Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

10/13/2026

2024 Facing Race Award recipient Ma Elena Gutierrez is a trusted community leader and bold advocate in Central Minnesota.

Ma Elena is the founding executive director of Fe y Justicia MN, a faith-based Latinx-led organization striving to make Central Minnesota a just and safe place for Latinx refugees and immigrants. Since being recognized in 2024, her work in community has only grown more important.

"During Operation Metro Surge, we had a lot of people come together to support us," said Ma Elena. "Taking food to the community, to the families, giving rides to the doctor, observing the areas...it didn't just hit the Metro — it hit the whole state and we were affected."

On October 28, we look forward to gathering together to celebrate 20 years of Facing Race, its recipients, like Ma Elena, and their impact in communities across the state. Please join us!

📆 Wednesday, October 28
🕔 5:00–8:00 p.m.
📍St. Paul Event Center

Space is limited. RSVP ➡️ https://na2.hubs.ly/H08kMx30

10/09/2026

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation has signed on to protect a fair, complete, and accurate 2030 Census. 📝

Proposed changes by the U.S. Census Bureau as to how they count people and collect data do not meet constitutional requirements and, if implemented, would undermine the census's ability to provide a fair and accurate count of the people living in America.

The proposal excludes broad categories of people, including international students, H-1B visa holders, DACA recipients and others, from the population count used to allocate congressional seats and federal funding. As a result, the proposed regulation would deprive local communities of vital resources used by all residents, shifting resources away from the people and places federal programs are meant to serve.

Representation matters. Eliminating the questions about race and ethnicity undermine our ability to advance democracy that is representative of the people of this nation. We must have the capability to capture the diversity of our population so we can continue building an equitable, just and vibrant Minnesota where all communities and people thrive.

We invite you to join us in signing the letter. ⬇

The National Council of Nonprofits invites local, state, national, and international organizations to sign a letter opposing proposed significant changes to how the 2030 Decennial Census counts people and collects demographic data.

10/08/2026

10 years ago we honored Alfonso Wenker at the 10th anniversary of our Facing Race Awards for his efforts to build community and leadership opportunities at the intersection of race, gender and sexual identity.

10 years later, Alfonso now leads the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation's community impact work as Senior Vice President of Community Impact.

"It was really provocative for us to start this work 20 years ago," Alfonso said. "In a lot of ways, there's still a lot of work left to do. We've made important gains, celebrated incredible leaders and seen conditions change for our communities. At the same time, we know there is still a lot we have to face when we're having conversations about race in our state."

We invite you to join us October 28 as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Facing Race Awards, its recipients and their impact in communities across the state!

📆 Wednesday, October 28
🕔 5:00–8:00 p.m.
📍St. Paul Event Center

Space is limited. RSVP at https://na2.hubs.ly/H08gPTD0

10/07/2026

Last week we had the wonderful opportunity to visit with our friends and community partners in the Iron Range.

We toured the historic Hibbing High School Auditorium and the Hull Rust Mine View, met with community leaders and attended the Foundation-sponsored Sketches of Minnesota event in Chisholm, presented by the Minnesota Humanities Center and Danger Boat Pro.

Thank you to the Iron Range community for hosting us and showing our team your beautiful corner of the state!

10/06/2026

💭 How do leaders hold a future vision in chaos?

In this episode of The Power of Possible: Leadership Edition, Dr. Tashion Macon and Chanda Smith Baker explore what it means to hold on to hope — and even joy — when the future feels uncertain.

The episode also reframes imagination as a critical leadership practice. Chanda describes how she looks for patterns not in numbers, but in conversation, community and across experiences to better understand where solutions might exist.

Episode eight is streaming now! Watch and/or listen ➡️ https://na2.hubs.ly/H08dHJ90

10/02/2026

Lace up your shoes — it's Twin Cities Marathon Weekend! 👟

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation is proud to sponsor this year's Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend. We're especially excited to support Twin Cities In Motion's Raise the Community Pace initiative, a transformative effort to more than double its annual charitable fundraising impact from $1 million to $2.62 million by 2028.

Best of luck to all the runners — we'll see you at the Mission Mile Cheer Zone this Sunday!

10/01/2026

In Emilia's eyes, ordinary people have the power to make a difference when they have a shared vision, are willing to make courageous decisions about their conditions and are willing to change them.

That's Emilia's power of possible. What's yours?

📣 Share your story with us at https://na2.hubs.ly/H088hr10

09/30/2026

"The power of possible means that there's more work to do." 💪

Our President & CEO Chanda Smith Baker shares why the power of possible is energy-shifting and a catalyst for creativity.

What is your power of possible? Share your story with us at https://na2.hubs.ly/H085bxn0

09/29/2026

Congratulations to Mukhtar Ibrahim on the launch of The Somali Brief, a brand new independent media outlet covering the stories shaping Somali American life!

We're proud to have supported their launch, and we're excited to see these stories amplified by Mukhtar, Ubah and their team.

09/28/2026

In gearing up to celebrate two decades of the Facing Race Awards, we're catching up with some of our incredible past recipients, like Asha Shoffner. Asha is the founder and creator of BIPOC Outdoors Twin Cities, a safe and welcoming space for BIPOC and q***r folks to experience the excitement of outdoor recreation.

We asked Asha: How has your work evolved since you received the Facing Race Award?

"The BIPOC Outdoors community in the Twin Cities has grown significantly," said Asha. "I have been focusing on getting folks certified, trained and able to lead programming as well as coordinating the many folks in the community who are leading BIPOC programs in nature to join a shared calendar so that we can really uplift one another."

Mark your calendars for October 28! We look forward to celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Facing Race Awards, its recipients and their impact in communities across the state.

📆 Wednesday, October 28
🕔 5:00–8:00 p.m.
📍St. Paul Event Center

Space is limited. RSVP → https://na2.hubs.ly/H081T370