How to Apply

If you are interested in learning more about the program and short-term task opportunities, contact the ESMC team member for your area and schedule a meeting to determine how ESMC may assist your community.

Applicants interested in the Short-term Task Pathway may submit an intake form (preview the PDF version) anytime. These proposals will be evaluated on a rolling basis by the ESMC program team and reviewed based on the same evaluation criteria as the other pathways. The ESMC program team will also base decisions on ESMC capacity for this part of the program.

We are not currently accepting proposals for Tactical Actions or Community Futures pathways. Future rounds of funding for these pathways will be re-opened in 2026.

Explore the Tactical Action Pathway (preview the PDF version).

Explore the Community Futures Pathway (preview the PDF version).

Example Workflow for ESMC proposal process for open pathways

Here are the steps for application:

Step	Short-Term Tasks	Tactical Actions	Community Futures
1.	Recommended - Email your ESMC team contact to schedule a meeting with the ESMC team to confirm eligibility, discuss the proposed project, and determine how the ESMC program can assist the community or communities involved.
2.	Submit Short-Term Tasks Application.	Submit a Tactical Action application describing the proposed project, the community or communities in which it is to take place.	Submit a community profile and application form describing community needs and interest, and the community or communities in which the ESMC effort is to take place.
3.	Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by ESMC team.	A review will be conducted by the ESMC team, incorporating feedback from community reviewers, to identify semi-finalists. Review will be based on the criteria below.
4.	Selected applicants will develop a scope of work with UMN researcher.	Community project lead(s) for those that are selected as semi-finalists will meet with UMN research team(s) for joint scoping and plan development. Every effort will be made to match communities to a UMN team.	Once identified, applicants selected for Community Futures will work closely with MDC leads to develop next steps to initiate the effort, including scoping, a statement of work, and an initial timeline to be agreed upon with community partners.
5.		Development of a statement of work by UMN research team(s); reviewed by the community. After it is approved by community project lead(s), statement of work is forwarded to ESMC for final selection.
6.	Short term task work begins when scope is complete.	Tactical Action project work begins.	Community Futures work begins.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Eligibility

Each applicant community must have fewer than 15,000 people based upon the 2020 US Census. Eligible applicants or team members include:

Tribal Nations that share boundaries with the State of Minnesota
Local units of government (county, city, township, school district, special districts such as watershed districts, regional development commissions)
Nonprofit organizations and community-based organizations in partnership with a local unit of government. (Partnerships between governmental and non-governmental entities that demonstrate collaboration and community support are encouraged to apply.)

Collaboration among communities is encouraged. Collaborative proposals that seek to work across multiple jurisdictions are eligible as long as each proposed jurisdiction has an individual population of less than 15,000.

Community Futures-only: Priority will be given to communities that have the capacity to engage in Community Futures work but have limited staff capacity and/or financial resources (for example total tax base, poverty levels, size of jurisdictional workforce).

Selection Criteria

ESMC is created by a state statute (Chapter 68, Section 15, 2023) for “support and assistance to small communities that includes methods to incorporate consideration of sustainability, resiliency, and adaptation to the impacts of climate change; and identification and cross-sector analysis of any potential associated projects and efficiencies through coordinate investments in other infrastructure or assets.”

In response to this appropriation language, applications will be evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria.

Does the proposed effort…

Improve planning and coordination for infrastructure improvements, so that projects deliver more value and better reflect community identity?
Advance resilience and sustainability?
Demonstrate a high level of innovation and community impact?
Encompass a realistic and actionable scope?
Aspire to a community-driven and collaborative process
Engage historically underrepresented communities. This may include Native nations, people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, women, geographically isolated communities, and people with low incomes, etc.
Include tangible engagement of residents impacted by the proposed effort?
Fit with the University of Minnesota's mission and capabilities?