The Minnesota Department of Commerce is seeking applications for the Minnesota State Competitiveness Fund (SCF), Minn. Stat. § 216C.391, which provides matching funds for eligible entities applying for eligible federal funding opportunities requiring a match.
This legislatively created program is intended to increase the competitiveness of Minnesota in securing federal funding. Awards from federal programs are critically important to ensuring the state's economy is strong and growing. Increasing competitiveness can be accomplished by improving productivity, improving competition, and improving investments. The SCF Matching Funds Program will enhance the ability of eligible entities, defined in Minn Stat. 216C.391, and Tribal Governments sharing geography within the borders of Minnesota to successfully compete for federal funds by providing matching funds.
The Minnesota State Legislature allocated $100,000,000 for Commerce to award grant funding to eligible Minnesota entities and projects to enhance the likelihood of these entities receiving federal funding awards. Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 216C.391 Commerce is soliciting proposals from eligible entities applying for federal funding opportunities requiring matching funds or applying for federal funding opportunities not requiring a match but for which a match would enhance the likelihood of the federal grant being funded.
This new round reflects an expanded amount of eligible federal awards, beyond the previous restriction of only accepting federal programs funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Projects selected for SCF Matching Funds must demonstrate that the project will help meet the state's clean energy and energy-related climate goals through renewable energy development, energy conservation, efficiency, or energy-related greenhouse gas reduction benefits.
The legislation stipulates the following:
- No single entity may receive grants totaling more than $15,000,000; and,
- At least $75,000,000 of the fund must be allocated for grant awards of less than $1,000,000.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are fully reserved. The full Request for Proposals (“RFP”) and required forms are available for download on Commerce’s RFP website at https://mn.gov/commerce/business/rfp.jsp. Applications must be submitted through Commerce’s grant submission portal. A link to the portal and instructions for submitting applications can be found in the RFP.