Item Description:
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Neg various agmts for Green Partners environmental grants for periods between 09/01/25-08/31/26 and 09/01/25-08/31/27, total NTE $236,300
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Administrator be authorized to negotiate the following agreements during the period September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026, with a total amount not to exceed $89,000;
• PR00007624 with Brooklyn Center Independent School (d/b/a Brooklyn Center Community Schools) for Growing Up Growing BC, Youth Environmental Leadership project, not to exceed $16,000;
• PR00007626 with EMERGE Community Development for Urban Landscape Technologies & Youth Green Jobs, Youth Environmental Leadership project, not to exceed $25,000;
• PR00007607 with Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches for Lake Street Youth Labs, Youth Environmental Education project, not to exceed $15,000;
• PR00007608 with Lyndale Neighborhood Association for Reducing Wasted Food, Environmental Action project, not to exceed $23,000; and
• PR00007606 with Special School District 1 for Outdoor Explorers & Expedition Minneapolis, Youth Environmental Education project, not to exceed $10,000; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the County Administrator be authorized to negotiate the following agreements during the period September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2027, with a total amount not to exceed $147,300;
• PR00007604 with Appetite for Change, Inc. for Youth Training and Opportunities Program, Youth Environmental Education project, not to exceed $47,700;
• PR00007622 with Spark-Y for Environmental Service-Learning at Volunteers to America High School, Youth Environmental Leadership project, not to exceed $50,000; and
• PR00007621 with Urban Strategies, Inc. for Green Garden Bakery Youth Eco-Enterprise, Youth Environmental Leadership project, not to exceed $49,600; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that following review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the County Administrator be authorized to sign the agreements on behalf of the county; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed.
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Background:
The Hennepin County Green Partners program provides funding to organizations to actively educate, engage, and motivate residents to become environmental stewards and make positive environmental behavior changes. Since the program was established in 2012, the county has awarded 286 grants totaling more than $4.3 million. Funding for the program comes from the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.
The program offers three types of grants: Environmental Action grants for projects that focus on motivating adults to take environmentally friendly actions, Youth Environmental Leadership grants that engage older youth (high school to age 24) in environmental leadership opportunities, and Youth Environmental Education grants for projects engaging young people in environmental education and stewardship.
Eligible organizations include:
• registered nonprofit organizations such as community groups, youth programs and congregations;
• park districts; and
• private and public schools, including community education programs and early childhood family education.
The county released a request for proposals in March 2025. A total of 62 applications were received, of which four were ineligible and one withdrew its application. A total of 25 grants are recommended, for a total amount of $547,400.
Eight of the 25 agreements require board approval because these vendors have existing contracts with the county that exceed $100,000. The remaining 17 agreements will be approved through administrative processes. The full list of agreements is included below.
Environmental Action project awards:
• Amanah Recreational Project (Minneapolis) - $12,000 for Hijabie Thrift to provide Muslim women with opportunities to reduce waste through secondhand shopping within their own community.
• League of Women Voters (Minneapolis) - $7,000 to engage members in organics recycling in single-family homes, multi-unit condos, rentals, and co-ops.
• Lyndale Neighborhood Association (South Minneapolis) - $23,000 to engage renters and homeowners in the Lyndale, Kingfield, and Tangletown neighborhoods in reducing wasted food and recycling organic waste and food scraps through events, door knocking, and outreach.
• Mississippi Park Connection (North Minneapolis) - a two-year $50,000 grant to connect underrepresented communities in Minneapolis to North Mississippi Regional Park through experiential programming that includes bird watching, stargazing, and interpretive nature programs; learning about the river ecosystem and environmental stewardship; and practicing health and wellness in nature.
• Richfield Foundation (Richfield and Bloomington) - a two-year $50,000 grant to engage residents in creating biodiverse native habitat in place of lawns by providing community education and innovative ways to reduce barriers to accessing native plants through winter seed sowing and community building.
Youth Environmental Leadership project awards:
• Brooklyn Center Independent Schools (Brooklyn Center) - $16,000 to offer one middle and two high school courses in environmental leadership during the school day. In these courses, students will explore nature appreciation, wellbeing, stewardship, and experience hands-on learning connected to green careers.
• EcoAlpha (countywide) - $10,000 to train youth to lead public education on recycling, composting, and waste reduction at cultural festivals, fairs, and community events. Through hands-on learning, multilingual outreach, and peer-led engagement, youth will explore waste systems, zero waste strategies, and the environmental impacts of overconsumption.
• EMERGE Community Development (Minneapolis) - $25,000 for Urban Landscape Technologies & Youth Green Jobs, a year-round youth development project with curriculum and support from the University of Minnesota that engages a core group of youth leaders in internships, afterschool programming and education, hands-on projects, and community outreach at the intersection of environmental protection and emerging technologies.
• Environmental Initiative (countywide) - $20,000 for a four-year program designed to equip youth from historically underrepresented communities with the education, skills, and connections needed to pursue careers in environmental fields. Youth will gain field experience, workforce training, mentorship, and networking while learning about environmental topics.
