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Activate Rural Learning Lab
Applications are now open for the 2026–2028 Activate Rural Learning Lab, a two-year cohort program supporting creative building projects in rural communities across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Native nations within that geography.
The program will select 10 projects in communities with populations under 20,000. Selected teams will receive a $50,000 unrestricted grant, monthly one-on-one technical assistance, access to a peer cohort, workshops and resource guides, project promotion support, and travel and lodging for two in-person gatherings, and the Activate Rural Summit.
Eligible projects focus on creating community gathering places through creativity, are led by a small, committed core team, and are actively moving forward in a safe, viable building that is owned or under contract through an eligible entity.
Learn more and apply for the Activate Rural Learning Lab program.
Minnesota Climate Smart Food Systems Grants (CSFS)
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has approximately $10 million available to support organics management infrastructure projects across the state that will expand infrastructure capacity for composting source-separated organic materials in Minnesota with a focus on wasted food and food scraps. This grant program aims to reduce the amount of organic material being disposed of through landfilling or incineration by funding projects that expand composting capacity either through the creation of new compost infrastructure or the expansion of capacity within existing compost infrastructure.
Eligible applicants include entities that are serving Minnesota communities or have operations in Minnesota, such as:
- Political subdivisions of the state (including counties, cities, town, etc.)
- Not-for-profit organizations
- For-profit businesses
- A new business that will locate a facility in Minnesota
- Educational and other institutions
- State agencies
- Tribal governments
The deadline to apply is April 15, 2026.
Learn more about the CSFS initiative and funding opportunity.
AARP Community Challenge Grants
Cities are invited to apply for the AARP grants aimed at making “communities more livable for all ages” by March 4. The following grants focused on age-based community improvements:
- Flagship Grants: Support projects that improve public places, transportation, housing, digital connections, and disaster resilience. Awards range from a few hundred dollars to $15,000.
- Capacity-Building Microgrants: $2,500 grants paired with expert support, webinars, and cohort learning. Focus areas include walk audits, bike audits, HomeFit® Guide modifications, and disaster preparedness training.
- Demonstration Grants: Designed to replicate promising local efforts. Topics include pedestrian safety (funding support from Toyota Motor North America), high-speed internet (funding support from Microsoft), and housing design competitions. Awards typically range from $10,000-$20,000 and will not exceed $25,000.
The deadline to apply is March 4, 2026.
View a list of the 45 cities in Minnesota that have received grants from this program.
Learn more and apply for AARP Community Challenge grants.
Livable Communities Grants
Livable Communities Act (LCA) grants are awarded to participating cities and townships in the seven-county metro region that are partnering with development teams on projects. Through nine different grant programs, LCA grants help communities achieve development goals that create more housing choice, support living wage job creation, and connect jobs, housing, and regional amenities. Applications are due April 15, 2026.
Learn more and apply for a Livable Communities grant.
Arts Education Grant Program
Application materials are now available for the fiscal year 2027 Arts Education grant program. This program is open to both individuals and organizations.
Arts Education offers project grants to help Minnesotans develop personal relationships with an art form(s) by supporting arts learning experiences for individuals of all ages and abilities. In this program, funds may be used for age-appropriate classes, workshops, camps, after-school programs, online education programs, community arts education, school residences or partnerships, etc.
Applicants may request between $5,000-$35,000.
Applications are due Feb. 6, 2026.
Learn more and apply for an Arts Education grant.
Minnesota Climate Smart Food Systems Equipment/Vehicle Replacement Grant Program
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is offering grants to help replace gas- or diesel-powered vehicles and equipment with zero-emission alternatives. The grant can also help pay for related infrastructure, including charging stations and electrical upgrades.
The goal of this grant opportunity is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and public health, and transition Minnesota’s food system away from fossil fuels. There is $5 million available in funding. There is a 20% match required that cannot be made with federal or environmental settlement funds.
