local racial justice challenges by creating a learning community, deepening understanding of racial domination and colonialism, improving skills in organizing, and networking

Minneapolis, MN — To establish the Commercial Land Trust Initiative to demonstrate the need for, and viability of, using the community land trust mechanism to preserve the availability and affordability of community-owned commercial space

Minneapolis, MN — Communities United Against Police Brutality is the fiscal sponsor for Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence (FSFAPV). FSFAPV has a track record of supporting individuals impacted by police violence to be advocates for change. This grant would build on that work, creating a new approach that combines culturally responsive healing and self-care with support to play leadership roles in organizations to influence public safety systems change.

Washington, DC — Bush Foundation membership dues for Council on Foundations for 2022 and 2023

Renner, SD — This grant will fund start-up activities of the newly organized South Dakota Nonprofit Network, a sponsored organization of Dakota Resources. The work will strengthen the ability of nonprofits across South Dakota to connect and share resources and knowledge across the sector in a state that has been without a formal organization for almost 10 years.

Minneaoplis, MN — To be the Planning and Design Partner for the 2021 and 2022 Education Initiative Annual Regional Convenings

Washington, DC — The Virtual Learning Lab Orientation is a multi-week program to ignite and unite learner-centered educators, superintendents, school administrators, youth development professionals, researchers, and thought leaders who are committed to practice advancement, empowering them to build and sustain the learner-centered movement

Henderson, MN — EdVisions will support K12 schools in the Bush Foundation region in support of their transformation toward individualized learning models – Additional school year 2021-22

Fargo ND, ND — Sponsorship of TEDxFargo, an event filled with speakers, performances, and adventures around Fargo; 1 Million Cups Fargo, a free weekly, national program to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs; Autonomous Nation, a conference bringing together professionals, enthusiasts, government officials, and leaders in the unmanned systems industry; and Cultivate, a conference for farmers and technology companies

Brookings, SD — The Innovation Expo is an annual conference designed to connect entrepreneurs, investors, thought leaders, community ambassadors, and others involved in the development of startup companies

St. Paul, MN — This grant supports the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to expand the use of its community organizing model to protect consumers where payday lending is prevalent. This effort aims to make payday lenders modify terms of loan products under more competitive market conditions and transform how individuals access loans. This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation grant to support this work.

Minneapolis, MN — To have first-time home buyers from BIPOC communities become owner-occupant landlords of 2–4-unit properties in Saint Paul in several inner ring suburbs

Minneapolis, MN — Family Tree Clinic will scale its gender-affirming care project to expand access for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals in Greater Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. This grant will sustainably increase the number of providers offering this type of care and will address issues around health disparities and inequalities facing TGNC people.

Minneapolis, MN — Support next phase of FINNovation Lab work to help create and grow social businesses

Minneapolis, MN — FINNovation Fellowship Program Cohorts 4, 5 and 6

Sioux Falls, SD — This sponsorship provides general operating support for SDPB to produce and broadcast high-quality, commercial-free programs and valuable community outreach projects that educate, enlighten, and entertain the state of South Dakota and beyond.

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of Transforming Learning Summit, which will bring together a diverse group of practitioners, leaders and stakeholders within the K-12 education community who are transforming systems and practices for the success of all students by making the learning experience relevant and meaningful

Edina, MN — For GiveMN.org general operating support and for additional prize grants for SpringForwardMN and Give to the Max Day 2021

Portland, OR — 2021 Grantmakers for Education annual membership dues

Washington, DC — Bush Foundation annual Grantmakers for Effective Organizations membership and Leadership Circle support

Bronx, NY — Bush Foundation membership dues for Grantmakers in the Arts for 2022 and 2023

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of Education for Liberation Minnesota - Ethnic Studies Summer Camp: a three-day event where two cohorts of Education for Liberation Minnesota BIPOC Ethnics Studies Mentorship Network come together to exchange knowledge and resources and build relationships to further the ethnic studies movement in Minnesota

Saint Paul, MN — GREATER MSP, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership, will coordinate city and county officials and submit proposals for American Rescue Plan Act competitive funding.

St. Cloud, MN — TEDxStCloud 2021 is a local, independently organized event to bring the Greater St. Cloud community together with a diverse group of speakers on a broad range of topics including 'ideas worth spreading'

Minneapolis, MN — To support Generation Next in 2022 and 2023.

