Taxpayer Funding for Activists: How Government Grants Support Minnesota’s Anti-ICE Riots

Minnesota’s anti-ICE protests are funded by a number of labor unions including AFSCME Local 3800, SEIU Local 26, and the Minnesota AFL-CIO; faith-based groups including the Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota, Faith in Minnesota and ISAIAH, and the Legal Rights Center; and activist organizations such as Indivisible Twin Cities and groups linked to the Headwaters Foundation for Justice.

These organizations provide material support, legal services, bail funds, and organizing infrastructure. Several have received federal or state government funding for operational or program-specific purposes. Government grants are awarded for legitimate, approved uses such as operational costs, including maintaining offices and paying staff; program-specific work, including refugee legal aid, crime-prevention programs, and security upgrades for mosques; and security purposes, such as protecting buildings from hate crimes. Unions may also receive government workforce grants to support apprenticeship and training programs.

The funding is not designated for protest activity. The grants are not labeled as “protest funding” or “activism funding,” and no government agency issues checks explicitly for organizing anti-ICE demonstrations.

Faith and community groups show clear instances of government funding, often tied to civil rights, security, or crime-prevention programs. The Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota received state funding through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Community Crime Intervention and Prevention Grant Program. CAIR-MN is listed as a grantee in recent funding cycles, including periods covering 2026–2027.

The organization has also assisted local mosques in securing approximately $3.6 million in federal security grants from DHS and FEMA as of early 2026. Nationally, CAIR affiliates have received federal funds from agencies such as the Small Business Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services for specific programs, including refugee legal aid and COVID-19 relief.

CAIR-MN has helped mosques apply for federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program funds, with individual mosques receiving grants of up to $150,000 in prior years for security enhancements amid threats. The organization has coordinated legal defense efforts during protests and has engaged in advocacy related to federal immigration policy and grant programs.

The Legal Rights Center received nearly $5.7 million in government grants from the state of Minnesota between 2021 and 2024, accounting for roughly two-thirds of its revenue. The organization provides bail assistance and legal aid, criminal defense, restorative justice services, and advocacy, often for communities affected by policing and immigration issues. As a major hub for “Know Your Rights” training and legal observer coordination, it received funding that included sub-grants from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

The Legal Rights Center is effectively a state-funded organization that actively trains individuals to impede federal ICE operations. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison led the organization for five years before taking office, and the same group now receives millions in state grants while training against federal immigration enforcement.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz publicly urged residents to resist ICE in 2026, using rhetoric that closely mirrored the “Know Your Rights” materials produced by nonprofits his administration helps fund.

While most activist groups rely on private donations, several larger community and labor organizations have historically received or currently manage public funds for service-related programs. Faith in Minnesota and ISAIAH are primarily funded through private donations, including grants linked to George Soros and MacKenzie Scott, and they run voter engagement and policy campaigns aligned with liberal priorities.

Their joint “Kids Count on Us” initiative has been linked to state childcare stabilization grants proposed under the Walz–Flanagan administration, and financial records from 2023 to 2025 show government funding tied to community engagement and public policy research.

Ayada Leads is also primarily funded by private foundations, including Headwaters and the Bush Prize, but it participates in capacity-building initiatives connected to state-funded educational programs focused on family engagement within K–12 school systems.

Unions are funded primarily through member dues rather than direct government grants for operations. However, a circular funding relationship exists. AFSCME Local 3800 and SEIU Local 26 represent public-sector or service workers whose salaries are paid by taxpayer funds.

A portion of those wages is then paid to unions as dues, which can be used to support protest activity and organizing. The AFL-CIO and Teamsters do not receive federal funding to operate but may receive federal grants for workforce training and apprenticeship programs through the Department of Labor.

Some organizations supporting the protests are funded exclusively through large globalist donors, such as George Soros, while others receive funding from both government grants and private donations.

Taxpayer grants routed through the Department of Public Safety fund groups that train observers to block law enforcement. Politicians such as Keith Ellison and Tim Walz provide political cover, while nonprofits like the Sixteen Thirty Fund supply anonymous dark money to scale these operations.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund is a 501(c)(4) dark-money organization that is not required to disclose its donors and has funneled millions into liberal causes in Minnesota. While it has not been publicly identified as a primary funder of the Legal Rights Center, it finances the broader ecosystem of advocacy groups that coordinate with it.

George Soros’ Open Society Foundations has a long history of funding criminal justice reform efforts in Minnesota. In 2021, OSF contributed $500,000 to the “Vote Yes 4 Minneapolis” campaign, which sought to dismantle the city’s police department. OSF grant disclosures and reporting show funding to multiple organizations within Minnesota’s activist ecosystem.

These include the Sunrise Movement’s Twin Cities chapter, which organizes action trainings and noise demonstrations targeting hotels housing federal ICE agents, and ISAIAH and Faith in Minnesota, which have received long-term support from OSF and the Soros-backed Democracy Alliance.

The Headwaters Foundation for Justice redistributes funding to frontline activist groups such as Unidos MN and Defend the 612, which play central roles in anti-ICE protests. Indivisible’s Twin Cities chapter relies on nationally funded infrastructure and training for local mobilization, while the ACLU of Minnesota provides legal support, including litigation against federal enforcement actions.

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