Join us in Writing the Next Chapter for Open Book

2025 marks 25 years at Open Book. On this landmark anniversary,

we invite our community to join us in securing the next 25 years.

DONATE NOW

Celebrating Open Book’s 25 Years
Advancing Arts & Culture in Minneapolis

Open Book was founded out of a spirit of innovation, igniting the growth and impact within the hundreds of organizations that share our space.

Spurring Economic Development & Cultural Revitalization Downtown

Today, Open Book serves as a community gathering place dedicated to diverse and dynamic creativity, conversation, and collaboration rooted in the literary and book arts.

As the nation’s leading literary and book arts center, tens of thousands of people come to Open Book every year for our… 

  • Independent Bookstore and Book Arts Shop

  • Coffee shop and Art Gallery

  • Classrooms and Meeting Spaces

  • Artist and Writer Studios

  • Events in our Performance Hall

Your investment will help keep Open Book affordable and welcoming for the next 25 years.

Make your Contribution to our Capital Campaign.

DONATE NOW

Investing in the Next 25 Years…

DONATE NOW

Twenty-five years ago, Open Book transformed three 19th century commercial buildings into the historically vibrant cultural center it is today.

Open Book is committed to providing affordable space to our many community partners so they can direct resources to their mission-critical work.

To sustain this model over the 25 years, Open Book seeks to raise $1,700,000 to address significant capital improvements to our 100-year-old building including…

  • New Roof

  • Elevator Modernization

  • Major Brickwork and Tuck-Pointing

  • Updated and Environmentally Friendly Energy Systems 

Contributions to Open Book support not only our three Founding Partner Organizations, but also the nearly 250 organizations and community groups that come together every year in our space.

Some of the groups and organizations that use Open Book spaces…

Open Book’s other Nonprofit Tenants:

  • Weaver’s Guild of Minnesota

  • New Arab American Theater Works

COMMUNITY GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS,
SCHOOLS and MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENTS

  • Dakhóta Iápi Okhódakičhiye

  • Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop

  • Nosholo

  • Sisters Need a Place

  • The Aya Collective

  • Black Men Teach

  • Ali Sultan’s Comedy Show

  • Theater LatteDa

  • The Great Northern

  • Center for Energy & Environment (CEE)

  • Land Stewardship Project

  • Eureka Recycling

  • UMN MFA Program in Creative Writing

  • Macalester

  • MN Humanities Center

  • Binger Center for New Americans

  • Bloomington Teachers’ Workshop

  • Center for Faith and Justice

  • Believe in What’s Possible

  • City of Minneapolis

  • Hennepin County: Library, Attorney’s Office, Public Health

  • Hennepin Healthcare

  • Department of Public Transformation

  • Coalition for the Homeless

  • Flourish Placemaking Collective

  • Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change

  • Jewish Arts Collective

  • Learning Journeys

  • Harisen Daiko (drumming)

  • Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

  • Queer Space Collective

  • Equality Federation

  • GenderJustice

  • Legal Rights Society

  • The Somali Museum of Minnesota

  • Until We Are All Free

  • Black Collective Foundation of MN

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

  • Ten Thousand Things Theater

  • Catholic Charities

  • Southside Back in the Day

  • Springboard for the Arts

  • CommonBond Communities

  • Agate Housing

  • People Serving People

  • Children’s Minnesota

  • Voices for Racial Justice

  • Veterans Telling Stories

  • Adoptees United

  • Animal Humane Society

  • McKnight Foundation

  • Midwest Environmental Justice Network

  • MN Book Publishers Roundtable

  • MN Department of Education

  • Perpich Center for Arts Education

  • Pillsbury United Communities

  • Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

  • Rolling Tide Collective

  • Second Harvest Heartland

  • T.O.N.E. U.P.

  • The Dot Twin Cities

  • The Nature Conservancy

  • The Tretter Collection

  • The Carter Center

  • St Thomas School of Law

  • Augsburg University

  • and many more…

Thank You to Our Generous Supporters!

We are pleased to share that Open Book’s campaign has received
over $1,325,000* in commitments thus far!

*Pledges & Donations as of 12/18/2025

$6,000 and under

Thank You to Our Generous Donors

Elmer & Eleanor J. Anderson Foundation
Mark Andrew
Heather Anfang
Marcia & Brad Ballinger
Bruce & Harriet Bart
Charles Baxter
Heidi Bing
George Boody & Ann Risch
Dik Bolger
Judy Borger
Boss Foundation
Ronnie & Roger Brooks
Lucinda Brown
Rob Clapp
Yvonne Cheek & Mike Kirkwood
Patricia & Howard S. Cohen
Barbara Crosby & John Bryson
Andy Currie & Ames Sheldon
Kevin Duong
Louellen Essex
Mark Evenson
Shannon Fitzgerald
Emily Galusha & Don McNeil

Our deep gratitude to McKnight Foundation for their generous support of the Open Book Capital Campaign.

IN-KIND DONATIONS:

  • Chowgirls Catering

  • Dan Collison

  • FRGMNT Coffee

  • Honey & Rye Bakery

  • PRYES Brewery

$250,000+
Margaret Wurtele
McKnight Foundation


$100,000+
Lenfestey Family Foundation/
Jim & Susan Lenfestey
Pearson Family Foundation/
Chip & Amy Pearson
Pamela Safar


$50,000+
Paul and Mary Reyelts Foundation
Tankenoff Families Foundation

Nancy Gaschott & Mark Ritchie
Michelle Gill Murray
Courtney Gerber
Dorothy Goldie
Charlotte Golinvaux
John & Joanne Gordon
Tim Grady & Catherine Allan
Colin Hamilton & Helena Mackenzie
Reham Habib
Louanne Hann
Stefan & Lonnie Helgeson
Meredith Howell
Huebscher Family Foundation
Stephan Kieu & Julia Timm
Peggy Korsmo-Kennon
Peter Lancaster
Greg Larson
Richard Lentz
Mary Lee
Sheila Glancy Letscher & Tom Letscher
Arleta Little
Martha Meyer-Von Blon & Thomas Meyer
Charles Myers

$25,000+
Kim & Carol Bemis
Jan Breyer
Jay & Page Cowles
Roger Hale & Nor Hall

$10,000+
Chris and Daniel Mahai
The Head Family Foundation/
Chris Kirwan
Eric Roberts & Laura Davis
James B. Linsmayer Foundation
The Driscoll Foundation/
Libby & Ed Hlavka

Lee Munnich
Chris Malecek
Glenn Miller & Jocelyn Hale
Katherine Murphy
Linda Myers & Larry Shelton
Susan Newman
Natalie Obee
Liz Petrangelo
Sally Polk
Binky & Win Rockwell
Sue Schwalbach
Richard & Linda Seime
K Davis Senseman
Daniel & Alyssa Slager
John D Taylor
Vanessa Tennyson
Margaret Telfer & Edward McConaghay
Jean Thomson
Warnken Family Foundation/Betsy Van Hecke
Elysa Voshell
Dianne Walsh
Melinda Ward
Cory Zanin