This FAQ section is intended to assist applicants in understanding the key elements of the Clean Water Legacy Partners Request for Proposal (RFP) and contains common questions that have been asked by previous grant applicants. BWSR staff will update the list weekly as new questions are received. You may submit questions at cwfquestions@state.mn.us.
Last updated 2/18/2026
#1. Q: Who is eligible for funding?
A: Nonprofit organizations, Tribal Governments, the 1854 Treaty Authority, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission are eligible.
#2. Q: Where can I find resources on how to submit the RFP?
A: Guidance on submitting a funding request can be found by watching the video eLINK Guidance: Creating and Submitting a Funding Request in eLINK. Guidance about Activities can be found on the eLINK Guidance: Managing Activities page. An Application Guide is located along with the RFP on the Apply for BWSR Grants webpage.
#3. Q: How much are grant requests?
A: Grant requests can be between $50,000 and $250,000.
#4. Q: Can organizations submit more than one application, or more than one application for the maximum amount?
A: Yes
#5. Q: When does the RFP open and close?
A: The RFP period is from February 18 until May 19. Applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on May 19 to be considered for funding.
#6. Q: What Activities can the grant funds be used for?
A: Eligible activities can include, but are not limited to, structural practices and projects, non-structural practices, education and information, project development, grant administration and coordination, and project support. Technical and engineering assistance necessary to implement these activities are considered essential and are to be included in the total project or practice cost. Questions about eligible activities can be directed to cwfquestions@state.mn.us.
#7. Q: Do tribal governments have to submit financial information to BWSR?
A: Tribal government do not need to provide financial information to BWSR.
#8. Q: What financial documents need to be submitted by Nonprofits?
A: Nonprofit applicants must submit a completed “Pre-Award Nonprofit Form” available on the Apply for BWSR Grants webpage. Related documentation requested may include but is not limited to a copy of the nonprofit’s most recent Form 990 or Form 990-EZ, most recent certified financial audit, and confirmation of good standing with the Office of the Secretary of State.
#9. Q: When is the Pre-Award Financial Capacity Review form required to be submitted by Nonprofit applicants?
A: Completed Pre-Award Nonprofit Forms and related documentation must be submitted to BWSR.grants@state.mn.us prior to the application deadline of May 19, 2026.
#10. Q: Can financial documents be submitted on eLink?
A: No. Nonprofit financial documents cannot be attached using eLINK. They must be sent via email to BWSR.grants@state.mn.us.
#11. Q: The RFP stipulates that nonprofits are eligible. Does this apply to 501c4 organizations or only 501c3 organizations?
A: Nonprofits are one of the eligible applicant types for this grant. A 501c4 is a type of NGO, so are eligible to apply. Non-governmental/nonprofit organizations and tribal organizations are eligible for this funding.
#12. Can an NGO/Nonprofit apply for a grant and have a LGU be the fiscal agent?
A: Yes, we suggest that a subcontract/sub-agreement be used, and the ultimate fiscal responsibility lies with the grantee.
#13. Q: Are Lake Improvement Districts (LIDs) eligible to apply for the Clean Water Legacy Partners grant program?
A: A LID is a local government unit (see MN Statute 103B.501 and MN Rule 6115.0900-9080), therefore they are not eligible to be the applicant for the Clean Water Legacy Partners grant program. A Lake Improvement District would be able to provide local match for a grant.
#14.Q: What are the character limits for application questions?
A: Most of the questions within the application have a 2,000-character limit (approximately 300 words), including spaces. If you choose to develop your responses outside of eLINK, e.g. in Word, note that programs may count the characters differently due to differences in how the characters are encoded. Note that space is considered a character in eLINK.
#15. Q: Why did I get an error message saying one of the application fields was empty after I entered the required data and then tried to submit the application?
A: You must save the information on the application before submitting. It may be necessary to scroll to the top or bottom of the page to bring the “Save” button into view. If you save while one of narrative questions is blank, the placeholder text “Not Entered” will be inserted.
#16. Q: Help! I lost some of the narrative portions of my application after I saved the information!
A: Each of the narrative questions within the application has a 2,000-character limit. If you plan to develop responses to the application questions in Word, be aware the character count in eLINK may be different, and your narrative may be automatically trimmed to fit the eLINK character limit. The application must be submitted through eLINK.
#17. Q: Can I make changes to a submitted application during the RFP open period?
A: Yes. You will need to click Withdraw Request, make your updates and then “Submit” the funding request. Please note that failure to change the status back to “Submitted” will not capture any changes for review team, and applications not in “Submitted” status at the time the RFP closes will not be considered for funding.
#18. Q: Can I access my earlier grant applications even if they were not funded?
A: Yes, you can access them by logging into eLINK and navigating to "Request Funds" in the left menu, then clicking on "Funding Requests". You will need to check the “Include closed request” box to search for your previous application(s).
#19. Q: When attempting to submit my application, I get a message stating, “For each activity, you must either check the box verifying that there are no pollution reduction estimates associated with the Activity or enter proposed indicators.” What do I need to do?
A: Within the Application Budget tab, you will either need to ensure that the “Check here if this activity does not include proposed pollution reduction estimates” is checked on the Add New Proposed Activity screen or within the Edit Proposed Activity” screen (pencil icon) or enter proposed indicators within the “Edit Indicators” screen (blue diamond icon). If your project will include on the ground practices resulting in pollution reductions, indicators must be entered. Within the Application Budget tab, you will either need to ensure that the “Check here if this activity does not include proposed pollution reduction estimates” is checked on the Add New Proposed Activity screen or within the Edit Proposed Activity” screen (pencil icon) or enter proposed indicators within the “Edit Indicators” screen (blue diamond icon).
#20. Q: I have entered proposed indicators within the Application Activities. Why do I also need to provide a narrative summary of “Proposed Measurable Outcomes”?
A: BWSR is required to report proposed and actual outcomes on the Legislative Coordinating Commission’s Legacy website. While grantees report proposed and actual outcomes in eLINK at the activity detail level, the LCC requires this data to be bundled into a 250-character summary for the entire grant include on the ground practices resulting in pollution reductions, indicators must be entered.
#21. Q: What can be used for in-kind cash value as match?
A: Match includes the services, materials, or cash contributed to the accomplishment of grant objectives. In-kind cash value must be directly attributed to the project or activity accomplishments and account for the same as items charged directly to the grant. Activities listed as ineligible activities in the RFP may not be counted towards match. Use the following guidance when considering in-kind cash value:
- Local staff and administrative costs in excess of the reporting and grant management, project development, or technical and engineering components of the grant funds received are ineligible.
You can’t charge more to the grant for a conservation project than what it costs to do the work. This includes the cost of materials, design, technical assistance, and installation. Even if you're using matching funds from another source, the total amount covered can't go over the real cost of the project.
If you're using the value of land as part of your match, that’s only allowed in specific situations. The land must be used for a conservation project that includes actual construction or installation (like a pond, wetland, or filter strip). Plus, the land use must be changed, for example, from farming to conservation, with protecting water as the main goal for how the land will be used from now on.
#22. Q: Can loan or grant funds from other state programs be used as match?
A: Loan funds from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) Clean Water Partnership (CWP) Program, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s AgBMP Program and Public Facilities Authority’s water programs may be used as match. Any state grant funds may not be used as match.
Contact
To submit questions please email us at cwfquestions@state.mn.us.
For Further Information Contact BWSR NGO/Tribal Grants Specialists
Melissa Sjolund at melissa.sjolund@state.mn.us or Ara Gallo at ara.gallo@state.mn.us