Public, private, nonprofit, and tribal entities, as well as individuals, are eligible to apply if they own and operate qualifying equipment or vehicles in Minnesota. Applicants must be based in Minnesota or have a Minnesota branch office, and vehicles must operate in the state at least 75% of the time.
Apply by March 27, 2026.
Learn more and apply a climate smart vehicle replacement grant.
BUILD Program Grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program provides grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. The eligibility requirements of BUILD allow project sponsors, including state and local governments, counties, tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities, to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs.
The BUILD program, previously known as the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grants, was established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and operated under annual appropriations acts until authorized in November 2021.
There is $1.5 billion available in fiscal year 2026. Applications are due Feb. 25, 2026.
E-Bikes for Business Grant
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is offering grants to help Minnesota organizations — including cities — purchase bicycles and electric-assist bicycles for commercial or service use. The goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce reliance on vehicles for local deliveries and field work.
Key details for cities
Application deadline: Feb. 27, 2026.
Eligible applicants: Cities, other government entities, nonprofits, tribes, and small businesses (500 or fewer employees).
Eligible uses: Delivery of goods or using bikes to carry tools, equipment, or supplies for maintenance, inspections, or repair work.
Funding: Grants range from $3,000 to $24,000, with a 25% match required.
What’s covered: New bikes or e-bikes and up to $200 in accessories per bike (such as lights, locks, racks, or cargo trailers).
This grant does not fund bikes used only for transporting people or for staff commuting.
Learn more and apply for a e-bikes for business grant.
Brownfield Assessment Grants
Abandoned gas stations, former dry cleaners, or old manufacturing spaces exist in every community. Properties like these, called brownfields, can be a challenge to redevelop and often sit idle for years due to risks of perceived contamination. This can lead to neighborhood blight, unsafe structures, and polluted spaces that can harm people and the environment.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) can help. The MPCA is now accepting applications to its Brownfield Assessment Grant, which funds environmental investigations on brownfield properties across the state.
Eligible applicants include local units of government, community organizations, nonprofits, small business owners, emerging developers, and tribal nations.
Funding can be used for Phase I and II environmental site assessments, sampling and analysis plans, and preparation of cleanup plans.
Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more and apply for brownfield assessment grant funding.
Minnesota Broadband Line Extension Connection Program
Minnesota Broadband Line Extension Connection Program, run by the Office of Broadband Development (OBD), helps connect homes and businesses without reliable broadband (defined as speeds below 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload) to internet service.
People can report to OBD that a wired broadband service is unavailable at their residence or business by entering information into the online application, by calling (651) 259-7610 and requesting a paper application, or by talking to someone at OBD who will complete the application on their behalf.
A total of $15 million is available for the program. No more than $25,000 can be awarded per line extension.
Timeline
- The application portal is open.
- ISPs are notified of new locations every six months.
- Bidding and evaluation processes follow set timelines, and projects must be completed within 12 months of the contract date.
Learn more about the Broadband Line Extension Connection Program.
Community Innovation grants
The Bush Foundation’s Community Innovation (CI) grant program is a flexible program that invests in great ideas and the people who power them across our region. The program aims to:
- Develop, test, and spread great ideas.
- Inspire, equip, and connect leaders.
Learn more and apply for a CI grant.
Establish a Local Housing Trust Fund With Help From the Minnesota Housing Partnership
The Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) is offering free assistance to rural communities to establish Local Housing Trust Funds (LHTF). Funds can be used for education on Local Housing Trust Funds, as well as implementation of LHTF programs and community engagement activities.
In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $4.8 million to a Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) State Match Program; with $1 million appropriated in a prior year, available funds for the state match program total $5.8 million. An application for state match funds is likely to be released in late summer or early fall.
Learn more and apply for free technical assistance from MHP to establish or implement your LHTF.
MNOSHA WSC: Safety Grant Program
The Safety Grant Program awards funds up to $10,000 to qualifying employers for projects designed to reduce the risk of injury and illness to their workers.
To qualify, an employer must meet several conditions, including but not limited to:
- Having been in business for at least two years.
