Minnesota Streamlining

Minnesota promotes regular communication among state and federal funding agencies and active coordination of state and federal funding programs to streamline the process for small rural communities. First, all small communities are encouraged to submit project proposals for ranking on the clean water and drinking water Project Priority Lists (PPLs) regardless of the funding source they may be seeking. Placement on the PPLs is required for SRF and state grant programs administered by the Public Facilities Authority (PFA), and strongly encouraged for applicants to USDA Rural Development, the Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) and other funders. Funding agency officials communicate often and meet periodically to coordinate funding (informally called “Who’s Hot, Who’s Not” meetings). Through these meetings, proposed projects are reviewed to determine which program(s) are the best fit based on eligibility, project schedules, fund availability and grant need. Based on the “Who’s Hot” process, small communities are directed which program(s) to apply to. Most small communities under 1000 population are directed to apply to USDA Rural Development as the lead funder. Many of these projects often receive co-funding through state PFA grants, and may also receive co-funding from SCDP and other programs. Some larger projects may also receive SRF co-funding. Program staff share applications, engineering reports, and other project information to facilitate and streamline the application process. Through this coordinated co-funding process and ongoing communication among program staff, each program can maximize the impact of their funding while simplifying the process for the applicants.

For questions or more information, please contact Jeff Freeman at 651.259.7465 or e-mail Jeff at jeff.freeman@state.mn.us