The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is offering a total of $5 million in implementation grants to tribal nations and local governmental units across Minnesota to enhance community resilience to climate change impacts. These grants are specifically designed for non-stormwater and non-wastewater projects, with a focus on climate adaptation measures that address vulnerabilities associated with Minnesota’s evolving climate. Project proposals should concentrate on increasing resilience to extreme heat, fortifying public infrastructure, upgrading resilience hubs, enhancing sustainable transportation, improving wildfire resilience, securing public water supplies, and retrofitting community housing and storm shelters.

Eligible project categories include several distinct areas of focus. For extreme heat resilience, projects may involve installing shade structures in public areas. Other eligible projects include fortifying public assets by, for instance, burying electrical lines to protect against severe storms and icy conditions. Proposals can also focus on renovations to resilience hubs to ensure they have backup clean energy sources, enabling continuity of services during emergencies. Additional project types include building and upgrading bike paths as alternatives to car travel, implementing fire-resistant materials on public structures in wildfire-prone zones, securing public water supplies with backup clean energy, and enhancing publicly owned housing with systems that provide emergency power, lighting, and potable water during outages.

The application deadline is December 19, 2024, by 4:00 p.m. Central Time (CT). Prospective applicants can attend a virtual informational session on October 28, 2024, at 1 p.m. to learn more about the grant opportunity, application process via the SWIFT portal, and to ask any clarifying questions. However, after December 12, 2024, MPCA will not address further inquiries due to legal restrictions. All questions should be directed to grants.pca@state.mn.us with the subject line "FY25 Implementation Grants for Community Resilience."

Eligibility is limited to local governmental units and tribal nations within Minnesota, which includes cities, counties, townships, soil and water conservation districts, and metropolitan planning organizations, among others. These entities are invited to apply for funds by proposing projects that address specific climate adaptation needs within their communities, targeting the stated areas of interest.

To access the request for proposal (RFP) and application materials, applicants must visit the online SWIFT portal. By navigating to the "Bidding opportunities" section, they can locate the relevant event either by name, "MPCA-Implementation Grants for Comm. Resilience," or by ID, "2000016347," to view the bid package. Applications must be submitted exclusively through the SWIFT portal, and applicants are required to register as bidders if they are not already suppliers within the system. For help with SWIFT registration or application submission, applicants can reach out to the Vendor Assistance Help Desk at 651-201-8100.

This funding opportunity reflects MPCA’s commitment to fostering resilient communities in Minnesota by supporting projects that provide sustainable solutions to climate-related challenges. Successful applicants will use these funds to implement strategies that not only address current climate impacts but also enhance the long-term sustainability and resilience of their communities.