Groups
that want to restore, protect or enhance public land can apply for Conservation
Partners Legacy (CPL) grants that help pay for work on Minnesota prairies,
forests, wetlands or other habitat for fish and wildlife.
Nonprofit
organizations and government entities are eligible to submit applications for
traditional and metro grant cycles until 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, on the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website at mndnr.gov/cpl.
Projects
must be on public land or land permanently protected by conservation easements.
Applicants may request up to $400,000 with a total project cost not exceeding
$575,000. Projects also must have a 10 percent match from a source outside a
state agency.
In
its first eight years of funding, over $44 million has been granted through the
CPL program for habitat projects throughout Minnesota. Funding comes from the
Outdoor Heritage Fund, which was created after voters approved the Clean Water,
Land and Legacy Amendment in 2008.
Three
types of CPL grants
For
fiscal year 2018, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council recommended
allocating $4.5 million for the traditional grant cycle, $2.6 million for the
metro grant cycle (for projects located in the seven-county metro area or
within the city limits of Duluth, St. Cloud and Rochester) and $1.5 million for
the Expedited Conservation Projects (ECP) grant cycle. The ECP cycle is open
continuously through May 11, 2018, or until funds run out, with the first
funding round due Sept. 25.
More
information about the three grant types can be found at mndnr.gov/cpl. Potential
applicants are encouraged to review the request for proposal and the “how to
apply” tab on the website, which guides users through the application process.
Questions
can be directed to: Jessica Lee, CPL grant program coordinator for the DNR, jessica.lee@state.mn.us
or 651-259-5233.