Minneapolis, MN — Sponsorship of Stitching Stories Across Cultures, which include Info Sessions, Story Stitch Circle Events and a Facilitator Training e-course to inspire people and allow them to get acquainted with the process of building bridges among immigrants and their communities through the art of storytelling

Saint Paul, MN — 1 City. 2 Realities' is the world's first truly virtual exhibition space highlighting racial inequalities. Through photos, videos, audio clips, and data visualizations, it aims address the systemic inequality in our community head-on, with a focus on volunteerism.

Saint Paul, MN — Time of Reckoning, Healing, Listening and Action: a series of racial justice forums

Sioux Falls, SD — This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation grant. Helpline Center will test the coordinated social services delivery model they developed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in two new cities: Brookings and Watertown. They will document their efforts to share with others. The work in Sioux Falls has been very successful and as the state explores what is possible for a statewide system, having two medium-sized towns pilot the Sioux Falls model will further contribute to the efforts to build a statewide network.

Minneapolis, MN — To pilot a trauma-informed primary care model at Hennepin Healthcare's East Lake Clinic as an incubator with plans to implement the model system-wide

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of The Hip Hop Genius 2.0 Series: Social Justice and Education through the Arts. This event will highlight the best practices of the High School for Recording Arts and bring together thought leaders at the intersections of music and innovative education

San Francisco, CA — 2021 Annual Membership to Hispanics in Philanthropy

Bozeman, MT — Sponsorship of Strengthening the Circle: A Native Nonprofit Leadership Program, which is a gathering to provide 75 Native nonprofit Executive Directors and Board members throughout the Great Plains with resources, technical support and networks needed to develop and strengthen vital community programs

Minneapolis, MN — General operating support to recognize Hope Community for successfully testing the idea of supporting people to buy duplexes in their community, live in one unit and maintain the other as an affordable land trust rental. This idea is being expanded by Family Housing Fund as a wealth creation strategy for families living in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs.

Bismarck, ND — Brave Conversations provide space and opportunity for people ask difficult questions, have hard conversations, and learn about racial justice as a statewide community.

Fargo, ND — Additional funds towards Giving Hearts Day and related training and capacity building

Washington, DC — Bush Foundation annual membership dues for Independent Sector

Kyle, SD — Support for work related to a program-related investment intended to support Native-led businesses and Native people in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography

Saint Paul, MN — The Latino Economic Development Center leads a collaborative that includes a broad range of immigrant business owners who are served by the African Economic Development Solutions, Council on American-Islamic Relations - MN Chapter, and African Development Center. This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation Grant effort that supports the collaborative's long-term strategy to transform past disinvestment in the immigrant community. Collaborators will provide immediate access to financial resources to impacted immigrant business owners and rural areas.

Saint Paul, MN — LatinoLEAD’s Leadership Conference is a one-day opportunity for young and established Latinx leaders to learn from regional and national experts, discuss solutions to Latinos’ most pressing issues, and be inspired to use their collective power to create the state and country they want to see

Dodge City, KS — Lead For America will establish Waseca, MN as a 'demonstration city' serving as a hub for rural economic and community development. This will build on the success they have had in supporting a diverse cohort of young, rural leaders to be effective leaders in their hometowns. Once developed, the hub will be a lab and training center to test and spread ideas that work across communities.

Cass Lake, MN — Support for work related to a program-related investment intended to support Native-led businesses and Native people in Minnesota and the Native nations that share the same geography

Lindsay, CA — Lindsay Unified School District will support K12 schools in the Bush Foundation region in support of their transformation toward individualized learning models (funding for an additional school year, 2021-22).

New York, NY — Support for work related to a program-related investment to gain site control and work with community organizations to finance the purchase of properties in eight districts located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Saint Paul, MN — The Lunar Summit will offer a unique digital experience for entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, investors and advocates to be inspired by innovative thought-leaders, connect to new networks, and receive relevant resources to build a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem

Rapid City, SD — Modeled after Winter Camps, which provided solutions for Lakota communities - including preparing for and surviving winter, and culture-building - these sessions will highlight interactive and engaging ways of learning and community building, centering youth whenever possible.

Minneapolis, MN — Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid will coordinate legal representation for households facing eviction and provide referrals to RentHelpMN, the federally funded rental assistance program. Renters include households with low incomes from BIPOC and/or rural communities in all counties that are unable to afford legal representation, are ineligible, and/or have not applied for rental assistance. The project responds to the eviction crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and will reduce rates of eviction.

Minneapolis, MN — The Reducing Harm Through Collaborative Solutions effort provides grant funding and tailored technical assistance to tribal, city, and county governments in Minnesota's seven-county metro area, in order to achieve three goals: 1. Innovate and transform traditional approaches to public safety. 2. Reduce the occurrence and severity of negative encounters between law enforcement and the community. 3. Actively confront racial disparities and history of racism to improve safety, trust and greater wellbeing among Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).

