Next 25 Fund

The Nation’s Best Urban Bikeway — And We’re Just Getting Started

Celebrate 25 Years of the Midtown Greenway. Help Shape the Next 25.

This year, the Midtown Greenway turns 25 — and what a journey it’s been! From its beginnings as a bold idea to transform a trash-filled rail corridor into the nation’s best urban bikeway, the Greenway has become a cherished trail for biking, walking, nature, art, and community.  And it plays a major role in making Minneapolis the best place to bike in the nation!

We had the idea for the Greenway, then worked tirelessly with our partners to get it built.  

But we didn't stop there.  The Greenway would look very different if not for the Midtown Greenway Coalition's work over the past 25 years:

• There would likely be a paved bus lane down the middle.  We successfully fought off this terrible idea, to pave over the Greenway in order to run a bus down it.  
• There would be giant overhead power lines all along it, and fewer apartments and condos as a result.  Xcel wanted to install huge power lines along the Greenway.  Not only would they be ugly and ruin the character of the Greenway, they would have stifled development.  We waged a big campaign, raised money to hire lawyers, and we won!  The power company was forced to bury their ugly power lines a block away.
• The trail would be terribly paved.  A few years ago, after we asked for a fresh paving, the City put down a terrible new "experimental" trail surface, full of cracks and bumps.  When we asked them to re-do it, they said they thought it was just fine. We thought otherwise.  We launched a petition, got front page coverage in the Star Tribune, and finally the City agreed to start over and repave the trail correctly.

We have been able to do all of this work and more thanks to our donors, who power our work.  

The Next 25 Years

Now, as we look to the future, we're launching the Next 25 Fund — a $125,000 campaign to power the next 25 years of sustainable transportation, beauty, and connection along the Greenway.

Your donation will be Matched!

The first $31,000 donated to the fund will be MATCHED by a group of our generous donors. Make a donation today and DOUBLE your impact for the Greenway!

Become a Greenway Sustainer!

Everyone who signs up to be a $10 per month (or more) sustaining donor OR makes a one-time gift of $120+ will receive a limited edition 25th Anniversary t-shirt as a thank-you.  

You’ll also receive a spoke card, and be listed in our newsletter as a “Friend of the Greenway.” 

Just $10 a month — less than the cost of lunch — helps ensure the Greenway trail stays safe, clean, and vibrant for years to come.

Join as a monthly supporter at $10/month, and we’ll match your first year’s gift up front, instantly boosting your impact to $240.  One-time donations will also be matched, as long as the matching fund lasts!

What Will Your Gift Support?

Your donation will help us build on what we’ve started — and dream even bigger. Here are just a few of the exciting projects your tax-deductible gift will support:

Extend the Greenway Over the River

A new Met Council study (led by Kimley-Horn, the same team from our own earlier bridge study) is underway to assess the potential for extending the Greenway across the Mississippi River and through Saint Paul. If their findings match ours — that the existing rail bridge can be safely rehabbed — we’ll lead the charge to finally make this visionary project a reality.

The Midtown Greenway Pollinator Pathway

We just planted 15 new pollinator gardens in the Greenway, creating the nation’s Best Linear Urban Pollinator Pathway — a thriving habitat for endangered monarchs, rusty patched bumble bees, and other vital pollinators.  We’re currently raising money to install even more gardens to create a world-class linear habitat for pollinators.

The Midtown Greenway Cultural Bikeway

This summer we installed five new murals in the Greenway, showcasing the diverse cultures that live along the trail and make Minneapolis great.  Together with existing murals, these new murals are creating the nation’s Best Cultural Bikeway — a dynamic space where creativity, culture, and community meet.  Once we raise more funds to hire local artists, there is space for even more murals!   

Protecting and Enhancing the Greenway Every Day

We work every day to protect and enhance the Greenway.  We install more trees and gardens, do regular clean-ups, and work with our partners on trail improvements. We also have an awesome group of Bike Ambassadors, who bike and walk along the trail to be a welcoming presence.

Our goal is to keep the Greenway safe, clean, green, and full of art - and extend it over the river!

Give Today. Shape Tomorrow.

Your support helps ensure the Greenway continues to grow — greener, more vibrant, more inclusive, and more connected — for generations to come. Every donation is tax-deductible and fuels the next chapter of this transformative bikeway.

Goal: $125,000

Be part of the future. Be part of the Next 25.

Photo by Jason Alvey