Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program Grants

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Minnesota’s Lake Superior coastal program is soliciting applications by Nov. 6 for its 2014 annual grant cycle.

Up to $450,000 will be available for projects that preserve, restore and enhance Minnesota’s coastal resources, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR’s Ecological and Water Resources Division administers the coastal program.

Grants are available in four project areas: coastal habitat protection and restoration; public access and historic preservation; community and natural resource planning; and coastal education and training.

Each year the coastal program offers federally-funded grants for projects that address coastal issues. These projects help achieve regional and state goals for managing the land and water resources in the coastal area.

Eligible to apply are local and state governmental entities and nonprofit groups working in the state’s coastal area, which includes portions of the lower St. Louis River, its estuary, Lake Superior and the North Shore.

Applicants are required to match 50 percent of the total project costs. Individual requests can vary, but no more than $100,000 per request will be awarded. Applications for community and natural resources planning and coastal education and training grants with up to $20,000 in total project costs may be eligible for a reduced match amount of 25 percent.

Grant funding is available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.

Application materials are available online. Interested applicants can also request information in alternative formats by contacting Karla Sundberg, grants specialist, at 218-834-1447 or karla.sundberg@state.mn.us.

source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources