Top Charities in Minnesota (2026)

Second Harvest Heartland is the second-largest food bank in the United States and Minnesota's primary hunger-relief organization. In 2025, they distributed a record 166 million pounds of food — 145 million meals by their count — through 373 local food shelves and nonprofit partners across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The organization raised $58.2 million in community donations and received $216.7 million in in-kind product and service contributions that year. A Wilder Research Statewide Hunger Study commissioned by SHH found 1 in 5 Minnesota households food-insecure.

Second Harvest Heartland operates out of a warehouse in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and runs innovative programs beyond basic food distribution: Kitchen Coalition (culturally connected, freshly prepared meals), FOODRx (food as medicine for people with chronic health conditions), and MealConnect (technology to reduce food waste by connecting donors with food shelves in real time). Their Hunger Hotspot mapping identifies communities where food insecurity is high but food distribution is thin, allowing targeted investment.

Volunteer shifts run at the Brooklyn Park facility: 2–3 hours, no recurring commitment required. $1 donated provides 3 meals.

Animal Humane Society has operated since 1878, making it one of the oldest animal welfare organizations in the country. Today it provides direct care and services to more than 50,000 animals each year across four Minnesota locations. The organization runs full-service animal shelters, a low-cost veterinary clinic, a pet behavior helpline, and community outreach programs that help pet owners keep their animals rather than surrendering them. According to the Mpls.St.Paul Magazine 2025 Giving Guide, AHS reaches nearly 100,000 animals statewide annually when including community programs and services.

AHS is distinct from Minnesota Humane Society, which is a separate smaller organization based in St. Paul. AHS runs adoption centers in Golden Valley, St. Paul, Coon Rapids, and Woodbury. Volunteer roles include animal care, adoption counseling, dog walking, and community events. Foster families are consistently needed — especially for neonatal kittens and animals recovering from medical treatment. Low-cost spay/neuter and veterinary services are available to income-qualified pet owners at their clinic locations.

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is the largest affordable homeownership builder in the seven-county metro area. More than 17,000 volunteers participate in home construction projects each year — an unusually high volunteer engagement for a Habitat affiliate of any size. The organization builds new homes, rehabilitates existing ones, and has recently expanded into its TruePath Mortgage product, which allows qualified low-income buyers to purchase homes on the open market with Habitat's financial support rather than only buying Habitat-built homes.

Housing affordability in the Twin Cities has deteriorated significantly over the past decade. Median home prices in Minneapolis and the suburbs have climbed past $350,000, while wages for many working families haven't kept pace. Habitat's model — family contributions sweat equity, receives an affordable mortgage capped at 30% of income — is one of the few remaining paths to homeownership for families earning 30–80% of area median income. ReStore locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul accept furniture, appliances, and building materials; proceeds fund construction programs.

United Way of the Greater Twin Cities distributes grants to nonprofits across the metro, coordinating one of the most active workplace giving ecosystems in the Midwest. Minnesota's strong corporate culture — Target, Best Buy, 3M, General Mills, U.S. Bank — has historically supported substantial United Way campaigns, and the Twin Cities chapter has been among the top United Way chapters nationally by dollars raised. Their focus areas include early childhood education, economic stability, and health access.

They run 2-1-1 Minnesota, a statewide helpline connecting residents to food, shelter, healthcare, and other social services year-round. The annual Day of Action volunteer event deploys thousands across the metro for one-day community projects. GiveMN, a statewide online giving platform for Minnesota nonprofits, grew out of the Twin Cities giving culture and is one of the most-used charitable giving platforms in any US state.

Minnesota Community Foundation manages over $3 billion in charitable assets on behalf of donors and distributes grants to nonprofits across the state through the GiveMN platform and other channels. It's the philanthropic infrastructure behind much of Minnesota's organized charitable giving — donor-advised funds, scholarships, competitive grants, and legacy gifts all run through the foundation. The Give to the Max Day campaign coordinated through GiveMN is one of the largest single-day online fundraising events for nonprofits in the country.

For individual donors who want strategic giving at scale, the Community Foundation offers donor-advised funds with low minimums by community foundation standards. Their online portal lists hundreds of vetted Minnesota nonprofits organized by cause area and region — useful for anyone new to giving in Minnesota who wants a curated starting point.

The Red Cross Minnesota Region responds to home fires, flooding, severe storms, and tornadoes across the state, and collects blood at donor centers and mobile drives statewide. Minnesota hospitals — including large academic medical centers at the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic — depend on a consistent blood supply, and the state's donor base is a critical regional source. The region also runs CPR, first aid, and water safety training across Minnesota.

Blood donation appointments are bookable within days at most Minnesota chapters. Minnesota winters create specific disaster risks — ice storms, power outages, and house fires from heating equipment — that the Red Cross responds to year-round. Disaster response volunteers complete several weeks of training. If you experienced a fire or severe weather displacement in Minnesota and need immediate help, call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis runs one of the largest human service networks in the Twin Cities — emergency shelter, food shelves, housing programs, immigration legal services, mental health counseling, addiction recovery, and senior care. Their Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul is a major resource for people experiencing homelessness in the capital city. The organization serves people of all faiths and charges nothing for most services.

The Twin Cities has a significant population of East African immigrants — particularly Somali and Ethiopian communities — alongside large Hmong and Latino populations, and Catholic Charities has expanded its immigration legal services and cultural services accordingly. Volunteers assist with food shelf operations, meal service, and fundraising events. Their annual Gala is one of the major Twin Cities charity events.

The Salvation Army Northern Division is headquartered in Minneapolis and covers Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Programs include emergency rent and utility assistance, overnight shelter, after-school and summer programs, addiction recovery, and disaster relief. In Minnesota specifically, they operate in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Rochester, and smaller communities throughout the state. The Northern Division is particularly active in rural Minnesota communities where other nonprofit infrastructure is thin.

The Red Kettle campaign runs November through Christmas and funds a significant share of programs. Thrift stores accept goods year-round — proceeds fund social services. Emergency utility assistance is one of the most-used programs in Minnesota winters, where heating costs can be catastrophic for low-income families. Contact your nearest corps (service center) for current program availability.

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is headquartered in Center City, Minnesota, and is one of the most recognized names in addiction treatment in the world. Founded in 1949 as a small farmhouse retreat, it merged with the Betty Ford Center in 2014 to form the largest nonprofit addiction treatment organization in the US. Their Minnesota campus in Center City remains the flagship, with residential treatment, outpatient programs, family support, and continuing care. The foundation also funds addiction research, trains addiction counselors, and publishes educational materials used globally.

This isn't the kind of organization where you show up to volunteer on a Saturday. It's on this list because it's Minnesota-based, nationally significant, and treats addiction as a health issue rather than a moral failing — a distinction that matters in how care is delivered. Donations fund scholarships for patients who can't afford treatment. Their Research Center publishes peer-reviewed work on addiction that influences treatment standards nationwide.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities matches children facing adversity with adult volunteer mentors across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro. The Twin Cities has significant racial and economic disparities — child poverty in North Minneapolis and parts of St. Paul runs well above state averages, and educational outcomes for youth of color lag substantially behind their white peers. BBBS matches cut across those gaps: research shows matched youth are more likely to graduate high school, attend college, and avoid involvement in the juvenile justice system.

Community-based mentoring requires meeting 2–4 times per month for at least a year. School-based mentoring programs run weekly during school hours. Corporate mentoring partnerships are common in the Twin Cities given the strong business community. The waitlist for youth to be matched is consistently longer than the supply of available mentors — signing up as a Big almost guarantees placement.