How philanthropy can shape a community

Foundations play a big role in supporting nonprofit work in Minnesota.

One of the most prominent is the Bush Foundation. Founded in 1953 by 3M executive Archibald Bush and his wife Edyth, the foundation gives grants in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations sharing that geography.

Its funding is helping train Ojibwe language teachers, create a loan pool for Black homebuyers and launch Latina child care businesses.

It’s supported everything from duck habitat restoration in South Dakota to programs for entrepreneurs in rural Minnesota. And it invests in emerging leaders through its longstanding Bush Fellowship program.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the president of the Bush Foundation, Jen Ford Reedy, about how philanthropy is changing, how it shapes a community and how the Bush Foundation has responded to community upheavals, including the recent immigration enforcement surge and the murder of George Floyd.

Guest:

• Jen Ford Reedy has been president of the Bush Foundation since 2012. Reedy was previously chief of staff and vice president of strategy for the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation, where she led the creation of GiveMN.org and Give to the Max Day. She has also worked as a consultant with McKinsey and Company and directed the Itasca Project, a CEO-led regional civic initiative in the Twin Cities. She sits on the board of the Council on Foundations.

Editor’s note: MPR has received funding from The Bush Foundation.