News / March 15, 2021

MWMO Awards Funding for Four New Action Grant Projects

Allina Health, Children’s Dental Services, Kingfield Neighborhood Association and University Baptist Church Receive Funding for Environmental Stewardship Projects.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) announced today that it has awarded four new Action Grants for projects that will help protect water quality and improve habitat in the MWMO watershed. Grantees include Allina Health, Children’s Dental Services, the Kingfield Neighborhood Association, and University Baptist Church.

Part of the MWMO’s Stewardship Fund Grant program, Action Grants support the implementation of technically-sound project designs with educational aspects that will help improve water quality through pollutant removal, effective public education, or other creative ways that encourage stewardship of our water resources.

Grant funding is awarded through a competitive process. In addition to Action Grants, the MWMO Stewardship Fund Program includes Community and Planning Grants. Larger-scale projects may be eligible for funding through the Capital Project Grants program (details below).

New Action Grant Projects

Abbott Northwestern Hospital Transportation Hub – $50,000

Grantee: Allina Health

Allina Health will add native, pollinator-friendly plantings and educational signage to the grounds of its new transportation hub at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, in the Midtown Phillips Neighborhood of Minneapolis. The new landscaping will cover a steep, 5,000-square-foot slope that borders the Midtown Greenway and is currently occupied by untended weeds. The grant will support design and installation of the new pollinator habitat, pollinator surveys led by the University of St. Thomas, and site interpretation and engagement opportunities.

Partners: University of St. Thomas

Children’s Dental Services Permeable Parking Lot at 636 Broadway St NE – $50,000

Grantee: Children’s Dental Services

Children’s Dental Services, a nonprofit dental care provider for low-income families, will reconstruct the parking lot at its 636 Broadway Street NE office in the St. Anthony East Neighborhood of Minneapolis. The rebuilt lot will feature a permeable paver design that will infiltrate stormwater runoff, enhance the site’s aesthetics, and improve accessibility for visitors. The grant will also support on-site educational and interpretive programming. Children’s Dental Services received a Stewardship Fund Planning Grant in 2020 to design the project and initiate outreach and engagement activities. The project builds on partnerships and knowledge forged during a similar water quality project at Children’s Dental Services’ East Hennepin Avenue facility.

Partners: Alm Design Studio, Urban Ecosystems

The Sundial Building Water Management and Reuse Demonstration Project – $49,825.00

Grantee: Kingfield Neighborhood Association

This project will implement innovative stormwater management strategies at a planned 12-unit, multi-family apartment building on a vacant 0.16-acre lot in the Kingfield Neighborhood in Minneapolis. This site falls beneath the city’s size threshold for stormwater management requirements and will serve as an example of above-and-beyond green building strategies for buildings sites on small lots with a high percentage of impervious cover. This grant will support construction of the project, including tanks for water reuse and raingardens, and development of educational and interpretive materials. The Kingfield Neighborhood Association received a Stewardship Fund Planning Grant in 2020 to design the project and initiate education and engagement efforts.

Partners: Heirloom Properties

University Baptist Church Rain Gardens – $50,000

Grantee: University Baptist Church

Located in the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood of Minneapolis, University Baptist Church plans to install a series of rock swales and raingardens that will divert stormwater runoff away from its century-old foundation and infiltrate it into the ground. This grant will support construction of raingardens and education and outreach associated with the project. University Baptist Church received a Stewardship Fund Planning Grant in 2019 to evaluate existing conditions, develop a concept plan, and complete the technical drawings.

Partners: First Congregational Church of Minnesota, Gaia Democratic School, Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association, St. Lawrence Newman Center, Twin Cities Shape Note Singers, University Lutheran Church of Hope

Deadlines Approaching for Other MWMO Grant Programs

The MWMO is currently accepting applications for new Community Grants and Action Grants through its Stewardship Fund. The MWMO is also accepting applications for Capital Project Grants.

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.

Application Deadline: Friday, April 2, 2021, by 4:30 p.m.

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

Action Grants

Action Grants help organizations implement water quality and habitat improvement projects significant in scope and cost. These projects must demonstrate that thorough planning for the proposed project has already taken place. The grant amount may not exceed $50,000. Matching funds are required.

Next Application Deadline: Friday, November 5, 2021, by 4:30 p.m.

Learn more: http://www.mwmo.org/get-involved/stewardship-fund-grants/action-grants/

Capital Project Grants

Capital Project Grants are available to support large-scale, innovative projects greater than $50,000 that protect or improve water quality and habitat within the MWMO watershed.

Next Application Deadline: Friday, April 23, 2021, by 4:30 p.m.

Learn more: https://www.mwmo.org/get-involved/capital-project-grants/

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