Minnesota Promise:
A Grounding Vision for the Foster Movement in MN
What would it look like if Minnesota fulfilled its promise to Fosters?
Minnesota makes Fosters a promise when the state removes us from our homes, promising that we’ll be better taken care of in state care than we would be in our families of origin. But for so many of our Foster leaders, this promise has not been met individually, even related to their most basic needs. Data shows it is not being met for our broader community, as Fosters face deep system injustices and are not afforded the same economic, educational, and work outcomes as our peers.
How do we address these challenges? To achieve a shift in imagination and outcomes, we must listen to Fosters.
Please watch the videos below!
MN Promise by the numbers:
Sessions held: 13
Counties represented: 50+
Fosters engaged: 123
Giant Poster Sheets: 200+
Community Partners contacted: 280+
Words in session transcripts: 250,000+
From 2022-2024, we traveled the state hosting listening and design sessions with Fosters to gather their BOLD ideas for systems change. We’ve spent the summer and fall analyzing all this data, reviewing drafts with our Foster leaders, and preparing for the next stage of our MN Promise campaign.
In 2025, we’ll launch the MN Promise Report: a comprehensive vision for child-welfare systems change led by Fosters, for Fosters.
Please be on the lookout on this page for updates, and sign up for our listserv. In the meantime, thank you to all of our MN Promise participants from across the state!
Thank you to our funders!
Interested in supporting our MN Promise launch and movement building?
We’d love to partner with you for event and network sponsorship opportunities! Reach out to elena@fosteradvocates.org for more information.
A big thank you to:
2025 Launch and Movement Building Sponsors: John and Denise Graves Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Sauer Family Foundation
Listening Session Sponsors: American Indian Community Specific Board, Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation, Initiative Foundation, Ordean Foundation, Ramsey County Social Services , Sauer Family Foundation, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
Listening Session Hosts: 180 Degrees, American Indian Community Housing Organization , Cultivate Mankato, Headwaters Music and Arts, Indigenous Roots, Metro State University, Quarry Hill Nature Center, Minnesota State University Moorhead, St. Cloud State University, University YMCA