The Minneapolis-St. Paul is known for the tradition of corporation and citizen philanthropy. The fruits of this tradition include many non-governmental charitable organizations whose funding and activities work to promote programs attending to social values, environmental stewardship, and civic causes and events.
Friends of the Mississippi River is a charitable non-profit that is focused on public stewardship of the ecological health, scenic quality and recreational values of the Mississippi in the State of Minnesota. It does this through grants, active engagement and volunteer efforts.
Based on similar land trust throughout the U.SA., the Minnesota Land Trust receives ownership and cares for lands donated to it for the protection of important ecological and environmental resources the contain. It plays a key role in the preservation, protection and management of these lands.
The St. Paul Winter Carnival, like its summer counterpart, the Minneapolis Aquatennial, provides an annual program of traditional and entertainment events attractive to tourists and local residents. Similar but smaller-scaled events are staged by many of the surrounding cities that comprise the metropolitan area.

Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) is a leading citizen organization working to protect and enhance the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Metropolitan Twin Cities area. Its goal is to tend to the ecological, cultural, scenic and recreational values of the river through land conservation, watershed protection and river corridor stewardship.

FMR was founded in 1993 under the U.S. Tax Code as a charitable 501(c)3 organization. It has over 1,400 members, 17 active board members, and nine full-time and seven part-time staff. In 2007, its river stewardship programs engaged over 2,500 volunteers in hands-on activities to improve the health of the Mississippi River.

FMR works with public and private landowners, local governments and citizens to protect and restore critical lands. It provides technical assistance, planning, land management and hands-on natural resources restoration services. It guides the improvement and protection of water quality through leadership and advocacy.

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The Minnesota Land Trust preserves and protects Minnesota's natural and scenic heritage through public and private partnerships. It uses a diversity of tools to achieve this protection, but is especially known for permanently protecting wildlife habitat, scenic views and sensitive shoreline through conservation easements.

In 1991, a group of Minnesota citizens committed to maintaining the rural character of their community formed the Washington County Land Trust, Minnesota's first land trust. By 1993, the Washington County Land Trust expanded its vision and mission, becoming the Minnesota Land Trust and offering its services to the entire state.

As of January 2011 the Trust has permanently protected 37,775 acres (15287 hec) and 780,661 (237945 m) feet of shoreline in 415 projects around Minnesota. It directly protects land through conservation easements, land acquisition and effective land management. It provides agencies, communities and organizations with help to conserve land.

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St. Paul Winter Carnival’s mission is to foster a sense of community, pride, belonging and connectedness by celebrating the city's heritage through fun and educational experiences. It generates 350,000 visitors a year, and $3.5 - $5 million dollars of economic impact to the city and the State of Minnesota.

In February of 1886 the business leaders of Saint Paul, then the U.S.’s fastest growing city, produced its first Winter Carnival. It was patterned after Montreal’s Winter Carnival to showcase the habitability of St. Paul in winter. Over its 125-year history, it has been a key event in the social fabric of Saint Paul.

Its annual pageant story celebrates the banishment of winter’s King Boreas and his court by the coming summer’s heat of Vulcanus Rex and his Krew. It includes parades, skiing, snow shoeing, a blanket tossing contest, and other competitions. Most notable are its city-wide medallion hunt and annually constructed ice castle.