Minnesota opens a $10.9 million grant round for communities harmed by cannabis prohibition
The Office of Cannabis Management expects 15 to 50 CanRenew awards of $50,000 to $2 million. Nonprofits, Tribes, schools, local governments and community groups with a fiscal sponsor may apply by Dec. 15.
St. Paul. Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management is taking applications until Dec. 15 for $10.9 million in CanRenew Community Restoration Grants, which pay for projects in communities hurt by past cannabis enforcement. The request for proposals, posted on Oct. 22, estimates 15 to 50 awards of $50,000 to $2 million each.
The program, set up by Minnesota Statutes, section 342.70, funds organizations that invest in communities where long-term residents are eligible to be social equity applicants under the state's cannabis law. That group includes people convicted of a cannabis offense before May 1, 2023, and their close relatives, military veterans, and people who have lived for five years in areas with heavy cannabis enforcement or high poverty. Projects may cover economic development, health, violence prevention, youth development, reentry and job placement, and civil legal aid.
Who can apply
Nonprofits registered as 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organizations may apply if current with any required audits and attorney general registration. So may schools and colleges, federally recognized Tribes, local governments, private businesses and partnerships among them. Unincorporated community groups and partnerships must apply through a fiscal sponsor, which may manage the money but not carry out the work.
Grants may pay for training or resources for individuals but not to start, operate or expand a business. Subawards to other organizations are not allowed, contractors may be paid only for specific services, and administrative costs are capped at 10 percent of the project budget.
Reviewers will score applications out of 100 points: up to 25 each for project design, organizational capacity, and outreach and community partnerships, 15 for budget and matching funds and 10 for evaluation. Priority goes to projects with a youth component, groups with a record of community investment, and coverage across the state.
What comes after the deadline
Review begins Jan. 4, 2027. Selected applicants then go through a risk assessment, which may include their finances, compliance record and background studies of their leaders. Recipients are expected to be named around May 24, and projects are to run from June 30, 2027, to June 30, 2028. Grants are paid as reimbursements, and advances are considered case by case. Applicants' names and requested amounts become public once proposals are opened.
The previous round, which closed Jan. 12, 2026, also offered $10.9 million but included a tier of $2,500 to $10,000 grants for organizations newer to state funding. This round has no such tier. That round's recipients were to be named by June 5, according to its request for proposals, but had not been as of Oct. 14, when the office's newsletter said the announcement was coming soon.
Questions are due Dec. 8, and the office will hold online information sessions on Nov. 5, Nov. 20 and Dec. 7.
About this story
501c3.help wrote this story from the sources listed with it, not from material an organization sent. Our editors approved it on Oct. 27, 2026. Stories in The Nonprofit Herald are free, and nothing is asked in return. Editorial rules.
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