Bush Foundation

“Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking

Press Release | Video

Since 1953, the Bush Foundation has lived by the guiding words of its founder Archie Bush: “Wealth should be used for the benefit of all humanity.”

Through their open grantmaking, Bush invests in the development and spread of great ideas and the people who power them in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share this geography.

Putting Their Money Where Their Mission Is

Recently, they seeded two community trust funds with $100 million — one benefiting Native communities and one benefiting Black communities in their grantmaking region.

They raised this $100 million by issuing social impact bonds in 2021. Then, through an open, community-advised process, they selected two steward organizations to receive and distribute the money to individuals to support wealth-building activities like buying a home or starting a business. Bush Foundation viewed it as a reparative action — a way to go bigger on their commitment to making the region work well for everyone — in recognition that moving forward requires addressing the past. They also committed an additional $50 million toward reducing racial wealth gaps through their regular grantmaking and met that five-year goal in two years, reaching $102 million to date.
Putting a total of $200 million toward addressing racial wealth gaps was a big deal for a foundation of their size. But it fits into Bush’s core grantmaking approach, which is characterized by trust, investing in the dreams of others and, above all, a strong commitment to being radically open.

Radical Grantmaking and Commitment to Possibility 

You can see the Bush Foundation’s commitment to radical openness in many ways:

• They do all their grantmaking through open processes. Anyone can talk with them about an idea; and if they say no, they offer personalized feedback.

• They do significant grantmaking through other organizations that are closer to the work happening in communities throughout their region. These programs are also open and, they hope, make their funding more accessible for more people. This includes four individually operated grantmaking programs, as well as the Bush Prize.

• They are available to anyone who wants to connect, ask about opportunities or get early feedback before applying, through their universal “front door” — the contact hub — which aims to make philanthropy feel less mysterious and more accessible. The contact hub helps their staff listen, learn and build stronger relationships that inform their work and deepen their impact. It also allows them to be helpful and share other resources even when they’re not the right funder. In 2024 alone, people scheduled 862 conversations with their grantmaking staff.

• They publish a public performance scorecard, which provides transparency into what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. To develop the scorecard, Bush did a lot of community outreach to understand what people wanted to know about them. They continue to use the scorecardhis scorecard to share where their grantmaking dollars are going, show how they share power through community grant partners and community-led efforts, and hold themselves accountable for the progress they’re making toward their goals.

• Their largest grant program, Community Innovation, supports the development, testing and spreading of transformational ideas that make the region work better for everyone. Bush funds people working on any issue, as long as it’s a priority for the community impacted. They fund in ways that are most useful — whether that’s a grant, a loan, an equity investment, a guarantee, etc. And they are open to proposals for any amount of money for any length of time. In 2024, Community Innovation grants ranged from $472,000 to $8.2 million for term lengths spanning three to eight years. This program allows Bush to help leaders with big ideas make those ideas happen.

• The Bush Fellowship program provides $150,000 for great leaders to build their skills to be even more effective. This program — and the belief in investing in leaders and trusting them to know what they need — dates back to the 1960s when Archie Bush himself was leading the Foundation. The program is as flexible as the IRS allows.

Bush believes that great leadership and great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere. Their commitment to radical openness makes it easier for leaders and communities to turn their ideas into impact. They are working to get better and better at that every year.

The Bush Foundation welcomes the chance to connect with other funders to share more about their approach and what they’ve learned along the way.