The Community Impact Fund is a grant initiative overseen by the Renville County Economic Development Authority (EDA) in Minnesota. This program is intended to support local efforts to improve the aesthetic quality, functional capacity, and livability of cities and townships within the county. By funding tangible community projects, the initiative aims to stimulate civic pride, promote inclusive public spaces, and bolster long-term community well-being.
Funding is available for a range of eligible uses, including but not limited to, blight removal, park development, community amenities, signage, trail development, and comprehensive community planning. The program is explicitly not available for projects related to education, recreation programming, or community festivals. To qualify for funding, applicants must propose a specific project that can demonstrably enhance the community and ensure all project work is completed after application submission.
The grant offers a maximum award of $1,000 and requires a mandatory 1:1 matching contribution from the applicant or other external funding sources. This cost-sharing mechanism ensures that local stakeholders are financially committed to the success of the project. Matching contributions may come from either cash or in-kind sources, as long as they are well-documented and clearly linked to the proposed project.
Applications are evaluated competitively, with scoring based on factors such as demonstrated need, potential community impact, use of leveraged funding, feasibility of the proposed project, and readiness for timely execution. Each township or city may only receive one grant per calendar year. To comply with the grant’s financial timeline, all relevant invoices and receipts must be submitted by December 10 annually.
The program features two annual deadlines: April 1 and October 1. Applications can be completed online through the Renville County website or submitted in print. All applications must be received before the completion of the proposed project to be considered for funding. Interested applicants can contact the Renville County EDA directly via phone at 320-523-3656 or by emailing eda@renvillecountymn.gov for further guidance.
Projects are scored on need, impact, leveraging of funds, feasibility, and timeliness.
