The Bush Foundation is a St. Paul, Minnesota-based private foundation endowed by 3M investor and early employee Archibald Bush that makes numerous contributions to left-of-center advocacy organizations. 1 The foundation is not related to or associated with the Bush political family or either former president.
The foundation focuses on grants in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, but also gives large sums to national organizations. The foundation’s assets derive primarily from the 3M Stock that Archibald Bush held; as of 2017, the assets totaled over $950 million. 2
Background
The Bush Foundation was founded by Archibald and Edyth Bush in 1953. Archibald Bush was a Minnesota native who began his career at an entry level job at 3M, known then as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. He rose through the ranks at 3M and became the company’s executive vice president. Bush’s ascension at 3M coincided with the company becoming a major national brand in the US. During the twentieth century, 3M became a multinational chemical and research conglomerate; it is most recognizable to consumers for its lines of adhesives and tapes.
At the time of his death in 1966, Archibald Bush and his wife Edyth had amassed a fortune worth around $300 million. The Bushes had no children and left the vast majority of their estate to the Foundation. 3
The Bush Foundation notes on its website that the initial vision of the foundation was very broad, and was “a source of some complication following Archie’s death.” 3 The phenomenon of private family based foundations supporting more and more anti-business and left-wing causes after the death(s) of the primary benefactor are well documented throughout the private foundation landscape, with many examples of heirs supporting far more left leaning causes than their business leader ancestors who amassed the fortune to fund the foundation. 4
The foundation’s online historical archives indicate that early projects of the Bush Foundation differed from those that the foundation supports today. Programs in the 1960s and 70s included a business library at the University of Chicago, elementary school economics education in Minnesota public schools, a home for women recovering for alcoholism, and many other programs helping the poor and blind in Minnesota and surrounding areas. 5
Not long after founding the foundation, Archibald and Edyth Bush Retired to Winter Park, Florida, and began investing in community programs there. Upon Archibald’s death in 1966, Edyth moved to Winter Park, FL permanently and established the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation,6 partially with money transferred from the Bush Foundation. 3 Edyth Bush died in 1972 and today the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation is operating in Winter Park with over $63 million in assets. The Edyth Bush Foundation primarily solicits grants requests only from organizations headquartered within central Florida. Edyth Bush also helped establish the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, which provides certifications and classes for non-profit studies. 7
In 2014, after at least five years of not accepting grant requests and proactively funneling money into limited interest areas, the Bush Foundation announced that it would again begin widening its scope and accepting proposals for funding. This shift was “watched by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy,” a far-left philanthropic monitoring group. 8
Programs
The Bush Foundation has had multiple different presidents since Archibald Bush’s death in 1966 and states that the foundation shifted towards “diversity and inclusion” under current president Jennifer Ford Reedy. 9
There are many different programs and initiatives currently headed by the Bush Foundation, all with a much more left-of-center approach and vision than programs that existed while Archibald Bush was alive.
The Bush Fellowship, which has existed for most of the Foundation’s existence, evolved from a program that gave a small grant to aspiring leaders in local business, to a “flexible $100,000 grant” to pursue leadership development. Follows must be over 24 years old and reside in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Native American-administered territory within those states. 10
The Bush Prize is another major program executed by the foundation. It is awarded annually to several non-profit organizations in the amount of $500,000 and focuses and awarding and funding ideas for “community innovation.” 11
In addition to its work with state governments, local governments, and non-profits in the upper Midwestern United States, the Bush Foundation also provides grants benefiting Native American nations and reservations that are located within Minnesota, North Dakota. The Foundation touts nearly $90 million in grants to Native American tribes and causes since 1982, benefiting over five hundred organizations. The foundation also notes that it has made a priority to award Bush Fellowships to an increasing share of Native American applicants; the foundation has awarded $11.9 million in Bush Fellowships since 2013 of which the foundation states that $1.7 million has been awarded to Native American applicants. 12
Among the Native American tribes supported by the Bush Foundation is the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which has received seven grants from the foundation including one for $1 million in 2015. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe received international attention and support from left-wing environmentalist protesters in 2016 amid disputes over the routing of the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. 13
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
Total Grant Value:$55,802
Number of Grants:7
Number of Funders:5
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
Amount
Year
Funder
Subject
$25,000
2022
The Ron and Diane Fagen Family Foundation
GENERAL SUPPORT
$100
2024
Craig and Barbara Barrett Foundation
GENERAL SUPPORT
$100
2024
The FY Chang Foundation
Program support
$100
2023
The FY Chang Foundation
Program support
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
Total Grant Value:$879,148,523
Number of Grants:3,388
Number of Recipients:1,278
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:
Amount
Year
Funder
Subject
$50,000,000
2023
Nexus Community Partners
Nexus Community Partners is one of two steward organizations selected to design and operate community trust funds, seeded with $100 million by the Bush Foundation to address wealth disparities caused by historic racial injustices in our region. Nexus? Open Road Fund will address wealth gaps in Black communities across MN, ND and SD and redefine wealth according to values of the Black community, reaffirming the excellence that has always been in Black people.
