Who We've Funded

Fargo, ND — This sponsorship provides support for Prairie Public Broadcasting to thrive as a community resource and be a trusted source of local and world news, quality arts and educational programming to the people of the prairie region.

Landsdowne, VA — Prison Fellowship will spread the practice of using a Prison Culture Assessment (PCA) to improve prison environments in North Dakota and Minnesota. Results from the PCA will be used to reform rehabilitation programs within correction systems and enable correctional leaders to channel resources for better functioning prison environments.

Minneapolis, MN — A seven-year program related investment to support a new recovery-focused loan product for nonprofits led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and in rural communities on North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota

Mission, SD — The Wolakota Buffalo Range (WBR) is a dynamic, multidimensional project that will regenerate the land, people, and economy of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate by returning buffalo at a scale essential to ensuring they survive and thrive. With a capacity to support 1,500 animals, the WBR will become North America’s largest Native American owned and managed buffalo herd and will model how to integrate large herds within Native nations in the region and beyond. This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation grant to support this effort.

Minneapolis, MN — To develop Minnesota’s first prescription medication repository program and make it accessible to communities with the greatest needs

Alexandria, VA — This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation Grant for the Mni Wizipan Wakan (Water Bundles) Project. This work aims to manage and protect water rights on the Ihanktonwan (Yankton) Reservation by creating a political, scientific and legal basis for tribal-federal government co-management of the landscape and hydroscape of the Missouri River Cultural Basin that passes through tribal lands. This grant supports developing and testing an idea that has the potential to transform the way tribes manage water.

Rapid City, SD — 2021 South Dakota Giving Day – prize grants and program support

Saint Paul, MN — This sponsorship provides general operating support for Sahan Journal to serve Minnesota’s communities of color with daily, in-depth journalism that is centered on their voices, experiences and knowledge.

Saint Paul, MN — To contribute additional funds to the Bush Foundation Individualized Learning School Start Up Fund

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of Equity Leadership Series & Equity Summit; The Leadership Series provides learning and a network of practitioners for individual contributors and management teams; the Equity Summit is an opportunity to celebrate the work we have accomplished and identify the steps we can take to move our region forward

Mckinleyville, CA — To develop energy self-reliance to the benefit of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Sioux Falls, SD — Sponsorship of Crossroads Summit, a large, one-day, biennial professional development conference for young adult professionals from the Dakotas to network, learn and build relationships

Saint Paul, MN — Impact Day will connect local social enterprises to a global community, as well as provide educational sessions, mentorship connections, and community-building opportunities for social business leaders and like-minded citizens looking to support a purpose-driven economy

Sioux Falls, SD — This sponsorship provides general operating support for South Dakota News Watch to inform the public and policymakers of South Dakota on important topics and problems and forge a pathway to a more informed, more just society.

Saint Paul, MN — To test shifts in opportunity, power and narrative through a Guaranteed Income Pilot for artists, culture bearers and creatives in St. Paul, MN

Bismarck, ND — Sponsorship of 5th Annual Governor's Summit on Innovative Education to transform education for students with a day of inspiration and support for the innovation happening within North Dakota.

Kyle, SD — This is the first phase of work to establish new markets for Native-raised, grass-fed beef and buffalo. Tanka Fund will create the Tanka Resilient Agricultural Company as a social enterprise to build the capacity of individual Native cattle and bison producers and create and test a new collective marketing approach.

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of TEDxMinneapolis, which shares original, innovative and impactful ideas from local speakers with a live and virtual audience. The event aims to build community, educate, inspire and spark conversation and change in Minneapolis and across the globe

Minneapolis, MN — This sponsorship provides support for the Circle News, one of the oldest Native American newspapers in the country, to cover the issues, culture, and arts of the Native American people in Minnesota.

Porcupine, SD — For the Regional Equity Initiative to address inequities that exist for women in the Pine Ridge community by supporting women's leadership, traditional women’s societies and honoring champions of change

San Francisco, CA — Bush Foundation membership dues for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, a sponsored organization of Tides Center, for 2022 and 2023

Boston, MA — Bush Foundation membership dues for Leadership Development Funders Group. Their goal is to advance the potential for nonprofit organizations to have an impact in building movements for progressive social change.

St. Paul, MN — This sponsorship provides general operating support for Twin Cities Public Broadcasting System (TPT) to create community-grounded, high-impact programs and be a trusted resource of information and inspiration.

Minneapolis, MN — Sponsorship of Indigenous Sovereignty and Leadership: Past, Present, Future; a series of events that will focus on how to develop resolutions to the tensions that center Native sovereignty, and honor and build on Native leadership

Saint Paul, MN — A seven-plus year program-related investment to help low-income families take advantage of the MN K-12 Education Tax Credit

Saint Paul, MN — To create a model of public-private partnership with government agencies that will transform the way government respects and honors Dakota history and cultural beliefs in managing lands and waters

Duluth, MN — This sponsorship provides general operating support for Duluth-Superior Area Educational Television Corporation to create programming and products that illuminate, inspire and enrich lives to strengthen community.

Fergus Falls, MN — Sponsorship of Breaking Ground Speakers Series: virtual conversations addressing issues of community and community engagement, including inspiring and robust conversations about what it means to make history through ground breaking events and activities.

Saint Paul, MN — The West Side Community Organization (WSCO) is developing a strategy that can improve and preserve naturally occurring affordable housing in the west side of Saint Paul, while providing a pathway for collective ownership by tenants. WSCO is developing a tenant union, which will organize and train tenant leaders to manage a trust that supports a tenant-driven ownership structure. WSCO will collaborate with Trust Neighborhoods to acquire and rehabilitate naturally occurring affordable housing, and will collaborate with Land Bank Twin Cities to grow tenant ownership of properties.

