Minnesota Launches $300,000 Civic Resilience Fund to Strengthen Voter Participation and Community Voice

​The Minnesota Council on Foundations has launched the Minnesota Civic Resilience Fund, a one-time pooled grantmaking initiative distributing $300,000 in $25,000 grants to approximately twelve Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits conducting nonpartisan voter engagement, civic education, and community organizing work ahead of the 2026 election. The fund prioritizes strategies that build civic capacity, expand voter participation, counter disinformation, and actively defend voting rights — with particular emphasis on historically underrepresented communities and broad geographic reach across the state. Applications are open through June 22, 2026, with funding decisions expected in early July. For NCDD members and partners working in Minnesota's civic ecosystem, this fund offers both immediate resources and a model of coordinated philanthropic investment in the relational and structural foundations that make democratic participation possible.

---

---

The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) has established the Minnesota Civic Resilience Fund, a one-time pooled grantmaking initiative offering $300,000 in total funding to nonprofit organizations working to strengthen civic participation, voter engagement, and community confidence across the state. Housed at MCF, the fund will award approximately twelve grants of $25,000 each to 501(c)(3) organizations — including fiscally sponsored groups and coalitions — conducting nonpartisan voter and civic education, engagement, and organizing work in Minnesota communities. Applications opened May 20, 2026, and close June 22, with funding decisions expected in early July. The fund reflects a clear-eyed acknowledgment that while Minnesotans continue to demonstrate strong civic commitment, communities across the state are navigating real and mounting challenges to civic participation, accurate election information, and voting rights — challenges that require coordinated philanthropic investment to address.

The Minnesota Civic Resilience Fund is designed to support a broad range of nonpartisan civic work, organized around three strategic priorities: building civic capacity and expanding voter engagement ahead of the 2026 election; promoting high voter turnout through accurate, accessible information; and actively defending the right to vote through election preparedness and protection efforts. Eligible activities include community organizing and leadership development, voter education and protection programs, legal and policy advocacy defending democratic rights, and efforts to counter disinformation and strengthen access to trusted civic information. The fund explicitly prioritizes reach and impact in historically underrepresented communities and across diverse geographic contexts within Minnesota. Grantees will participate in a 2027 learning convening to share experiences and identify opportunities for improvement — a design element that reflects a commitment to field learning, not just grantmaking.
​
​While the Minnesota Civic Resilience Fund is geographically focused on Minnesota-based organizations, it represents a model and a moment worth noting for the NCDD network more broadly. The fund's explicit attention to civic confidence — not just voter turnout, but people's sense that their participation matters and is protected — connects directly to the work of dialogue and deliberation practitioners who understand that civic engagement requires both structural access and relational trust. For Minnesota-based NCDD members and their partners, this is a time-sensitive and well-resourced opportunity. The application deadline is June 22, 2026, and the full application is available through the MCF grant portal. Questions about eligibility can be directed to May Yang, Director of Democracy Programs, at [email protected]. Full details are available at https://mcf.org/minnesota-civic-resilience-fund-grant-application