Steven Joul

Steve is a lifelong student of community, continuously exploring and interested in what helps communities grow and thrive. He began his career in philanthropy as the Executive Director of a small healthcare foundation in rural Minnesota before serving as Director of Development at the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. In 1996, he became president of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation in St. Cloud, and today, he serves as president & CEO of CommunityGiving (CG). Under his leadership, CG has grown into a collaboration of 15 community foundations across Minnesota, including those serving Greater St. Cloud, Alexandria, Brainerd Lakes, and Willmar.

CommunityGiving manages over 1,300 component funds with more than $250 million in assets. In the past year alone, CG distributed over $18 million to charitable organizations, strengthening the communities they serve.

Steve holds a degree in economics from the University of Minnesota and is a past fellow of the Humphrey Institute Policy Forum. He has been fortunate to be engaged across national and international philanthropic networks, having participated in the German Marshall Fund Community Exchange Program and serving on the boards of CF Leads, the Charities Review Council (including as Board Chair), CEONet, and the Minnesota Council on Foundations.

At his core, Steve believes in the power of people coming together to create lasting change. He is inspired every day by the generosity, resilience, and shared vision of communities working to build a better future—because when people unite around a common purpose, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.