Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program: Tier 1

The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, led by The Minneapolis Foundation, supports community-based nonprofits in the Great Lakes region. With a focus on underserved communities, grants will total $40 million over three years, aiming to enhance environmental health, education, and resilience. The program prioritizes applications from federally recognized tribes and organizations with limited budgets, fostering inclusive community engagement and sustainable development. Eligible projects include environmental assessments, public health initiatives, and job training.

The Minneapolis Foundation
The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.
Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program
In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.
Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and EngagementTier 2: Community Education and PlanningTier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.
You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.
Program Goal
The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute $40 million to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.
The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.
Issue Areas
Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:
Environmental healthAir, soil, and water qualityHealthy homesAccess to healthy foodStormwater and green infrastructureEmergency preparednessDisaster resilienceEnvironmental job training
Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
Tier 1 awards are one-year grants of up to $150,000 for assessment and engagement efforts that increase understanding of the breadth, depth, or impact of local environmental or public health issues. These grants are limited to capacity-constrained and entry-level applicants, as determined by the information you submit in the intake form. These grants will be paid on a milestone basis: 50% up front and 50% at the midway point, upon completion of agreed-upon milestones.
Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
GIS mappingAir quality sensor purchasing and sitingAir, water, or soil sampling, testing, and monitoringResearch, surveys, and studiesPower mapping, public engagement, and public education to improve collective understanding of community challenges, needs, and opportunities.
Through a noncompetitive process, we will also award grants of up to $75,000 to capacity constrained communities and community-based organizations under Tier One.
You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects.

Eligibility

All applicants must be eligible entities, as defined below, which operate in Region 5 of the EPA, an area that includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 36 federally recognized tribal nations. Eligible applicants include: Tribal governments (both federally and state-recognized) and intertribal consortia (i.e., a partnership between two or more tribes that work together to achieve a common objective) Native American and Indigenous organizations, including groups, cooperatives, nonprofit corporations, partnerships, and associations that have the authority to enter into legally binding agreementsCommunity-based and grassroots nonprofit organizationsPhilanthropic and civic organizations with 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonprofit statusLocal governments (as defined by 2 CFR 200.1), including cities, towns, municipalities, counties, public housing authorities, and councils of governmentPublic school districts can apply for TCGM grants.Non profit charter schools can apply directly via their 501(c)(3) eligibility status.Institutions of higher education, including private, public, and community colleges and universitiesEligible projects must focus their budget, efforts, and benefits in one or more areas considered disadvantaged. You can determine whether an area is considered disadvantaged by using the EPA's EJScreen.

Ineligibility

Individual public schools cannot apply directly.