Overview

The City of Saint Paul strongly supports efforts to reinvest and strengthen neighborhoods and commercial areas by bringing needed regional and state funding resources to real estate development projects.

The following identifies funding sources for brownfields investigation and cleanup, transit-oriented development, design and development, and housing, as well as details on how to work with the City to apply for these funds.

Requirements and Process

For most of the programs below, the City of Saint Paul must sponsor the application for the applicant to be eligible to apply. A pre-submittal meeting with your assigned City of Saint Paul project manager (if any) is highly recommended.

After the initial pre-submission meeting, the applicant must provide the following:

No fee is required for pre-application consideration.

Upon submission of the pre-application packet, a meeting between the applicant, City staff and the granting agency will be held to discuss the final application. In addition, leadership from the Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED) will review all pre-applications and determine the best project to move forward.

The selected projects must pay a nonrefundable fee upon submission of a final application to the granting agency ($750 for one application, $1,225 for more than one application for the same project).

Programs

Brownfields Grants

There are several grant programs that can assist developers and property owners to assess and/or cleanup properties with suspected or known environmental contamination. Each year the funders hold competitive grant cycles.

Granting Agency

Grant Program Name

City of Saint Paul
Pre-Application Deadline

Granting Agency Final Application Deadline

Metropolitan Council

Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA) Site Investigation Grant - spring round

(Download the Program Essentials PDF)

February 3
Pre-Application

May 1

Metropolitan Council

Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA) Site Investigation Grant - fall round

(Download the Program Essentials PDF)

August 15
Pre-Application

November 1

Metropolitan Council

Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA) Cleanup Grant - spring round

(Download the Program Essentials PDF)

February 3
Pre-Application

May 1

Metropolitan Council

Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA) Cleanup Grant - fall round

(Download the Program Essentials PDF)

August 15
Pre-Application

November 1

Metropolitan Council

Seeding Equitable Environmental Development (SEED) Grant - spring round

(Download the Program Essentials PDF)

February 3
Pre-Application

May 1

Metropolitan Council

Seeding Equitable Environmental Development (SEED) Grant - fall round

(Download the Program Essentials PDF)

August 15
Pre-Application

November 1

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)

Contamination Cleanup and Investigation (CCI) Grant - spring round

February 3
Pre-Application

May 1

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)

Contamination Cleanup and Investigation (CCI) Grant - fall round

August 15
Pre-Application

November 1

Ramsey County

Environmental Response Fund (ERF) Grant - spring round*

February 3

May 1

Ramsey County

Environmental Response Fund (ERF) Grant - fall round*

August 15

November 1

* Nonprofit and for-profit organizations may apply for these funds from Ramsey County on their own but must obtain a letter of support from the City. Please contact Ramsey County staff to determine if funding is available.


Design and Development Grants

The following grants provide financial assistance for site design, acquisition, and public infrastructure improvements.

Granting Agency

Grant Program Name

City of Saint Paul
Pre-Application Deadline

Granting Agency Final
Application Deadline

Metropolitan Council

Predevelopment Grant

February 3, 2025

Pre-Application
Predevelopment Grant Budget Tool

April 22, 2025

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)

Redevelopment Grant

See note*

February 1, 2025

Metropolitan Council

LCDA Development Grant

2025 TBD 
(2024 deadline was May 10)

Pre-Application
Development Grant Budget Tool

2025 TBD 
(2024 deadline was August 12)

* DEED Redevelopment Grant proposals are typically by invitation with a City project manager assignment and recommendation by the City of Saint Paul grants team with a year or so in approach, vetted concurrent with cleanup grant cycles. Please contact your assigned Project Manager to learn more.


Transit-Oriented Development Grants

Metropolitan Council has developed grant programs to catalyze transit-oriented development within the region's transit corridors.

Funding Agency

Grant Program Name

City of Saint Paul
Pre-Application Deadline

Granting Agency Final
Application Deadline

Metropolitan Council

TOD Development Grant

2025 TBD 
(2024 deadline was May 10)

Pre-Application
Development Grant Budget Tool

2025 TBD 
(2024 deadline was August 12)

Last Edited: January 8, 2025