Extramural Coordinated Funding

UM Submission Instructions: Minnesota Community IDEAS Grant Program 2026

Sponsor:	Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation ,Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation ,Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
Award Title:	Minnesota Community IDEAS Grant Program
Amount:	$125,000 In 2026, nine selected organizations will each receive a total award of $125,000.
UM Deadline:	12/18/2025
Sponsor Deadline:	01/26/2026
Description:	The Minnesota Community IDEAS Program seeks to design, test and spread ideas that make our communities better for everyone and inspire, equip and connect people through meaningful, community-led change. The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation believes organizations that live out their vision and values have the potential to have transformational impact within their communities. Transformational impact is long-lasting, meaningful change that can happen through ideas of all sizes, within communities of all sizes, and through organizations of all sizes. Funding is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purposes that align with the vision and purpose of the Minnesota Community IDEAS Program, including operating costs, program-related expenses, capital expenditures or whatever else would best support the organization's ongoing good work. In the first year of the program, the Foundation will award grants to 15 organizations. To ensure broad and equitable distribution of these across the entire state of Minnesota and the 11 Native Nations that share the same geography, the Foundation will distribute grants into three target communities. TARGET COMMUNITIES Five awards will be distributed to each of the following target communities: 1. Greater Minnesota – Organizations located outside the 7-County Metro Area. 2. Twin Cities Metro Area – Organizations located within in the seven counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington. 3. Native-led Organizations that serve Native communities within Minnesota and the 11 Native Nations that share the same geography. NOTE: Organizations must have at least 51% of the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership identifying as Native to be considered Native-led.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit:	3
Additional Requirements:	None
Sponsor Guidelines:	https://spmcf.org/nonprofits/grants-for-nonprofits/minnesota-community-ideas-program
UM Nominations Process:	Because there is a short time frame for this opportunity, we are accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. The University of Minnesota Foundation and the Research and Innovation Office are collaborating to forward a proposal to the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation. For more information, please contact Wolfe Molitor at the University of Minnesota Foundation at molit005@umn.edu or 651-261-7356. Please have this form ready to send to the University of Minnesota Foundation: Minnesota Community IDEAS Program Grant Interest Form Information
Peer Review Coordination:	Research and Innovation Office contact email
Status:
Please note:	To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity.

General Information

Each posting has information about the external sponsor and opportunity as well as the internal application instructions.
Opportunities can be sorted by column headings; just click on the heading to re-sort by that column.
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If you know of an opportunity that is not on the list, please contact Kristin Mead.

Internal Requirements

Sponsor: Name of funder.
Award Title: Funding opportunity nameAmount: Range/Maximum dollar amount awarded.
UMN Deadline: Submission deadline for internal proposal as determined by the coordinating office.
Sponsor Deadline: External deadline identified by the sponsor.
Description: General information about the sponsor and the funding opportunity. Usually describes the purpose of the funding opportunity, overview of what the sponsor is looking for, including distinctive criteria. This is not meant to take the place of the sponsor guidelines; please read the sponsor guidelines before deciding to apply.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to Submit: The maximum number of applications the sponsor will allow the university to submit.
Additional Requirements: Identifies any special requirements such as cost sharing, partners, etc.
Sponsor Guidelines: Link to the sponsor’s funding opportunity website.
UMN Nominations Process: Contains specific internal submission requirements including internal proposal instructions, deadline, eligibility, internal nomination process, contact information.
Peer Review Coordination: The name and contact email of the office coordinating the funding opportunity. RIO coordinates most limited submissions, but opportunities coordinated by other offices or programs are also posted on this webpage.
Status:
- Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
- Forecasted: The funder has not yet formally published the opportunity. The deadline has yet to be determined.
- Archived: The opportunity has been archived by the funder.
- Spots Remaining: UMN deadline has passed, with some applicant spots still available. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
- First-Come, First-Served: Applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
- Contact Us: The internal deadline has passed, but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
- In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
- PI Selected: The PI(s) have been selected as the official UMN nominees.
- Closed: UMN is no longer accepting applications.

UMN Selection Process

Once the internal deadline has passed, if the number of applicants is less than or equal to the number of spots the university is allowed to send forward, the applicants automatically become the UMN nominee(s).
If the status of an opportunity is "First-Come, First-Served", there was not time to hold an internal review. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
If there are no applicants, the status will change to "Contact Us". At this point, the opportunity changes to a first-come, first-served opportunity.
If there are multiple applicants, the office coordinating the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process. The status will change to "In Review".
Once the review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
Nominees will be provided with an email from RIO (or the designated coordinating office) indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to "PI(s) Selected".

*If you have questions about the University's process related to extramural funding opportunities requiring nomination or if you have any technical issues with the site, contact collabor8@umn.edu.