Minnesota Agencies

The Young Women’s Initiative Minnesota Council is composed of 67 cross-sector leaders from government, business, higher education, philanthropy, and the community. Three co-chairs from the Young Women’s Cabinet sit on the Council. The role of the Council, in partnership with the Young Women's Cabinet, is to sequence the Blueprint for Action and catalyze resources to move the recommendations forward.

In October 2016, Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith announced a new effort to improve opportunity for young women in Minnesota: the Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN), a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment to achieve equity in opportunities and to improve the lives of young women of color, American Indian young women, young women from Greater Minnesota, LGBTQ youth, and young women with disabilities.

The YWI MN is a public-private partnership between the State of Minnesota and the Women's Foundation of Minnesota with two primary arms: The Young Women's Cabinet, comprised of 24 young women and youth leaders (ages 16-24) from the eight designated communities appointed by Governor Dayton; and the Young Women's Initiative Minnesota Council, comprised of 30-40 cross-sector leaders from elected office, the business community, philanthropy, and the community. Three young women from the Cabinet will also sit on the Council.

According to the Governor's office, this is "the first statewide initiative of its kind in the nation."

Governor Dayton appointed 57 people to serve on this council, including a number of state Representatives and Senators.