• Independent School District No. 272 (Eden Prairie) - $5,000 - for Threads4Change, a youth-led project that combines creative fashion with environmental education. Through hands-on upcycling workshops, clothing repair events, and sustainability-focused giveaways, youth in Eden Prairie will learn about the environmental impacts of textile waste and take action to reduce waste.
• Juxtaposition Arts (Minneapolis) $12,000 - to activate its Healing Pavilion and Garden as a youth-led outdoor classroom and regenerative ecology lab and engage youth apprentices in a year-long program of workshops and hands-on projects, building skills in composting, pollinator planting, seed saving, ecological monitoring, sound ecology, and water-conscious design.
• MIGIZI Communications (Minneapolis) - $25,000 for a Green Tech Institute to expose Indigenous youth and youth in Minneapolis to numerous professional career experiences, equipping them with tools and knowledge to launch a specialized career in STEM/energy and green construction.
• Urban Strategies, Inc. (North Minneapolis) - $49,600 to engage youth in the Heritage Park neighborhood in Minneapolis in gaining professional development skills for green-focused jobs and investing in their community through the creation and operation of a lending library, adoption of rain gardens, and advocacy for greener development in their neighborhood.
• Zintkala Luta (North Minneapolis) - $12,000 for a collaborative effort, GrowUs LLC, to expand and extend the impact of existing youth development programs, urban agriculture initiatives, and green construction projects while inspiring the next generation of environmental justice leaders with young adults in Minneapolis.
Youth Environmental Education project awards:
• Appetite for Change, Inc. (Minneapolis) - two-year grant $47,700 to offer environmental education, hands-on urban gardening experiences, food harvesting for distribution, community engagement, and crucial skills for future success. Participants will explore the related skills and science behind climate and food systems, organic waste, and composting.
• ArtStart (Minneapolis) - $12,000 to engage third grade elementary students in Minneapolis Public Schools in a nine-month environmental education experience that includes outdoor nature field trips and classroom-based artist residencies that will educate, engage, and motivate kids in appreciating and protecting native birds and their habitats.
• Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (South Minneapolis) - $15,000 to increase youth awareness of and confidence in pursuing environmental science- based career paths by increasing student awareness of critical environmental topics including waste reduction, natural habitats, Minnesota wildlife, and experiencing nature around the Midtown Phillips neighborhood.
• Midwest Food Connection (Minneapolis) - a two-year grant of $42,100 to engage Minneapolis youth in K-8 classrooms in climate-friendly actions related to food by learning about purchasing, packaging, consumption, and waste.
• Minnesota Swahili Christian Congregation (countywide) - $15,000 to engage young people to be good stewards of environmental resources and engaging congregation members from across the county in waste reduction practices and community swaps.
• MN Trout Association, Inc. (countywide) - $6,000 to foster environmental stewardship in students in K-8 classrooms across the county by connecting classroom learning with local waterways through outdoor education where students will raise trout from eggs to fingerlings, study aquatic ecosystems, and engage in hands-on outdoor experiences.
• Science Museum of Minnesota (North Minneapolis) - $12,000 to engage elementary school students in learning about environmental and social justice issues impacting their community while building a small model of a sustainable urban oasis, with pollinator gardens, trees, ponds, and more.
• Special School District 1 (Minneapolis) - $10,000 to expand environmental education opportunities and field experiences with Minneapolis Park naturalists for youth enrolled in Minneapolis Public School’s Summer Scholars and afterschool programming.
• Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation (Minneapolis) - $6,000 to engage students in a year-long elective class at Ella Baker - districtwide magnet school - to empower middle school youth to become local changemakers through food justice education and youth-led community journalism on topics including organic waste, composting, water conservation, native plants, pollinators, sustainability, and climate.
• We All Need Food and Water (countywide) - $15,000 to engage youth and families across the county through environmental participatory puppet performances, hands-on activities to reinforce learning, and making pledges to protect the environment in their daily life.
Current Request: This request is to authorize the County Administrator to negotiate five Green Partners environmental grant agreements during the period September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026, with a total amount not to exceed $89,000.
Also, this request is to authorize the County Administrator to negotiate three Green Partners environmental grant agreements during the period September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2027, with a total amount not to exceed $147,300.
Impact/Outcomes: The Green Partners projects support the county’s goals of environmental stewardship, engaging communities, enhancing quality of life, and protecting the environment for current and future generations.
Recommended projects focus primarily on audiences that face disparities. Eleven of the 25 recommended applicants are new to the program and will receive their first Green Partners award in 2025.
Organizations listed in this request will engage more than 9,000 people, which include more than 6,500 youth, in becoming environmental stewards and taking action to protect the environment. These projects are expected to reach more than 165,000 people with environmental messages.
Organizations are required to report project outcomes. Research has shown that these models of community environmental engagement are effective in motivating participants to take actions that have a positive impact on the environment.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval