AVAILABLE NOW: Membership application for new advisory council
The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Community Grant Program Advisory Council membership application period is now open. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on April 10.
This new advisory council will provide strategic guidance and recommendations to inform the DNR’s implementation of the recently authorized ENRTF Community Grant Program. By reviewing grant policies and guidelines, program structures, and recipient and program/project eligibility criteria and guidelines, the council will promote transparency, accessibility, equity and effectiveness in the allocation of ENRTF Community Grant Program resources.
How to apply
If you are already registered on the Engage with DNR website, you can access the application without following instructions below.
To register on the Engage with DNR website, follow these instructions:
Go to the Engage with DNR homepage.
On the website, click on “Register” in the upper righthand side.
After clicking on “register,” create your personal account. This is required.
Sign in to your new account.
Access the the application. You can return to your saved application anytime by signing in to your account.
Complete and submit the application.
ENRTF Community Grants Program
Background
The ENRTF Community Grant Program was established in statute in 2023 to provide grants “for the benefit of current residents and future generations” (Minnesota Statutes, chapter 116X). Since 1988, a voter-approved amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution has dedicated state lottery proceeds to the ENRTF (Minn. Const. art. XI, sec. 14).
In the 2024 General Election, Minnesota voters approved an extension of the Constitutional dedication of state lottery proceeds to the ENRTF. That General Election vote of approval triggered the provisions of Minn. Statutes, chapter 116X and granted the Minnesota Legislature the option to appropriate up to 1.5% of the market value of the ENRTF to the DNR for the ENRTF Community Grant Program each fiscal year.
ENRTF Community Grants must:
Be used for purposes authorized under Minn. Constit. art. XI, sec. 14.
Expand the number and diversity of recipients who benefit from ENRTF, especially in communities that have been adversely affected by pollution and environmental degradation.
ENRTF Community Grants may be awarded only for the following purposes (Minnesota Statutes, chapter 116X) :
Helping adversely impacted communities respond to environmental degradation and related health concerns.
Educating and raising awareness related to stewardship of air, land, water, forests, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.
Preserving or enhancing air, land, water, and other natural resources that otherwise may be substantially impaired or destroyed in any area of the state.
Maintaining and improving trails on existing state, regional, or local trails. No money allocated under this clause may be used to construct new trails or new trail segments.
Managing aquatic invasive species.
ENRTF Community Grants Advisory Council
Purpose
Minnesota Statute, section 116X.05 establishes the framework for the ENRTF Community Grant Program Advisory Council. The advisory council’s purpose is to provide strategic guidance and recommendations that enhance the management and distribution of ENRTF Community Grants. By reviewing grant policies and guidelines, program structures, and recipient and program/project eligibility, the council will promote transparency, accessibility, equity and effectiveness in the allocation of ENRTF Community Grant Program resources.
Responsibilities
The advisory council must:
Advise the commissioner on developing forms and applications and reporting for grants awarded under the grant program.
Review proposed grant program policies and budgets for the upcoming year.
Propose changes to the grant program, as needed.
Review other relevant information.
Make recommendations to the legislature and the commissioner for improving management of the grant program.
Review and advise on recipient eligibility.
The commissioner will provide the council with the information necessary to perform its duties.
Membership
The DNR commissioner will appoint at least 14 members, and no more than the statutory maximum of 19 members, to the advisory council. The final number of members appointed will depend upon what the DNR commissioner determines is necessary to ensure that the advisory council is sufficiently representative of various Minnesota communities. Before appointing members, the DNR commissioner will consult with the commissioners of Health and the Pollution Control Agency on proposed appointees.
Advisory council membership will align with the criteria established in statute, which state that the advisory council members must be Minnesota residents and must include:
Two enrolled members of an Ojibwe Tribal Nation that lies within Minnesota boundaries; and
Two enrolled members of a Dakota Tribal Nation that lies within Minnesota boundaries; and
Four members who identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian or Pacific Islander, or as members of a community of color.
Collectively, advisory council membership must include individuals with specific experience, including:
Experience or expertise in the science, policy, or practice of the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources, including expertise in understanding the cultural context in which these activities are undertaken from the perspective of Tribal communities.
A strong knowledge of environment and natural resource issues around the state, including those that are of particular importance to Tribal communities.
A demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative environment.
Grant management experience and/or a demonstrated history of experience applying for, managing, evaluating or administering public grants and/or working with government.
- Eligibility and appointments
Eligibility
To be eligible for appointment, an applicant must be a resident of Minnesota.
DNR employees are not eligible for appointment.
Registered lobbyists are not eligible for appointment.
Appointments
Minnesotans will be invited to apply for the advisory council through an open, competitive application process.
