OutdoorMN News - Applications open for nearly $7 million in Legacy grants

[Rick]

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 now until 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 9, on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website on the grant program page.

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 must also have a 10 percent match from a source outside a state agency.

In its first seven years of funding, nearly $38 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 2017, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council recommended allocating $3.35 million for the traditional grant cycle, $2.5 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 million for the Expedited Conservation Projects (ECP) grant cycle. The ECP cycle is open continuously through May 12, 2017, or until funds run out, with the first funding round due Sept. 9.

More information about the three grants can be found on the grant program page. 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, [email protected] or 651-259-5233.

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