NDN Collective is one of two steward organizations selected to design and administer a $100 million Community Trust Fund seeded by the Bush Foundation to address wealth disparities caused by historic racial injustice in our region. NDN?s Collective Abundance Fund will address wealth gaps in Native communities across MN, ND and SD and redefine wealth on Indigenous terms in order to build a life of abundance.
To operate two grant programs with the purpose of inspiring and supporting creative problem-solving across Minnesota and the Native nations that share that geography.
$9,000,000
2022
South Dakota Community Foundation
To operate two grant programs with the purpose of inspiring and supporting creative problem-solving across South Dakota and the Native nations that share that geography.
$8,233,050
2024
Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network
The Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network will spread Ojibwe language revitalization by developing a bigger, shared infrastructure for supporting the movement beyond localized immersion settings. They will improve opportunities to learn the Ojibwe language in public schools, support building up the pool of qualified teachers, and collaborate with stakeholders to address gaps in the current system of Indigenous language instruction. The ultimate aim of this work is to promote Ojibwe cultural sovereignty by organizing and sustaining language revitalization.
$7,659,750
2024
Leech Lake Tribal Court
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe (LLBO) and the White Earth Nation (WEN) will collaborate to improve Indigenous education in Minnesota by seizing the opportunity to meaningfully implement Indigenous Education for All legislation, which mandates that schools use Tribally endorsed curriculum. This model will set a new standard for community ownership and Tribal self-determination in education, addressing longstanding disparities and supporting Tribal leaders to educate their people and to tell their own stories.
$7,200,000
2022
Four Bands Community Fund
Grant to support and recognize Good Relatives Collaborative grantees for Native Nations and Native communities in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Four Bands Community Fund, a Good Relatives Collaborative Partner organization, will distribute grants to approved grantees over the six year of the program.
$7,200,000
2022
Northwest North Dakota Community Foundation Inc
The Creative Community Solutions Grantmaking Fund at the Northwest North Dakota Community Foundation will support and recognize creative community solutions and innovations within the state of North Dakota through a partnership with Strengthen ND.
$6,500,000
2022
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Support for tribal sovereignty and Native nation rebuilding in the region.
To operate two grant programs with the purpose of inspiring and supporting creative problem-solving across Minnesota and the Native nations that share that geography.
This project will implement an innovative special-purpose credit program using a regional loan guarantee pool to increase access to capital for Black wealth builders and ultimately shift bank underwriting and lending standards. This product will be delivered with a robust capacity-building approach and in conjunction with other GroundBreak Coalition (GBC) tools to deliver loans that position Twin Cities-based Black wealth builders for success.
$5,407,500
2024
NATIVE GOVERNANCE CENTER
Native Governance Center will spread a tested model to improve the financial management and capacity of Tribes within our region over the next six years. This Native-led effort will build leadership, cultivate networks, and establish sustainable financial practices that support Native nations' ability to advance their citizens quality of life, promote Tribal sovereignty and Native self-determination.
Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation (SPMF) will manage the Archibald Bush Legacy Fund, an endowed fund to make post-secondary education accessible for high school students in St. Paul. As administrator of the fund, SMPF will partner with a scholarship provider to award scholarships and other services to St. Paul students seeking to pursue higher education opportunities, with an emphasis on students from underrepresented communities. The Archibald Bush Legacy Fund expands the Foundation's long-term commitment established by Archie Bush to education and the cities of St, Paul and Granite Falls, MN.
$5,250,000
2023
Renewable Energy Partners
Renewable Energy Partners (REP) and Minneapolis Climate Action (MCA) will launch and operate an innovative clean energy training center in North Minneapolis. This first-of-its kind center will test and spread a proven clean energy workforce model and scale a green economy through an integrated model of nonprofit, public sector, and social mission partnerships centered on equitable clean energy benefits for low-income and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) residents throughout our region.
