The Bush Foundation in St. Paul has announced its third cohort of 2013 Bush Fellows.

Eight fellows in Minnesota and North and South Dakota will each receive two-year grants ranging between $30,000 and $80,000 in support of their efforts to create positive change in their communities. Initiatives to be pursued by the newest group of fellows include supporting the path to high school graduation for at-risk children beginning in the early grades; improving access to legal services for low-income immigrants in western Minnesota and eastern North and South Dakota; building partnerships that focus on helping diverse college students develop their leadership abilities; engaging low-income communities in ending economic, health, and educational disparities; and recovering Dakota identity around indigenous foods and medicines.

Since the Bush Fellowship program was launched in 1965, the foundation has awarded fellowships to more than twenty-two hundred individuals. A fourth cohort of 2013 Bush Fellows comprised exclusively of elected and public officials will be announced in October. In 2014, the foundation will return to a single annual selection process and will increase the maximum fellowship award from $80,000 to $100,000. In addition, fellows will be allowed to use their award to pursue a graduate degree or design their own leadership development program.

"For nearly fifty years the Bush Foundation has done what Archibald Bush did countless times in his lifetime — invested in people whose leadership potential was a sure bet for the future of the region," said Bush Foundation leadership and engagement director Lars Leafblad. "As we spend this sixtieth anniversary year contemplating the tremendous generosity of Archie and Edyth Bush, we believe they would be pleased with the way their legacy has evolved and with the amazing impact Bush Fellows have created so far and will continue to create long into the future."

For a complete list of the 2013 Bush Fellows, visit the Bush Foundation Web site.