DEED’s Employment and Training Programs is seeking proposals from eligible organizations for the Targeted Community Capital Project competitive grant program. Eligible organizations who can submit a proposal are non-profit organizations or government entities. Proposals are due on December 6, 2021 at 5:00 pm. The Request For Proposals (RFP),  FAQ and a video presentation on the RFP are all available here.

The grant funds must be used for capital projects to improve or acquire a building or structure that, upon completion, will result in expanded access to economic development, education or workforce development programs and services for underserved or economically disadvantaged persons or groups.

Services provided, or established, to the identified communities through these funds, either alone or in partnership, must increase access to one or more of the following areas:

1. Economic Development, including but not limited to programs to relieve economic disparities or foster entrepreneurship or small business development. 
2. Education, including but not limited to programs focused on the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education, or culturally specific curriculum. 
3. Workforce development, including but not limited to apprenticeships, internships, employment preparation, job placement assistance, and job skills training and counseling and legal assistance to marginalized communities.   

Eligible costs include predesign, design, acquisition of land or buildings, construction, furnishing and equipping a new or renovated building with a result of increasing access to services for the targeted communities. More information about the eligible costs, examples of projects, and additional requirements are available in the RFP. We encourage all interested and eligible organizations to learn more.

Community Reviewers Needed

We are also seeking community members with experience in community development, capital projects, public financing, and economic development to serve as reviewers in our grantmaking process. We are committed to including additional community voices in our grantmaking and one way we can do that is to invite external community members to join our review panels.

We had a tremendous response from community members who joined review panels earlier this year, when we asked for people with some background in workforce development, education and training. For this grant round we are asking for people with a background in developing complex capital projects who could review proposals in December. Eligible reviewers will receive training and could be eligible for a small stipend. If you have a background in economic or community development projects or public financing, please consider applying for a volunteer role as a community reviewer for this round of grants. Our short application form can be found here. Please submit by November 28, 2021. If you have any questions, please email officeofeconomicopportunity@state.mn.us.

We are adapting our practices in a way that we believe will help us move forward toward our goal to drive an inclusive economic recovery. We remain committed to transparency and inclusion in our grantmaking processes and we are grateful for all the people who have participated with us.