- Having at least one employee to create the employer/employee relationship.
- Having workers’ compensation insurance.
- Having had an on-site hazard survey conducted by a qualified safety professional and a written report of the findings and recommendations to reduce the risk of injury or illness to employees.
- Having the knowledge and experience to complete the project and is committed to its implementation.
- Being able to complete the project within 120 days of a fully executed contract.
To qualify, the project must be supported by all public entities involved and comply with federal, state, and local regulations where applicable.
Businesses that are the current focus of the Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation strategic plan will be given added priority. If your grant is approved, you will be notified in writing of the specific approval. Whether we approve your grant application or not, in no way diminishes, delays, or absolves you of any obligation to abate safety and health hazards. When a project is complete, the applicant must submit a certificate of completion form, with invoices and proof of payment, to the grants administrator, to initiate issuance of the grant. An employer that has received a grant for a particular worksite will not be eligible to receive another grant for that worksite during the two years after the date of their award.
Learn more and apply to the MNOSHA WSC: Safety Grant Program.
Cybersecurity Grant Program Now Available Statewide
The state’s IT agency, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), in partnership with the Minnesota Cybersecurity Task Force recently released the Whole-of-State Cybersecurity Plan that will be used to implement $23.5 million of funding from the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Minnesota Legislature.
Eligibility
All state and local government entities are eligible to participate in the SLCGP, including:
- A county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments, regional or interstate government entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local government.
- Authorized Tribal governments and organizations.
- A rural community, unincorporated town or village, or other public entity.
How to get involved
- Visit MNIT’s website for more information about the plan, how to participate, and who to contact if you have questions or need help.
- You can also sign up to receive news and updates about the Whole-of-Security Plan and the SLCGP.
- If your organization is ready to get started, complete the Minnesota Whole-of-State survey for SLCGP participants.
Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Program
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is accepting requests for technical assistance for the Thriving Communities technical assistance program. This funding will help local governments ensure housing needs are considered as part of their infrastructure plans. To be eligible, jurisdictions must be a unit of general local government that is receiving federal transportation funding to support a project that coordinates transportation and housing plans, programs, or investments to benefit residents and businesses located in a disadvantaged community. Priority will be given to jurisdictions with populations of less than 250,000 people, as well as to those receiving certain Department of Transportation competitive funds. Requests will be reviewed as they are received, on a rolling basis, beginning on March 15.
Learn more about the interagency Thriving Communities technical assistance program
Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity: Energy Upgrades for Affordable Housing
Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (R2E2) will provide deep technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments as well as community-based organizations to jumpstart energy upgrades for single family and multifamily affordable housing, especially in frontline communities. These retrofits will lower utility bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve residents’ health, create good-paying local jobs, and help mitigate racial inequity. R2E2 will kick off with training sessions in January for state, local, and community teams on scaling up building energy retrofits and leveraging the unprecedented federal funding available from COVID-19 relief programs, the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and other sources. R2E2 is a partnership of the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Elevate, Emerald Cities Collaborative, and HR&A Advisors, with People’s Climate Innovation Center advising on centering equity in the project and its outcomes and on facilitating community-driven planning processes.
Learn more about Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity
Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program for Rural Areas
Low-interest direct loans, grants, or a combination of the two are available to develop essential community facilities (not including private, commercial, or business undertakings) in rural areas through the Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant program. The program is offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development. Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and/or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment, and pay related project expenses. Rural areas, including cities, villages, townships, and federally recognized tribal lands, with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census data, are eligible for this program. Applications for this program are accepted year-round.
Learn more about the Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant program
Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program
The Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program provides $10,000 in startup funding for resident-driven groups in small cities and towns to implement the Community Heart & Soul model. Community Heart & Soul engages a motivated and dedicated group of individuals to help your town identify what matters most. The grant program is specifically designed for small cities and towns with populations of 2,500 to 30,000. Grant funding requires a $10,000 cash match from the participating municipality or a partnering organization.