Empowering Small Minnesota Communities: Frequently Asked Questions
How will this program partner or align with other ongoing work or programming in small communities?
ESMC intends to partner, collaborate, and amplify existing work and programs. The main aim of the program is to make University teams and resources available to support community-identified work and dovetail with other programs. ESMC sees its main role as a support in the conceptualization, research, and development stage of community-identified ideas and projects. This may mean that ESMC will partner with others along the way to hand off projects to other programs where they fit well or can be developed further. Similarly, ESMC welcomes applications from communities that have worked with other partners and have reached a place where ESMC work would benefit the whole effort. The ESMC team aims to collaborate and complement other agency and organizational resources to support communities in this long-term effort.
How quickly can I get started on a project?
The three pathways will vary in the amount of time it takes, which will ideally be determined based on community needs. (See more information about the project pathways.)
For a shorter-term specific research need, communities can complete the intake form at any time for the rapid response track. The ESMC team will be accepting and reviewing these on a rolling basis to help respond to communities swiftly. If the projects are an appropriate match with ESMC goals, they will be moved through the process and connected with University resources as soon as possible.
Applications for tactical action and community futures projects will be accepted until February 14, after which these applications will be reviewed through a formal process.
We have estimated the start date on these projects will be May 1, 2024.
Does a community need to have a specific idea or project in mind?
No. Communities may propose existing projects or ideas as a part of their request to ESMC, but the ESMC team is also happy to explore more general ideas or needs with communities. The community futures pathway is especially well-suited for communities to take a community-scale look at their assets and challenges to identify a community strategy and a number of specific projects that support the community strategy.
How can I find my regional point person?
These points of contact are listed on the ESMC website.
It sounds like your focus is research and hands-on help. What if we just need funds? We have projects we can handle, we just don't have the financial resources.
The ESMC program does not provide project funds directly to communities, but rather connects University of Minnesota teams to communities to help develop and advance ideas and projects. Communities should look to other programs for project funding.
Will ESMC help small communities write and submit grant applications?
ESMC will not be writing the applications. The ESMC program will provide many of the background elements needed to populate a grant proposal–such as research, data, and design assistance. The ESMC team can assist communities in researching and identifying potential grant opportunities for projects. The ESMC team will endeavor to connect projects with grant writers and/or other resources as appropriate to support development and implementation.
What are the qualifications criteria?
Full eligibility criteria are available for review on the ESMC applications page.
How are you defining “small”?
Eligible applicants are jurisdictions of 15,000 people or fewer. Priority will be given to applicants that are jurisdictions of fewer than 5,000. Population numbers should be based on the 2020 US Census. You can see the eligibility requirements on the ESMC applications page.
Can a community that isn’t a defined jurisdiction apply?
Many entities can apply for ESMC support. Community-based organizations and nonprofits, cities and townships, counties, and local government units such as school districts or watershed districts are all eligible to be a part of a proposing team. The key eligibility requirement, though, is that the proposed work must be focused on a jurisdiction or set of jurisdictions that each have a population of fewer than 15,000 people.
How do you define “infrastructure?”
Infrastructure includes systems that are critical for the functioning of a community, region, and nation. Most often the term infrastructure is focused on physical systems such as transportation elements, water networks, broadband and other communications systems, energy systems, or housing. It can be a fully human-made system or a mix of natural and human-made elements (i.e., green stormwater systems). Infrastructure can also be more community-oriented and focused on social networks and social capital. A less traditional form of infrastructure is seen in systems such as health care, education, and recreation, which encourage social connection and support vibrant, healthy living. Infrastructure can enhance growth and development of all kinds. Absence or poor condition of infrastructure can limit development and success. Infrastructure is usually cost-intensive, can take years to develop, and often has intensive maintenance requirements.
Is this program only for transportation projects?
Proposals can be related to other community needs and opportunities in addition to transportation. See a description of "infrastructure" and other definitions.
Does the ESMC fund anything other than University staff time? For instance, does it offer any funding for the local champions? Expenses for planning processes?
The program does include an opportunity for communities to request funds to support community participation (such as community-member involvement, community liaisons, and/or expenses related to community convenings and other feedback and input processes). A budget for these items will be developed during the later stages of the application period.
What about jurisdictions that are bigger than 15,000 people but that have similar challenges as smaller communities?
The ESMC program is targeting jurisdictions of 15,000 people or fewer because of the lack of existing, targeted funds for these jurisdictions. We encourage larger communities to connect with other regional and state partners to explore potential funding streams for their work and needs.
Is it possible to do multiple tracks and multiple projects? My community has all three levels of scope of work; are we able to submit all three levels of collaboration for one community?
Yes. Communities may ask for assistance for both rapid response projects and the longer timeframe pathways of tactical action and community futures. Your ESMC regional representative will discuss where your ideas might best fit between tactical action and community futures. In some cases, communities may engage in a community futures process that will produce potential tactical actions for submission in later rounds of the ESMC process.
When you talk about community partners, are you envisioning working primarily through/with city or county staff/agencies/officials or with local nonprofit groups?
The makeup of teams involved in an ESMC proposal is up to the applying collaborators. The list of entities eligible to be a part of a proposal is purposely broad. And, while there is no requirement that public agencies or jurisdictions formally be a part of a proposal (i.e., a nonprofit can apply on its own), the ESMC evaluation process will prioritize partnerships that include collaborative efforts between public agencies/jurisdictions and community organizations.
Are matching funds required?
No.
Can we collaborate with other communities to apply?
Yes. Collaborations among eligible jurisdictions are encouraged. To qualify, those participating jurisdictions (where the work is occurring) must all individually be under 15,000 people. If an entity such as a county has more than 15,000 people, it can still be a supporting member of a collaboration, but the work must be focused on smaller communities (<15,000) within its borders.
How many rounds will there be?
At minimum, there will be two rounds of funding. Depending on the process and funding levels of those first two rounds, there may be a third.
How does this program differ from the annual RSDP Call for Ideas?
Like the RSDP Idea Brief process, the ESMC process is focused on connecting communities to the full breadth of the University’s researchers and resources to address issues and strengthen a community. However, the ESMC process does not fund the completion of projects, but rather builds up the information and materials needed for communities to pursue additional funding.
In addition, ESMC is specifically directed at resilient infrastructure (see definition), with the goal of positioning small communities to benefit from a wide range of future funding.
ESMC's eligibility criteria do not apply to RSDP's call for ideas, and the selection criteria also differ. See ESMC's eligibility and selection criteria.
What other considerations will be taken in making final decisions beyond community size?
The ESMC process will evaluate potential participants based on several criteria. See the full list of eligibility and selection criteria. While eligibility is largely based on jurisdiction size, preference in selection will be given to communities with lower staff capacity and/or limited fiscal resources (which may be evaluated in multiple ways, including receiving Local Government Aid, total tax base, size of jurisdictional workforce, etc.).