Members will be selected so that council membership aligns with the criteria outlined in statute.
The DNR commissioner will appoint advisory council members. The DNR commissioner will consult with the commissioners of Health and Pollution Control on proposed candidates before appointments are finalized.
Terms
Members will serve staggered three-year terms beginning in January of their first year and continuing through the end of December of their final year. Members whose term has expired may continue to serve until their replacement is named.
Initial appointments to the advisory council will be divided equally between one-year, two-year and three-year terms to establish a structure of staggered terms. To comply with statute, the terms of members appointed in calendar year 2026 will begin January 2026, regardless of the date of their appointment.
- Requirements of appointees
Collaboration
The DNR is committed to providing a positive environment in which all staff, members of the public, and others doing business with the state are treated with respect. Council members will be expected to demonstrate these behaviors with their fellow council members and with DNR employees:
Be open and honest.
Respect others.
Work together.
Respect council and departmental processes.
Value personal and physical safety.
Time commitment
Advisory council members will perform their duties during scheduled meetings and occasionally, with the council's authorization, outside of those meetings. Members will dedicate an estimated 35 to 40 hours annually to their council responsibilities.
Members will be expected to attend scheduled meetings or advise of their absence. If a member is unable to attend meetings regularly, the DNR commissioner may rescind the member’s appointment.
Expenses
Members of the council will be entitled to per diem and reimbursement for expenses incurred in the service of the council, as provided in Minnesota Statute, section 15.059, subdivision 3.
Conflicts of Interest
All advisory council members must disclose and appropriately manage actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. An actual conflict of interest occurs when a member is in a position to influence a decision that could result in personal gain, gain for a relative, or organizational gain as a result of the council’s recommendations. A potential or perceived conflict of interest occurs when a member either could be, or is perceived to be, in such a position. A conflict of interest exists even if no unethical, improper or illegal act results from it.
Members must disclose any conflicts of interest, whether actual, potential or perceived. In response, DNR legal or other staff will consult with the member and/or the council as a whole on any implications or next steps.
Email address
The advisory council will rely on email for communication and some file sharing. Members will need to maintain an email address that they monitor regularly.
Access to a computer
Members must have regular access to a computer they can use in connection with council activities.
- Meeting schedule and process
- The advisory council will meet quarterly, unless specific circumstances require greater frequency. Members will inform and confirm the meeting schedule and locations. Meetings will be open to the public.
The DNR will provide online and in-person meeting spaces, as well as support for meeting planning, logistics, and related communications. Additionally, the DNR will provide meeting facilitation and assistance with meeting structure, work plan development, group decision-making, and production of reports and other communications.
- Reasonable accommodations
- Individuals who desire reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in committee meetings should contact a DNR liaison (see contact information below) at least two weeks before the meeting, if possible.
- Conflict of interest
Question
I’m affiliated with an organization that wants to apply for ENRTF Community Grant funding. If I serve as an advisory council member, how will conflict-of-interest policies affect my organization’s eligibility to apply? I understand that the advisory council will not review funding applications, so does that eliminate the potential for conflict-of-interest issues?
Answer
Although the advisory council will not be reviewing applications for funding, we cannot rule out that conflict-of-interest issues will arise, and we cannot fully predict how those issues might affect organizations connected to advisory council members. We can provide information about the state’s conflict-of-interest policy and encourage advisory council applicants to discuss this issue with their organization before accepting a position on the council.
The state’s official conflict-of-interest policy for grant-making administration groups applies to advisory councils that make grant-related decisions (Office of Grants Management Policy 08-01 Conflict of Interest Policy for State Grant-Making, updated January 2026). The state’s policy is based on Minnesota statutes and sets minimum standards. The Community Grant Program Advisory Council could expand this language.
State advisory groups use an official charter to lay out the body’s structure, purpose and rules. As one of its first tasks, the ENRTF Community Grant Program Advisory Council will consider and approve a group charter that will include a conflict-of-interest clause.
According to the state policy, advisory council members must report actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest exists even if no unethical, improper, or illegal act results from it. You can find definitions of personal and organizational conflicts of interest in the Office of Grants Management policy linked above.
The DNR and advisory council, guided by DNR legal counsel as necessary, will decide how individual cases of conflict of interest will be addressed. State policy requires that all reported conflicts and the action steps taken to resolve them be in writing and stored as official public records.
Finally, the state’s Conflict of Interest Policy provides examples of actions that could be required of organizations and individuals to avoid or reduce conflicts of interest. Reviewing those examples with your organization might be helpful.
- For more information
- If you have questions or comments about this advisory council, please send an email to the contact person below.
Contacts
Katherine Sherman-Hoehn, agency-wide grants manager, at [email protected]