BWSR offers a variety of competitive and noncompetitive grant programs to its local government partners. These funds may be appropriated through the Clean Water Fund, Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, the general fund, or direct appropriations.
When funding opportunities are available through BWSR, opportunities to submit competitive or noncompetitive funding requests will be listed on this page.
Clean Water Fund (CWF) Competitive Grants
The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is now seeking applications for its Clean Water Fund Competitive Grants program. The application period opens July 1 and closes September 9, 2019. More than $14 million in grants and over $20 million in loans are available for FY2020 to fund local projects to improve and protect water quality in lakes, rivers and drinking water sources throughout Minnesota.
Local government units (counties, watershed districts, watershed management organizations, soil & water conservation districts, and seven-county metro cities) or local government joint power boards are eligible to apply for funding.
Application deadline: September 9, 2019
- FY2020 CWF Competitive Grants RFP
- FY2020 CWF Competitive Grants Policy
- FY2020 CWF RFP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Multipurpose Drainage Management Budget Worksheet
- Projects & Practices - Supplemental Questions for Feedlot Projects
Training Videos:
- Module 1 -- FY20 CWF General Requirements and Procedures
- Module 2 -- FY20 CWF Grants and Loans Program Implementation
- Module 3 -- FY20 CWF Multipurpose Drainage Management
Wellhead Protection Partner Grants (Pilot)
The Wellhead Protection Partner Grants (Pilot) program will provide grants to local governments to establish perpetual or long-term protection (20 year minimum) of wellhead protection areas with very high or high vulnerability drinking water supplies where state-held easements are not viable or desirable. The grants will be used to achieve wellhead protection through easement, acquisition, or other long-term (20 year minimum) protection mechanism. The protection mechanism may allow for alternative land uses that protect groundwater while allowing the partner more flexibility than a state-held easement. Permanent protection mechanisms will be prioritized for funding over non-permanent protection.
Application deadline: August 23, 2019
CREP Outreach and Implementation
The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is accepting proposals from Minnesota Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) within the CREP project area for funding under the CREP Outreach and Implementation project (as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) and funded through the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). The purpose of the project is to accelerate staff capacity to deliver the MN CREP. These funds must supplement any existing Farm Bill Assistance (FBA) staff currently in place and may not be used as a substitute.
Application deadline: July 15, 2019