Minnesota Legislature
2023 Proposal & Funding Process
On May 18, 2023, the Legislature approved 85 projects for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) and the Great Lakes Protection Account (GLPA), as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Legislature also added one additional appropriation using unspent funds from a previous project. On May 24, 2023, the 86 appropriations were signed into law by the Governor as M.L. 2023, Chapter 60, Article 2, with $79,644,000 from the ENRTF, $176,000 recaptured from a prior fiscal year, and $189,000 from the GLPA, for $80,009,000 in total appropriations. As of August 30, 2022, the Legislative‐Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) has selected 85 projects totaling $79,833,000 to recommend to the 2023 Minnesota Legislature for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) and the Great Lakes Protection Account (GLPA). In response to LCCMR’s 2023 Request for Proposal (RFP), 174 proposals requesting a total of approximately $164 million were received and considered through a competitive, multi‐stage evaluation. The following recommendations range from funding the full proposal and dollar amount requested to partial funding for specific proposal elements
For the FY 2024 and FY 2025 biennium (July 1, 2023 ‐June 30, 2025), approximately $79 million is available each year for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and approximately $189,000 is available from the Great Lakes Protection Account. As of May 26, 2021, the Legislative‐Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) received 174 proposals requesting a total of approximately $164 million. This RFP process is for funding beginning July 1, 2023. As of May 26, 2022, the Legislative‐Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) received 174 proposals requesting a total of approximately $164 million. The amount available for appropriation from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) for the FY 2024 and FY 2025 biennium (July 1, 2023 ‐June 30, 2025) will be determined after June 30, 2022. This RFP process is for funding beginning July 1, 2023.M.L. 2023 Project Appropriations
2023 Project Recommendations
2023 Proposals Selected for Presentations
LCCMR reviews and evaluates all proposals against their 10 adopted evaluation criteria. On July 25, members selected 85 proposals requesting a total of approximately $86 million to invite in for a presentation before the LCCMR on August 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17 in order to receive further consideration. On August 30, the LCCMR will meet to make final selection and funding allocation decisions. These selected projects will be presented to the 2023 Minnesota Legislature as the official LCCMR recommendations for spending from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and Great Lakes Protection Account.
Proposals Selected for Presentations
Summary and Process
2023 Proposals Received
2023 Request for Proposal (RFP)
We will update this page if any changes are made to our proposal or process. Subscribe to our email list to have updates about any changes delivered to your inbox.
DEADLINE: CLOSED as of Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 4:30PM
The LCCMR's 2023 Request for Proposal (RFP) for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund was issued on March 25, 2022. Approximately $70 million is anticipated to be available from the lottery-generated fund through this RFP for projects beginning July 1, 2023. Funding from the Great Lakes Protection Account is also available through this RFP.
All proposals must be submitted through the LCCMR Proposal and Grant Management System. No proposals submitted as PDFs, Word, or Excel files will be accepted. Please register for an account early to avoid any last minute issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can I contact with questions?If you have questions about the various fields within the online system, please first consult the help bubbles and any drop down options for fields within the system. If you continue to need assistance or have other questions, please email LCCMR staff with details about your inquiry. Staff have limited availability for conversations about projects. New proposers will be prioritized.
How does the proposal submission system work? How will I know what to do?We strongly encourage proposers get registered in our proposal submission system as soon as possible. Please take some time to review the proposal screens. You’ll notice that there are help bubbles and drop down menus in many places that may answer many of your questions.
Who should create the proposal in the online system?While online collaboration is possible, it is critical that the person who will submit the proposal is the person who initially creates the proposal in the LCCMR Proposal and Grant Management System.
Can I work with other people on my proposal?Yes, you can collaborate with others on your proposal by clicking the “Select Action” pulldown menu and choosing the “Delegate Access” function. Collaborators must register within the system first. Collaborators may edit the proposal but do not have the ability to submit the proposal. Therefore, please make sure whomever starts the proposal is the project manager and is authorized to submit the proposal.
Can I fill out a Word document and Excel file like in previous years? Can I fill out the PDF provided on your website?The LCCMR will only be accepting proposals submitted through our online system. No proposals formatted as PDFs, Word, or Excel files will be accepted. The PDF on the website is for reference purposes only. If you need assistance, please contact staff immediately.
Have the proposal requirements changed this year?No, none of the requirements have changed. However, we have built our online system to display a different set of fields depending on what type of organization you represent and what type of project you are proposing. Not all requirements are applicable to all organizations and project types. Required fields will be indicated within the system.
Can I print my proposal?You can print out your draft proposal at any time from within the system. You can also print the final version that you submit.
Is there a draft proposal review process this year?We have done draft proposal review in the past. For various reasons we do not have a draft review process this year. Staff have limited availability for conversations about projects. Please email LCCMR staff with details about your inquiry. New proposers will be prioritized.
Can you provide a quick overview of proposal contents before I register for an account?For your planning purposes only, we are providing PDFs of the online system fields below. Please do not use these forms for your submission. We will only accept proposals that have been entered into the system.
2023 Proposal and Appropriation Timeline
The expected proposal and funding process timeline for the 2023 RFP is detailed below. Check the LCCMR calendar for the most up-to-date information on important process dates.
| DATE RANGE | ACTIVITY or EVENT |
|---|---|
| March 22, 2022 | Funding priorities determined and 2023 RFP adopted |
| March 25, 2022 | 2023 RFP issued |
| May 26, 2022 | Final submission deadline for proposals responding to 2023 RFP |
| July 2022 | All submitted proposals distributed to LCCMR members for review, evaluation, and ranking |
| July 25, 2022 | A subset of high-ranking proposals selected for further consideration and invited to give presentations before the LCCMR |
| August 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17, 2022 | Selected proposals present before the LCCMR |
| August 30, 2022 |
Subset of proposals selected for recommendation to the Legislature for funding |
| September - November 2022 | Projects recommended for funding begin submitting work plans for LCCMR staff review and research projects recommended for funding undergo peer review |
| December 2022 | Funding recommendations are adopted by the LCCMR in legislative bill format, as they will be presented to the Legislature |
| January - May 2023 |
LCCMR recommendations presented to the Legislature for consideration via introduction as an appropriations bill Bill is considered and acted upon by the Minnesota House and Senate Upon passage, the bill goes before the governor to be signed into law |
| June 2023 | LCCMR approves work plans for projects funded |
| July 2023 | Minnesota DNR sends grant agreements to non-state agencies receiving ENRTF funds |
| July 1, 2023 | Money from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund becomes available for expenditure and approved projects can begin |