Climate Donor Table: Virtual Meeting

Please join us for a virtual meeting of the Minnesota Climate Donor Table Meeting regarding the Community Grant program of the Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund.

The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) is one of Minnesota’s foundational programs for our Great Outdoors, using Lottery funds to pay for environment and conservation projects across the state. It has provided $900 million in funding to over 1,700 projects. However, only 18% of funds have gone to nonprofit organizations, since receiving a grant is a highly technical, 17-month long process.

The 2023 Legislature created a new tool for smaller organizations and projects to access the ENRTF: the Community Grants Program. The aim of the program is to reduce administrative barriers and that have historically made access to the ENRTF difficult for many black, brown, indigenous, and rural community members. About $28 million a year will be available for smaller nonprofits, Tribes, and BIPOC-led organizations.

The program will launch in 2026. Environmental justice leaders and mainstream environmental groups support the design of an inclusive, equitable, and just grant program that provides funds to historically excluded communities and organizations and involves those communities in the implementation of the program.

Agenda

• Introductions & Welcome
• Background Information
  • Don Hickman, Initiative Foundation
• Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund’s Community Grant Program
  • Mike Harley, executive director of Environmental Initiative
  • Cecilia Calvo, Senior Director of Environmental Research with Rainbow Research.
• Questions & Discussion
• Adjourn

Minnesota Climate Donor Table events are open to any MCF member who is interested in funding within the climate focus area. Prior participation in the Climate Donor Table is not required. Additional details will be provided ahead of the event. Please reach out to Dave Anderson with questions, [email protected].