A smiling woman in business attire holds up a pair of large ribbon-cutting scissors after cutting the ribbon of a new rain garden at Central High School in Saint Paul. A crowd of people behind her are holding open umbrellas, and the stones surrounding the rain garden are wet with rain.

Planning Grants

CRWD’s Planning Grants provide financial assistance for feasibility and design of cost-effective and/or innovative clean water projects that protect and improve the water quality of waterbodies within CRWD. Typical projects funded through this program include feasibility studies and engineering services to identify, prioritize, and design capital improvement projects that include benefits to natural resources. Planning Grants will typically provide much of the information needed to apply for construction funds through CRWD’s Clean Water Project Grant.

Eligible applicants include public, private, and non-profit organizations working on a project located in CRWD. The average grant award is $10,000 – $20,000 and applications are accepted at any time.

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Grant Overview

Qualifying Applicants

Any resident, non-profit, school, business, or public agency within CRWD’s boundaries is encouraged to apply.

Project Eligibility

Eligible projects may include:

  • Feasibility studies that identify, evaluate, and prioritize opportunities to reduce stormwater pollution or otherwise benefit our water resources.
  • Professional design of cost-effective or innovative stormwater projects.

Projects must be located within CRWD and must include identification of public educational opportunities.

Grant Award Cost-Share

CRWD’s Planning Grants have minimum cost-share requirements.

  • Residential, public agencies and non-profits: minimum cost-share requirement of 5%
  • Businesses and other for-profit organizations: minimum cost-share requirement of 25%

Focus Area Grant Awards

CRWD is working to increase grant projects throughout the District with an emphasis on expansion in the Saint Anthony Hill, Trout Brook, and Phalen Creek subwatersheds. Those subwatersheds are a focus area because they have fewer grant projects than other portions of the District and they overlap with communities of historically underrepresented groups, including people of color, immigrants, younger generations, and those living in poverty. CRWD has adjusted cost-share requirements for the focus area to reduce barriers to participation and increase grant projects. Check the Focus Area Map to see if you qualify.

  • Residential: no minimum cost-share requirement
  • Public agencies and non-profits: minimum cost-share requirement of 5%
  • Businesses and other for-profit organizations: minimum cost-share requirement of 10%

Grant Awards

Average Planning Grant awards range from $10,000 – $20,000, but there is no set maximum or minimum grant award.

Timeline

Planning Grant projects must be completed by the date identified in the grant agreement, typically one year after the grant is awarded.

Deadline

Applications are accepted year-round.

More Information

View the Planning Grant Guidelines and Policies PDF, linked below, for more information on program qualifications, cost-share requirements, grantee responsibilities, and evaluation criteria.

Planning Grant Guidelines and Policies PDF

Apply for a Planning Grant

Reporting and Reimbursement

Reporting requirements are specific to each project and will be outlined in a grant agreement. Typically grant recipients are required to provide the results of their grant project (designs, final feasibility study, etc.) to be eligible for reimbursement. Reimbursements will be made within 60 days of CRWD staff verification of project completion.