Our Work
Advocates for Policy Change
The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota advocates for statewide policies that advance safety, economic justice, and holistic well-being and build power with communities for gender and racial justice statewide.
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2025 Policy Agenda
Holistic Well-being & Reproductive Justice:
- Expand access to contraception through broader insurance coverage for over the counter and prescription contraceptive methods and vasectomies across Minnesota.
- Improve pregnancy health outcomes by mandating coverage by health plans for maternal mental health screenings.
- Ensure access to abortion care in the state by passing the Reproductive Health Equity Fund bill to provide vital clinic funding.
- Improve equity by passing the inclusive Equal Rights Amendment bill leading to a Minnesota constitutional amendment ballot measure which, if passed, would guarantee every Minnesotan the same rights under the law and codify discrimination protections.
Economic Justice & Equity:
- Improve financial equality and decrease the wealth gap by closing the loophole that allows predatory rent-a-bank lenders to evade MN’s interest rate caps.
- Strengthen food security by increasing the minimum benefit for seniors and maintain outreach funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Safety & Victim Justice:
- Increase access to survivor support services by passing the Crime Victims’ Services funding bill to allow for the maintenance and expansion of crucial public safety infrastructure including domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child advocacy centers.
How We Advocate
- Produce and share the leading research in the state that shows how women, girls, and gender-expansive people are faring on key measures of economics, health, safety, and leadership.
- Highlight community-led programs and solutions that can be scaled across the state.
- Provide timely, targeted information and disaggregated data to lawmakers, stakeholders, and advocates to create stronger policies that serve everyone in Minnesota.
- Convene partners and allies from across Minnesota to engage and mobilize around priority issues impacting women, girls, gender-expansive people, and families.
“The invisibility of missing Black girls and women reveals how they are unprotected, punished, or unnoticed. Black women deserve more. Black families deserve more. We must ensure the protection of Black women as a priority, and that can only be accomplished with your support.”
Aaisha Abdullahi
2022 Young Women’s Cabinet Member
Voting Builds Community Power
Because we invest in changing systems, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota supports pro-voter efforts to build community power and change the structures and policies of our governments. When you vote, consider candidates and policies that represent our communities and hold systems accountable to eliminate barriers, increase access to opportunity, and achieve gender and racial justice.
Partners in Advocacy
Policy wins are possible because of community-led advocacy made up of organizers, nonprofit groups, elected officials, and other advocates. We are grateful to all of our partners in advocacy, including:
- Young Women’s Statewide Cabinet
- Young Women’s Cabinet, Mankato
- YWCA St. Paul
- YWCA Mankato
- ERA Minnesota Coalition
- Exodus Lending
- Gender Justice
- Minnesotans for Fair Lending
- Maternal Mental Health Coalition
- Our Justice
- Planned Parenthood
- Reproductive Health Alliance
- Violence Free Minnesota
Check Out These Advocacy Stories
Jan 15, 2025
Building the Future We Want to See
Oct 25, 2024
The Future is in the Room Today: A Recall from the Power Up YWI Summit
May 23, 2024
Progress on our Policy Agenda
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How You Can Help
When you make a gift to the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, you contribute directly to ensuring advocates on the ground are resourced in their direct work in ending systemic inequities so all women, girls, and gender-expansive people thrive.