The Minnesota State Bar Foundation is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Minnesota State Bar Association. It exists primarily to provide monetary grants to support community and law-related programs and activities throughout Minnesota[1].

Mission and Activities

The foundation focuses its grantmaking on several key areas, including legal assistance to disadvantaged populations, improvements in the administration of justice, and law-related education. Through these grants, it advances access to justice and supports initiatives that enhance the legal profession's service to the public[3].

Relationship with the Minnesota State Bar Association

The Minnesota State Bar Foundation operates as a foundation of the Minnesota State Bar Association, one of the oldest and largest voluntary bar associations in the United States. The association represents lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals in Minnesota, promoting professional excellence, ethics, and public service. The foundation supports the broader goals of the association by funding projects aligned with improving the justice system and legal education[1][4].

Grantmaking

Grant funds awarded by the foundation have historically funded legal aid services, educational programming related to the law, and other justice-related initiatives across Minnesota. These efforts help reduce barriers to legal services for vulnerable communities and promote fairness and understanding within the legal system[3].

Organization and Governance

As a nonprofit, the Minnesota State Bar Foundation is identified by the EIN 41-6023581 and works under the auspices of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s governance structure. The association itself is governed by a policy-making Assembly and a Council, but the foundation's grantmaking and programmatic decisions focus on fulfilling its charitable mission to support justice and law-related community programs[1][4].

This summary outlines the Minnesota State Bar Foundation’s role as a philanthropic arm of the Minnesota State Bar Association, dedicated to advancing access to justice and legal education through targeted grantmaking.

[1] https://mnbars.org/?pg=minnesota-state-bar-foundation [2] https://mnbars.org [3] https://www.givemn.org/organization/Minnesota-State-Bar-Foundation [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_State_Bar_Association [5] https://www.schwebel.com/certification/msba/