Dozens of communities across Minnesota are benefiting from the University of Minnesota’s new Empowering Small Minnesota Communities (ESMC) program.
The program, led by several University of Minnesota partners including the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, is driven by 2023 legislation that allocated funds to the University to support small community partnerships.
The partnerships will help identify how individual small communities can utilize their assets to create infrastructure and projects that support and enhance community vitality, identity and resilience. The program will also assist communities in securing state and federal project funding.
The program is aimed at municipalities and townships that have populations of less than 15,000 people as of the 2020 census.
"This threshold covers the vast majority of municipalities and townships in Minnesota," said Humphrey School Associate Dean and Professor Ryan Allen, who helped launch the program. "The common denominator among these communities is that they have significant infrastructure needs, but may lack the staff time and experience that can be necessary to apply for a complicated federal or state grant."
Those eligible for the program include Minnesota tribal nations, local units of government, and nonprofit and community-based organizations.
"University of Minnesota teams will help by identifying existing assets in small Minnesota communities as well as lending capacity, expertise, and imagination to strengthen future opportunities," said Kyle Shelton, director of the Center for Transportation Studies.
The first round of partnerships includes:
- Short-Term: Ten communities received immediate support through the Short-Term Tasks pathway, which involved University students and faculty working with them to deliver on short-term work such as mapping, data analysis or visual rendering. One short-term project in partnership with the City of Welcome will support the community with tree-care and tree planting information in the face of emerald ash borer issues.
- Tactical Action: Fifteen communities will receive support through Tactical Action Projects, many of which address infrastructure needs. Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail, a nonprofit based in southeast Minnesota, is one of the projects that will receive support through Tactical Action. The team will focus on trail design guidelines and community engagement sessions to support the development of the upcoming hiking trail.
- Community Futures: Eleven communities were selected to partner with the Minnesota Design Center through Community Futures partnerships to identify existing community assets, review comprehensive plans that identify the community’s vision for growth and change, and reimagine the future of their community infrastructure. The City of Crookston will be a part of one Community Futures partnership, focusing on revitalization efforts for their downtown.
"The ESMC work shows what we call Asset-Based Community Development in action," said Tom Fisher, director of the Minnesota Design Center and a professor in the College of Design. "We are building on the assets that every community has, in abundance, and helping them leverage those assets to create a better future for themselves."
In addition to the Humphrey School, the ESMC program is collaboratively led by these University partners:
- Center for Transportation Studies (CTS)
- U of M Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
- Minnesota Design Center
- Center for Urban and Regional Affairs
ESMC is currently accepting applications from across Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro area. The next round of applications for ESMC will be accepted until November 15, 2024. Application requirements and materials are available on the ESMC website.
