Advocacy and Policy
MACC advocates for a sector that is valued as the essential community infrastructure it is, funded fully and flexibly for the real cost of the work, not buried in regulations that drain capacity without improving outcomes, and trusted to build data practices that center community consent and needs. Our members work across every corner of human services: housing, food, health, safety, workforce, and more. Years of network-wide work has shown us that the biggest barriers facing human service organizations cut across every focus area, and no existing coalition is built to take them on like MACC can.
The Change We’re Fighting For
MACC advocates at the Minnesota Legislature and with state agencies on three interconnected fronts, because changing the systems that limit our work requires changing the story, the funding, and the data practices all at once.
Fighting for Pay Justice
Advocating for Data Justice
Building a better Narrative
Protect a Fair, Complete, and Accurate 2030 Census
The U.S. Census Bureau is proposing changes to the 2030 Census that would exclude entire populations. At MACC, we believe data practices should center community consent and reduce barriers to providing or accessing services. Allowing ourselves to be undercounted means giving away our representational power and leaving money on the table. Federal funds allocated based on census counts support basic human services like health care, infrastructure, education and more that benefit everyone. Undercounting our neighbors means less resources and representation for ALL Minnesotans. Stripping out demographic data makes it harder for nonprofits to understand and respond to the needs of our whole communities not just the populations being excluded.
Why we’re in the fight:
Our members advocate from their own work and their own communities — housing, food access, violence prevention, and beyond. MACC advocates for the organizations and nonprofit workers themselves, and the critical infrastructure they represent. The diversity of our network gives us a unique view of the operational challenges and opportunities shared across our sector, putting us in a unique position to push back against what makes this work harder, and fight for what makes it stronger.
Human services nonprofits are essential infrastructure for Minnesota’s communities, yet the public story rarely reflects that reality, and misconceptions about nonprofits as inefficient or merely charitable hold back the funding and trust our sector needs.
What We’re Fighting For:
Human service nonprofits are anchors building wellbeing and strengthening communities. They build trust, foster belonging, and empower residents in ways that strengthen our democracy. MACC stands for strong, equitable communities and the organizations that help build them. We work as a collective to change the conditions that limit our sector’s impact and stand in the way of nonprofits doing their work to build shared community wellbeing.
- A strong, stable, resilient nonprofit human services sector.
- Nonprofits recognized as accountable, effective infrastructure for community wellbeing
- Transparent contracts that pay on time and cover the full cost of the work
- Effective reporting requirements that align oversight with risk
- Contracts and grants that center community needs and consent
- Data that drives outcomes, without adding barriers to program access or delivery
Related Resources
2026 MACC Advocacy Debrief
A debrief summarizing the outcomes and takeaways from MACC’s 2026 state advocacy work. We advocate for the conditions human services organizations need to thrive — fair pay for workers, data that serves communities rather than burdens them, and a public narrative that reflects the real value of this work. Dig into our advocacy priorities, definitions, platform, and outcomes.
2025 MACC Network Advocacy Messages
We bring together the voices, wisdom, and influence of our collective to co-create a better narrative for our sector that support’s our network’s shared vision for equitable, thriving, abundant communities. We asked our network leaders to share their perspectives to directly shape our advocacy messaging for the coming year.
Improving Nonprofit–Local Government Contracting: A Discussion Primer for MACC Members
A MACC discussion primer on improving nonprofit–local government contracting relationships. The fight for better contracting is about enabling the community nonprofit infrastructure that strengthens community well-being.
Government Partnership Report: MACC member diagnosis & recommendations
A MACC report diagnosing government-partnership challenges based on member input, with recommendations for improving nonprofit–government relationships.
Common Problems in Government-Nonprofit Grants and Contracts
A National Council of Nonprofits resource summarizing common problems nonprofits face in government grants and contracts, including underpayment of full costs and chronically late payments.
Related Events
Government Relations Council
This group is designed for leaders navigating the increasingly complex intersection of federal policy shifts, state funding changes, government scrutiny & compliance pressures, and on-the-ground community impacts. Navigating what’s ahead
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