Applications are currently being accepted for approximately $36 million in unreserved funds. This funding round will remain open until all remaining SCF Matching Funds are reserved. Please refer to the MN Commerce RFP page for more information and to apply.

The Minnesota State Competitiveness Fund (SCF) Matching Funds Program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. This program was created by the Minnesota state legislature in 2023 through Minn. Stat. § 216C.391 and provides matching funds for eligible entities applying for approved federal funding opportunities requiring a match or whose federal application would benefit from matching funds. This legislatively created program is intended to increase the competitiveness of Minnesota organizations in securing federal funding.SCF map 042126

Previously restricted to only include funding from the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA, aka the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as of June 2025 any pre-approved, eligible federal funding opportunity that helps to reach State of Minnesota Clean Energy and Climate Action Framework goals is eligible to apply for the SCF Matching Funds program. View the current list of eligible federal opportunities here. To request a federal grant opportunity to be added to this list, please complete this form.

Applications are currently being accepted for approximately $36 million in unreserved funds for requests that are less than $1 million. This funding round will remain open until all remaining SCF Matching Funds are reserved. Please refer to the MN Commerce RFP page for more information and to apply.

Projects selected for the SCF Matching Funds program must demonstrate that the project will help meet the state's clean energy and energy-related climate goals through renewable energy development, energy conservation, efficiency or energy-related greenhouse gas reduction benefits.

The legislation stipulates:

  • No single entity may receive grants totaling more than $15,000,000; and,
  • At least $75,000,000 of the fund must be allocated for grant awards of less than $1,000,000.

Successful applicants to the SCF Matching Funds program receive a reservation for state funds to assist with costs of their federally funded project. The funds become available to awardees once MN Commerce receives confirmation that the applicant has received the federal award associated with their SCF Matching Funds application. As of the announcement of the Round 5, Batch 1 reservation recipients, 130 projects have received fund reservations averaging approximately $773,000 and ranging from $29,000 to $10 million. The full list of entities selected can be found by clicking on the Legislative Advisory Commission (LAC) notification reports that are linked below.

SCF Matching Fund Awardees in the News