MWMO Awards Action Grants for Neighborhood Green Infrastructure Projects

Restoration Projects Planned for Nicollet Island, Mid-City Industrial

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) is pleased to announce that it has awarded funding for two Action Grants to support habitat and water quality improvement projects.

On March 14, the MWMO Board of Commissioners approved the latest round of Action Grant awards, which includes funding for two new projects in Minneapolis: $17,543 for Friends of the Riverfront for restoration work on Nicollet Island, and $50,000 for the Southeast Como Improvement Association for green infrastructure in the Mid-City Industrial Neighborhood.

Details on each project can be found below.

Action Grants are part of the MWMO’s Stewardship Fund program and are designed to support projects that are significant in scope and cost, and in which thorough planning has already taken place. All grant funding is awarded through a competitive process.

New Action Grant Projects

Nicollet Island Restoration (Phase II)

MWMO Funding: $17,543
Grantee: Friends of the Riverfront

A coalition of neighborhood, nonprofit, and local government partners will work to remove invasive species and add native plantings on Nicollet Island in Minneapolis. The project is an extension of ongoing restoration work by the same partners that began in 2017 and will provide both habitat and erosion control benefits. This new phase of the Nicollet Island restoration work will focus on two prairie and three forested areas on the northern and eastern portions of the island, as identified in the Nicollet Island Natural Resources Management Plan.

The project is intended to facilitate long-term stewardship by encouraging diverse community connections. Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) is planning volunteer events that will connect historically marginalized communities to this unique and history-rich place. MWMO funding will support the costs of the restoration materials, event educational materials and supplies, outreach expenses and volunteer coordinators, and ecological consultations.

Partners: Friends of the Mississippi River; Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; Nicollet Island — East Bank Neighborhood Association

CW Lofts Sustainable Master Plan Implementation

MWMO Funding: $50,000
Grantee: Southeast Como Improvement Association

The Southeast Como Improvement Association (SECIA) is partnering with residential condo property CW Lofts to install pollinator lawns and a large rain garden in the Mid-City Industrial Neighborhood of Minneapolis. The project will implement a Sustainable Master Plan developed by CW Lofts and funded by a 2018 MWMO Community Grant.

Action Grant funds will be used for labor and materials to replace four turfgrass areas with three low-mow fescue bee lawns and a rain garden. CW Lofts welcomes employees from the many area businesses to enjoy their green spaces, and the building’s resident community includes a gardening committee and others who will be active in the long-term maintenance of project.

Partners: CW Lofts; Studio Gro

Upcoming Grant Application Deadlines

Community Grants

Community Grants are available for short-term or small-scale water quality projects. The grant amount may not exceed $5,000. No matching funds are required.

Next application deadline: Friday, April 21, 2023

Learn more: https://www.mwmo.org/get-involved/stewardship-fund-grants/community-grants/

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Media Contact

Nick Busse, Communications Principal
Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
Direct: 612-746-4974
nbusse@mwmo.org

About the MWMO

The MWMO is a public organization that partners to protect and improve water and habitat in our urban watershed. We invest in people and infrastructure to support clean water, and provide knowledge, scientific data and expertise to help manage our vital water resources. mwmo.org