Grant applications for environmental remediation projects are periodically offered by Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the Metropolitan Council, and Hennepin County. The City works with potential applicants to review proposed projects and submit to the grantors the applications that reflect the best combination of development potential, consistency with City and neighborhood plans, job and/or affordable housing creation, and sustainable construction practices.

For a property or project located within Minneapolis, the City must (in most cases) be the official applicant, and/or the City Council must approve a resolution in support of the application, for that application to be considered by the grantors. However, the grant application must be prepared by the owner/developer that is seeking the funding. The pre-application process outlined below is designed to generate the City Council resolution of support required by the grantors.

Program goals

The goals of the City’s brownfield program are:

• Providing sites for living-wage jobs to Minneapolis residents
• Providing sites for new housing options
• Increasing the tax base
• Improving environmental conditions
• Solidifying and strengthening intergovernmental cooperation, and increasing efficiency in delivery of community services
• Recycling city sites to maximize use of existing infrastructure

Amount of grant funding available

The final application deadline for the next brownfield grant round is May 1, 2024. DEED typically makes about $4 million in brownfield grant funding available per round. The Metropolitan Council usually awards about $2.5 million per round. Hennepin County typically awards between $1 million and $1.5 million.

Brownfield Grant Funding Sources (general information)

• Contamination Investigation and Cleanup Program grants
  Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
• Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA) and Seeding Equitable Economic Development (SEED) grants
  Metropolitan Council
• Environmental Response Fund (ERF) grants
  Hennepin County
• 2019 Comparison of Competitive State, Regional and County Brownfield Financial Resources

General background information about Brownfields

The Environmental Protection Agency defines brownfields as “abandoned, idled or underused industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.” The additional costs, time and uncertainty associated with redevelopment often make businesses and developers hesitant to consider these sites without public involvement. Minneapolis is a recognized leader in working with county, regional and state funding and regulatory agencies to address these concerns and successfully return brownfields to productive uses.

Examples of brownfields the City has prepared for productive use include:

• properties in North Washington Jobs Park (former railroad yards in the Seward South Industrial Park)
• a site in northeast Minneapolis that is now the Quarry Shopping Center
• former rail yards in the Mill Quarter and the Minneapolis Riverfront District that are being redeveloped for riverfront housing and other uses

City staff members have also assisted with the cleanup of scattered sites throughout Minneapolis. 

Related links

• Brownfield Grants
  • Pre-application process
  • Grant fees
  • Completed projects