88° and Sunny
MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Saint Paul Foundation Commits Up to $15 Million for Downtown as Community Prosecutor Begins Work
The privately funded redevelopment commitment and the city’s new prosecutor position are separate efforts addressing downtown properties and public safety.
SAINT PAUL, MN (August 26, 2026) The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation has committed up to $15 million toward downtown redevelopment as a newly appointed community prosecutor begins focusing on quality-of-life offenses in the city’s central business district.
The foundation’s commitment is a private investment and should not be confused with an appropriation from the City of Saint Paul’s treasury.
The investment will be made in partnership with the Saint Paul Downtown Development Corporation, a real estate subsidiary of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance.
The development corporation was created to acquire, stabilize and reposition distressed downtown properties, including buildings contributing to commercial vacancy and declining property values.
The new commitment builds upon the $30 million Saint Paul Downtown Investment Fund established in November 2025 with initial support from Securian Financial and the Bush Foundation.
According to the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, its capital may be deployed through the Downtown Investment Fund, through direct investments in designated properties and through the foundation’s community-investment portfolio.
The foundation will also receive representation on the boards of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance and Downtown Development Corporation, along with a position on the committee responsible for investment decisions.
The foundation says more than $1 billion in public and private investment has been aligned with downtown Saint Paul during the past two years.
The private commitment is separate from the city’s $5 million Downtown Vitality Fund. That municipal program designates $3 million for housing projects and $2 million for economic-development initiatives.
Meanwhile, Adam Hinz began serving August 1 as Saint Paul’s downtown community prosecutor. His responsibilities include lower-level offenses and recurring quality-of-life concerns that affect residents, businesses, workers and visitors.
CBS News Minnesota reports that the prosecutor position was established with resources approved by Saint Paul voters approximately two years ago.
The investment commitment and prosecutor appointment are not part of the same funding program. Together, however, they illustrate the range of property, economic-development and public-safety strategies now being directed toward downtown Saint Paul.
STAY CONNECTED TO MINNEAPOLIMEDIA
Local stories matter. Subscribe free to MinneapoliMedia and receive independent news, community reporting and important updates from Minneapolis, the North Metro and communities across Minnesota.
SUBSCRIBE FREE: https://minneapolimedia.town.news/subscribe
MinneapoliMedia | Community. Culture. Civic Life
