The Minnesota Department of Commerce, through its Energy Resource Division, has awarded 25 community organizations and Tribal Nations located across the state with a total of $6 million in grants to pursue federal clean energy funding opportunities. 

The local capacity grants are part of the State Competitiveness Fund established in the 2023 legislative session. The grants will support entities in Greater Minnesota and Tribal Governments with technical assistance and grant-writing capacity in order to compete for grants from federal programs established in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IIJA and IRA encompass a wide range of investments in clean energy and climate change that state and local entities can apply for.  

“Local and tribal communities across Minnesota have bold and innovative ideas for their clean energy futures. With these grants, Commerce is supporting these communities to take action now,” said Commerce Commissioner Grace Arnold.  “This announcement is one of the many ways that Commerce is helping Minnesotans to leverage the billions in Federal clean energy funds.”

The local capacity grants range from $100,000 to $290,000, and each grant is issued with a priority to support applications that pursue federal funding to serve disadvantaged communities. The grants are available for a 3-year period. The 25 grant recipients include: 

• All 10 of Minnesota’s regional development commissions 
• Four Tribal Nations and the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association 
• Six nonprofit organizations with clean energy or climate justice initiatives  
• Three utility groups: Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, Minnesota Rural Electric Association, Great River Energy 
• One educational institution, the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs 

More details in list of recipients.

Plans for the grants are primarily focused on bringing in grant writing expertise that communities and tribes do not have. One grant applicant wrote, “Smaller cities and towns are often staffed with employees that wear multiple hats, which may not include grant-writing experience. Therefore it makes it challenging to apply for state and federal funding...”

The grants will also be used for grantees to engage their communities to determine what kinds of federal clean energy grant proposals to pursue. For the regional development commissions, that involves engaging multiple counties, dozens of cities and towns, schools and businesses. 

The University of Minnesota Humphrey School’s Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (CSTEP) plans to use its grant to leverage the Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center resources and network that CSTEP is establishing and to expand grant-writing technical support. 

Additional Resources: 

• State Competitiveness Fund  
• Commerce’s Energy Resources Division

Connect with the Minnesota Commerce Department
Get updates and news from the Minnesota Department of Commerce by following Commerce at mn.gov/commerce or @MNCommerce on social media.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mo Schriner, Director of Communications  
Minnesota Department of Commerce 
mo.schriner@state.mn.us