Minneapolis, MN

COOKIE CART

EIN 41-1866804

Education & Youth Development Job Training & Career Pathways Children & youth Communities of color

Mission

Cookie Cart teaches life, leadership, and employment skills to young people through on-the-job and classroom experiences in nonprofit bakeries. The organization envisions equitable communities where Cookie Cart alumni thrive and lead.

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity Contributions are tax-deductible

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About COOKIE CART

Cookie Cart is a Twin Cities youth social enterprise that provides paid first-job experiences, classroom training, and leadership development to teens in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Operating neighborhood commercial bakeries as training sites, the organization combines hands-on bakery work with structured curricula (foundations, leadership, and Bright Futures) and offers industry-recognized credentials.

Founded in 1988, Cookie Cart focuses on serving young people from under-represented communities in North Minneapolis and East Saint Paul. Recent annual reports and program summaries (2023–2024) report measurable youth outcomes and continued investment in expansion and sustainability of the social enterprise.

Notable achievements

Completed Growing for Good campaign

Raised and deployed a $2 million Growing for Good campaign (completed May 2022) to renovate bakery facilities, upgrade infrastructure and IT, and expand youth programming and leadership pathways.

Expanded operations and youth employment

Expanded to two neighborhood commercial bakeries (Minneapolis and Saint Paul) and set an annual target to employ roughly 300 teens across locations, representing a multi-year increase in youth employment capacity.

Strong employment outcomes for alumni

Evaluations report that 85% of Cookie Cart alumni are employed in the third year after program completion, demonstrating sustained workforce impact compared with local community employment rates.

At a glance

Total assets: $5.3M
Annual revenue: $2.6M
Tax status: 501(c)(3)Public charity
EIN: 41-1866804
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Website: cookiecart.org
On Mahalo since: September 2026

Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.

Recognition

Evaluated by Wilder Research for program outcomes and youth impact measurement.

Provides industry-recognized credentials through National Career Readiness Certification (NCRC) and ServSafe food-handler certification for participating youth.

Partner and grantee in state and regional youth workforce initiatives (including Minnesota DEED Youth at Work partnerships and foundation support).

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