$5,250,000
2022
Native American Community Clinic
Southside Harm Reduction Services (SHRS), a sponsored organization of Native American Community Clinic (NACC) will work in partnership in the development of a Community Hub. The Community Hub will open as a drop-in center providing a range of harm reduction strategies for those who use substances, with an emphasis on people who live outside. This hub will lay the groundwork for a space that could transition into an Overdose Prevention Center if or when the community and city are ready.
$4,200,000
2024
Exodus Financial Services
Exodus Lending will spread the Resiliency Loan Program as an alternative to payday and other high-interest small-dollar predatory loans. This innovative lending model offers no-interest personal loans through a network of community partners in areas with payday lenders and are structured to help people who need immediate relief, while building credit history and supporting future wealth building. Community partners offer related family economic success training and wrap-around support to loan recipients to reduce their reliance on payday lenders. Exodus Lending will also work to influence other financial institutions? underwriting methods to be more accessible and equitable, and to increase protections against predatory lending schemes through grassroots organizing and legislative action.
$4,200,000
2023
NORTHSIDE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY NETWORK
The Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON) will develop and test an innovative Black food business incubator that supports entrepreneurs and promotes a regenerative economy in North Minneapolis. Modeled after the Hatchery in Chicago, NEON?s facility will further innovate this model by incorporating other functions including adding a retail component to drive Northside visibility and vitality.
$4,000,000
2021
Family Housing Fund
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
$3,937,500
2022
NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, Inc.
Build Wealth Minnesota (BWM) will scale low-barrier mortgage loan programs to increase Black homeownership by 15% in the Twin Cities. The 9,000 Equities Fund will leverage philanthropic and public investment to transform mortgage lending by providing 9,000 low-barrier mortgage loans to borrowers with low incomes. BWM plans to raise $100 million in capital needed for a permanent revolving mortgage loan fund to achieve its goal over 10 years. Financial coaching and training will prepare a pipeline of homebuyers to receive down payment assistance and an affordable mortgage for sustainable homeownership. Affordable mortgage loans and long-term assistance by BWM will grow equity in their homes and lead to wealth creation by Black families.
$3,822,420
2024
Communidades Latinas Unidas En Servico Inc
Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) will develop and test a new model of shared space, accessible training and supports for childcare microbusinesses to increase the number of licensed Latina providers in Minnesota. The new Eastside Business Hub will include an incubator to help launch Latina-owned childcare businesses and improve the likelihood of their long-term success. The incubator will house several childcare microbusinesses and provide rental subsidies and supports that enable providers to establish stronger businesses. This ensures the continued growth and expansion of high-quality childcare businesses as owners move into other locations and new businesses move into the incubator. CLUES will also provide culturally relevant training, build networks for childcare providers in greater Minnesota, and advocate for policy changes to address many of the challenges currently faced by Latina childcare providers.
$3,262,350
2024
The Equity in Action Way Foundation
Over five years, Equity in Action Foundation will design and implement a statewide vulnerability index survey, among other pilot research tools, that will assess how Black women and girls perceive their level of vulnerability to violence and measure the progress that key state agencies are making toward mitigating those harms
$3,150,000
2024
United States Bureau Of Indian Affairs
The U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (DOI/BIA) aims to spread understanding of the history of and lasting impacts of the federal Indian boarding school system to support healing and inform policy. The DOI/BIA will lead this effort with Native American individuals, communities and organizations who have been directly affected by the boarding school system to share this history with the public. This investment is part of a $20M project fund to create a permanent federal archive and museum exhibit at the National Museum of American History, including the creation of traveling exhibits to tour the country.
$3,150,000
2022
Saint Paul, City of
CollegeBound St. Paul is the first college savings account program in the nation where every child born in the city is eligible, most are auto-enrolled, and all participants receives a $50 seed deposit. The program includes bonuses for activities such as completing well-child clinic visits and attending financial health programming. Through the program incentive structure, the accounts become a mechanism that can be utilized to support whole families thrive related to a range of issues through increased engagement with city agencies and social support organizations.
$3,150,000
2021
Nexus Community Partners
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.
$3,000,000
2024
Northcountry Cooperative Foundation
A ten-year program related investment (PRI) to Northcountry Cooperative Foundation to expand its work to convert manufactured housing communities to resident-owned communities and build wealth through cooperative ownership of the land, with a particular focus on BIPOC households and rural communities.
7. “The Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at Rollins College”. Rollins College. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://ebi.rollins.edu/
