The Minnesota Education Trust (MET) is a left-of-center advocacy and grantmaking organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that supports Islamic religious centers and schools. The MET has received funding from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, one of the Open Society Foundations funded by billionaire George Soros. ¹

Background

The Minnesota Education Trust was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The MET supports schools, community centers, mosques, and other nonprofits. ² Since 2015, the MET’s total annual revenue has exceeded $1 million. ³

Leadership

Asif Rahman is the president of the Minnesota Education Trust. He was president of Blaine Property Holding Corporation, fundraising coordinator at the Muslim American Society of Minnesota (MAS-MN), and president of MAS-MN Property Holding Corporation. These organizations had ties to the Tarek Ibn Ziyad Academy (TiZA), a charter school where Rahman worked as a trustee and disbursement authorizer. TiZA was sponsored by Islamic Relief USA. ⁴

Rahman’s overlapping involvement with all these groups came under scrutiny when the Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a case against TiZA in 2009 for religious promotion. The complaint alleged that TiZA’s campus was leased from the Minnesota Education Trust through Blaine Property Holding Corporation. ⁵ Following the case, Rahman was restricted from leadership roles in Minnesota public charter schools until 2015. ⁶

Funding

In 2017, Foundation to Promote Open Society, one of the Open Society Foundations funded by billionaire George Soros, gave $70,000 to the Minnesota Education Trust as part of its Communities Against Hate Initiative. This money was given so that the MET would install security cameras and buzzers in Minnesota Muslim community organizations to monitor the spaces for hate incidents. ⁷

Donations

In 2020, the Minnesota Education Trust gave $42,860 to the Muslim Community Center, a non-profit that aims to create a more favorable public perception of Muslims. In 2020, the MET also gave $25,000 to Iqra Academy of the Twin Cities, $10,000 to Students Prepared to Succeed, and $5,000 to Al Ihsan Islamic Center. ⁸

1. “Communities against Hate: Front-Line Organizations.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/30fc518e-d1da-4306-8578-8afb39c37a42/communities-against-hate-front-line-organizations-20170313.pdf.
2. Kersten, Katherine. “New Minnesota Charter Schools Heading Into a Legal Minefield.” Star Tribune, October 26, 2008. https://www.startribune.com/katherine-kersten-new-minnesota-charter-schools-heading-into-a-legal-minefield/33289234/.
3. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – Minnesota Education Trust. Accessed July 9, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/830473561/202303199349319740/full.
4. “ACLU of Minnesota v. Tiza.” ACLU of Minnesota, May 15, 2017. https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/cases/aclu-minnesota-v-tiza-et-al#:~:text=TiZA%20was%20a%20charter%20school%20organized%20under%20Minnesota,the%20State%20of%20Minnesota%20and%20the%20federal%20government.
5. Complaint against Tiza – ACLU of Minnesota. Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www.aclu-mn.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/tizacomplaint.pdf.
6. “Settlement Agreement with Kandil and Rahman.” aclu-mn.org, n.d. https://www.aclu-mn.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/Settlement_agreement_with_Kandil_and_Rahman_0.pdf.
7.  “Communities against Hate: Front-Line Organizations.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/30fc518e-d1da-4306-8578-8afb39c37a42/communities-against-hate-front-line-organizations-20170313.pdf.
8. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – Minnesota Education Trust 2020 Form 990. Accessed July 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/830473561/202143199349308999/full.