Saint Paul, MN — The Coven's Business Development Programming includes four event series: Radical Leadership, Becoming Boss, Brave Space Salons, and Historical Context. These events will educate entrepreneurs & business leaders through intersectional leadership, fundamental skills and racial equity programming

Washington, DC — This grant builds on a previous Community Innovation grant to align the stewardship of Pine Ridge tribal lands with community needs and aspirations. The next phase of the work is to form an innovative public/Native nation partnership that indigenizes conservation by bringing the Oglala Lakota peoples' perspective to co-management of the 133,000-acre, tribally owned portion of Pine Ridge Reservation, designated the South Unit of Badlands National Park. This work has the potential to transform the way Native nations manage and regain cultural connections to their lands within national park boundaries.

Minneapolis, MN — Support for work related to a program-related investment intended to help low-income families take advantage of the MN K-12 Education Tax Credit.

Minneapolis, MN — Sponsorship of YWCA Minneapolis Forums on Racial Equity: It’s Time to Talk: Forums on RaceTM and It’s Time to Act!TM. The It's Time to Talk Forum will create space for open dialogue on racial justice and propel participants along their journey towards eliminating racism. It's Time to Act! will engage people to deepen their understanding of systemic racism, culminating in action planning to enact real change

Brooklyn Park, MN — To elevate the profile of microbusinesses, access data on needs and practices, and create a pipeline to resources and funding

Minneapolis, MN — Sponsorship of EDTalks

Minneapolis, MN — To create a Community Investment Fund using an integrated capital model to promote access for black communities and work towards eliminating the racial wealth gap

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of African Leadership Conference

Winona, MN — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for Art of the Rural to help advance its charitable mission in MN, ND, SD and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography

Minneapolis, MN — Evaluation of Community Creativity Cohort 2

Sioux Falls, SD — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for Arts South Dakota to help advance its charitable mission

Bush Foundation annual membership dues for Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy

New York, NY — Bush Foundation annual membership dues for Association of Black Foundation Executives

Arlington, VA — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for the Aurora Institute to help advance its charitable mission in MN, ND, SD and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography

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

Rapid City, SD — Benchmark Data Labs/South Dakota Dashboard to provide a common foundation of data and indicators to help community members identify, understand and act on issues that affect South Dakota communities

Minneapolis, MN — Sponsorship of Twin Cities Startup Week

Rapid City, SD — To address housing insecurity and affordability affecting middle- and lower-income households in Rapid City, South Dakota

Sturgis, SD — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for Black Hills Special Services Cooperative to help advance its charitable mission, specifically the Technology and Innovation in Education and the Community, Family and Special Services divisions

Sioux Falls, SD — Sponsorship of TEDxSiouxFalls

Minneapolis, MN — Racial Equity in the Nonprofit Sector

Saint Paul, MN — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for the Center for Economic Inclusion to help advance its charitable mission

Saint Cloud, MN — To establish Minnesota Safe Harbor for All, a statewide effort to address sex trafficking and prostitution

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of Overcoming Racism: Taking Back “We The People” Racial Equity Leadership Institute

Saint Paul, MN — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for the Citizens League to help advance its charitable mission

Bemidji, MN — In recognition of the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board (Local Government Innovation Award winner - Township Category)

Prior Lake, MN — In recognition of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and City of Prior Lake for the South Area Water Treatment Plant (Local Government Innovation Award winner - Native Nations Category)

Minneapolis, MN — To design a leadership cohort program to inspire, equip and connect tribal leaders to develop stronger tribal government financial systems

Saint Paul, MN — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for Coalition of Asian American Leaders to help advance its charitable mission

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of the Annual International Conference of the Community Development Society: Global Challenges, Local Resilience

Oakland, CA — To continue as a Foundation Partner in the network of organizations working on leadership development and racial equity

Saint Paul, MN — Sponsorship of CLUES 2020 Community-Engaged Latino Artist Collaborative and Fiesta Latina

Saint Paul, MN — Develop impact investing fund for Black and Brown women in the Twin Cites Metro

Minneapolis, MN — Partners in Change: Building Resiliency within Minnesota’s Muslim Community, and Equipping Communities to Respond to and Prevent Bias in Greater Minnesota

Washington, DC — Bush Foundation annual membership dues for Council on Foundations

Bismarck, ND — Sponsorship of TEDxBismarck

Renner, SD — A 10-year program-related investment to support small businesses, primarily in South Dakota

Memphis, TN — To develop a demonstration farm in Beadle County, South Dakota to improve soil and water health with input from producers such as farmers, ranchers and landowners in the James River Valley region

Minneaoplis, MN — Sponsorship of Teacher-Powered Schools 2020 Virtual Conference

Washington, DC — Sponsorship of Movement Builder Intensive for National and Regional Advocates

Sioux Falls, SD — To create a Sioux Falls Area Childcare Collaborative staffing pool

Fargo ND, ND — Sponsorship of various Emerging Prairie events including 1 Million Cups Fargo, Autonomous Nation, Lunch and Learns, and CuriousFargo

Columbia, MD — To pilot a peer learning community in South Dakota for increasing homeownership opportunities and creating a mortgage ready environment in tribal communities

Brookings, SD — Sponsorship of the Innovation Expo

Duluth, MN — Support for work related to a program-related investment intended to support small businesses in Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN — To increase the sustainability and supply of high quality child care in sovereign Native nations within the Bush Foundation region

Rapid City, SD — This Ecosystem Grant provides general operating support for First Peoples Fund to help advance its charitable mission in MN, ND, SD and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography

Eagle Butte, 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

Sioux Falls, SD — Underwriting to support news and programming produced in 2021

Washington, DC — Sponsorship of 2020 Collective Impact Convening