Saint Paul, MN — The Bite-Sized Learning Program offers free, responsive programming to support the emergent needs of nonprofits in Minnesota. The virtual series will offer a monthly Equity and Justice-focused program and twice-monthly programs focusing on responsive programming

Minneapolis, MN — Bush Foundation annual membership dues for Minnesota Council on Foundations

Minneapolis, MN — Support Minnesota Inclusive Growth Fund (MIGF) for work related to a program-related investment to facilitate economic recovery of underserved communities that experienced hardship because of COVID-19 by providing capital to small businesses served by MIGF Originators

St. Paul, MN — Support for Avalon School to invest in the development of a network of schools that focus on learner-centered education.

Saint Paul, MN — This sponsorship provides general operating support for MPR to provide accurate news, information and various perspectives that enhance the lives and expand the perspectives of listeners, and assist them in strengthening their communities.

New York City, NY — Bush Foundation membership dues for Mission Investors Exchange for 2022 and 2023

Minneapolis, MN — Support for work related to a program-related investment intended to support Native-led businesses and Native people in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography

Albuquerque, NM — NACA-Inspired Schools Network will work with K12 schools in the Bush Foundation region in support of their transformation toward individualized learning models (funding for an additional school year, 2021-22).

Washington, DC — Bush Foundation membership dues for National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

Washington, DC — Sponsorship of Native Control of Native Education: A Time to Lead, which will discuss how Native communities can create educational sovereignty movements, incorporating innovative approaches, culture-based curriculum, and teaching techniques that understand the social and emotional needs of Native students and create true equity in classrooms, school districts and communities

Minneapolis, MN — This grant supports the Native American Community Clinic to adapt its telehealth visit model to meet an urgent need for coordinated health care for Native Americans living in Minneapolis. This work will transform the existing health care system serving Native Americans, prepare for when extra state funding ends and a possible recurrence of COVID-19. This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation grant to support this work.

Washington, DC — Bush Foundation annual membership dues for Native Americans in Philanthropy.

Minneapolis, MN — Tribal Financial System Capacity Building: Implementation Phase

Rapid City, SD — NDN Collective has been selected to steward a community trust fund that will address wealth disparities caused by historic racial injustice by investing in Native communities across our region. This design and planning grant will support NDN Collective to develop the program that will distribute the community trust fund through grants to individuals. NDN Collective will engage community members and partners as they develop the grant program.

Saint Paul, MN — Nexus Community Partners will develop and test a new model for supporting healing and wellness for BIPOC racial equity leaders in Minnesota through sabbaticals. This 3.5-year project will include a community design process, pilot implementation and gradual full implementation of a paid sabbaticals program. The ultimate aim of this work is to advance progress on issues of racial equity in Minnesota by supporting leaders to invest in their own wellness and rejuvenation for the work.

Callaway, MN — Niibi Center will partner with community members and organizations to recommend guiding standards and regulatory practices that support the Rights of Manoomin ('good berry' in Ojibwe and refers to wild rice) law on White Earth Nation and beyond.

Bismarck, ND — Dakota Legacy, a sponsored organization of North Dakota Council on the Arts, seeks to work in partnership with community, arts, and education organizations to “repatriate, contextualize, and make more accessible traditional Lakota songs recorded on the Standing Rock reservation” by ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore between 1911-1914. Many of these songs are currently stored at the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress and remain inaccessible to Indigenous communities.

Rapid City, SD — To provide transitional housing with wrap around assistance to reduce the reoccurrence of homelessness in Rapid City, South Dakota

Saint Paul, MN — This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation grant aimed at expanding and embedding an innovative partnership model between community members and juvenile justice system leaders to transform Ramsey County justice system practices. With this grant, Oyate Hotanin will help Ramsey County expand alternatives to detention through community-based restorative justice strategies, as well as explore increasing the criminal categories that are eligible for this alternative pathway. The goal is to launch this work in Ramsey County, with the intention of implementing it in nearby tribal communities.

Minneapolis, MN — This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation grant to establish the Commercial Land Trust Initiative. The CLTI aims to demonstrate the need for, and viability of, using the community land trust mechanism to preserve the availability and affordability of community-owned commercial space.

Washington, DC — Bush Foundation membership dues for PEAK Grantmaking for 2022 and 2023

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — To provide funds to wrap up the 2019 Bush Prize case studies produced by Pollen Midwest

Welch, MN — To address the lack of a culturally sustaining food systems and energy insecurity to support the food system in alignment with traditional values and principles