Livable Communities Grants

Livable Communities Act (LCA) grants are awarded to participating cities and townships in the seven-county metro region that are partnering with development teams on projects. Through nine different grant programs, LCA grants help communities achieve development goals that create more housing choice, support living wage job creation, and connect jobs, housing, and regional amenities to create a more equitable region.

Announcements


2024 LCA Program Overview Webinar

March 6th, 2024
1:00PM-2:00PM
Learn about all Livable Communities 2024 funding opportunities in this informational session with the grants team. The webinar will cover program details and changes for 2024, applications deadlines, scoring criteria and more.
Watch the webinar here


Each of the LCA grant programs has a different focus:


 
Livable Communities Demonstration Account (LCDA)

Housing, Jobs, Efficient Growth


The Livable Communities Demonstration Account (LCDA) supports development and redevelopment projects that link housing, jobs and services and use community and regional infrastructure efficiently.

Funds available in 2024
Development: $9.8 million

Key dates

August 12th: Applications due
Fall 2024: Funding Decision

More information about LCDA grants

Transit Oriented Development (TOD)

Transit Oriented Development


Transit Oriented Development (TOD) grants are focused on high density projects that contribute to a mix of uses in the TOD-eligible area. TOD-eligible areas can be along light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, and high frequency bus corridors. 

Funds available in 2024
Development: $5.5 million

Key dates

August 12th: Applications due
Fall 2024: Funding Decision

More about LCDA-TOD grants

Livable Communities Demonstration Account (LCDA)

Pre-Development


Pre-development grants are for teams who are defining or redefining a project that will support Livable Communities and Thrive MSP 2040 goals.

Funds available in 2024
Development: $2 million 

Key dates

April 22nd: Round One Applications due
June: Round One Funding Decision
July 22nd: Round Two Applications Due
September: Round Two Funding Decision

More information about Pre-Development grants

Policy Development

Policy Development


The Policy Development program provides funding to participating cities to support locally adopted policies that influence physical development and further both LCA and Thrive MSP 2040 goals with an emphasis on equitable development. 

Funds available in 2024
$200,000
There is a $50,000 award limit per city for the Policy Development program.

Key dates

April 22nd: Round One Applications due
June: Round One Funding Decision
April 22nd: Round Two Applications Due
September: Round Two Funding Decision

More information about Policy Development grants

Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA)

Cleanup / Investigation


The Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA) helps clean up contaminated land and buildings for subsequent development. These grants are intended to provide the greatest public benefit for the money spent, strengthen the local tax base, and create and preserve jobs and/or affordable housing. TBRA has three different funding opportunities: Contamination Cleanup, Site Investigation, and SEED.

Funds available in 2024
Site Investigation: $250,000 each round
Cleanup: $2,250,000 each round
SEED: $250,000

Key dates
May 1: Spring applications due
July: Spring funding decision
November 1: Fall applications due
January 2025: Fall funding decision
 

More about TBRA grants

Local Housing Incentives Account (LHIA)

Affordable Rental Housing


The Local Housing Incentives Account (LHIA) helps expand and preserve lifecycle and affordable housing, both rented and owned. All LHIA applications are submitted through the Minnesota Housing Super RFP instead of the WebGrants portal.

Funds available in 2024
$2.5 million

Key dates
July: Applications due
January 2025: Funding decision

More information about LHIA grants

Local Housing Incentives Account (LHIA)

Affordable Homeownership


The Affordable Homeownership program provides grants to support affordable homeownership development, including acquisition and rehabilitation

Funds available in 2024
$3 million

Key dates
September 3rd: Applications due
December 2024: Funding decision

More information about LHIA Affordable Homeownership grants

See program pages for FAQs specific to each program

Who can apply for an LCA program?

Participating cities, counties, or development organizations like a Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) or Economic Development Authority (EDA). Applications must come from the government partner.

When you say "applicant" or "grantee", what do you mean?
The applicant is the government organization (participating city, county, or development organization) that submits the application. Because all LCA grants go to a government organization instead of the developer, the grantee is the same organization that submits the application. When we talk about the project team we mean everyone else involved in the application like the developer or consultants. 

Can developers or community organizations apply to LCA programs?
In LHIA, Developers can apply directly, but if awarded the government partner must agree to accept the grant and then sub-allocate it to the Developer. For all other programs, applications need to come from the government partner. Developers and the rest of the project team are encouraged to actively participate in filling out the application and talking with LCA staff about any questions.  

Which communities are eligible to participate?
All eligible communities are on this list.

What do I need to do to be eligible to participate?
To be eligible to apply to LCA programs, the city where the project is located needs to participate in the Local Housing Incentives program and adopt affordable and lifecycle housing goals. [link]

How do I become an LCA participating community?
Your City Council will need to adopt affordable and lifecycle housing goals. Reach out to Hilary Lovelace with any questions about this process.

How do I apply?
Applications for all programs except LHIA are submitted through WebGrants, an online grant portal. See the section on WebGrants on the Apply tab for more information on registering and applying through WebGrants. LHIA applications go through Minnesota Housing’s Consolidated Request for Proposals.

Can I apply to more than one program?
Yes, many projects get funding from multiple LCA grant programs. The only exception is LCDA and TOD; applicants should choose either LCDA OR TOD in a single grant cycle. Talk with a program officer if you are interested in applying to multiple LCA grants.

What do you consider affordable housing?
Housing is counted as affordable if it is at 60% AMI and has restrictions in place to keep the units affordable for at least 15 years.  

Who should I talk to if I have questions?
Each program is managed by a program officer. Reach out to the program officer for the program you are interested in to ask any questions. If you are not sure which program is the best fit or if you have a general question, any of the program officers can help get you to the right contact.
 
Do you have additional resources for how projects can meet LCA and/or Thrive goals?
Yes! The LCA resource library has links to a list of resources that can help your project team include LCA and Thrive goals in your project.

What happens if I am awarded a grant?
The LCA grants administrator will get in touch with you shortly after awards are finalized to create a grant agreement. This agreement will outline our requested activities and timelines for requesting funds. LCA grants are reimbursements, so the applicant (government organization) will get reimbursed after the activity is completed and a disbursement request has been submitted. If you have more questions about this process, reach out to Samuel Johnson at samuel.johnson@metc.state.mn.us. More information about grants administration is available on the Grants Administration page. 

Who does the money go to if a grant is awarded?
Because the grant application must come from the government partner, the funds are awarded directly to the government organization. The government partner staff will work with the development team on how to disburse the funds.


Learn more about Livable Communities Grants

 

Meet with us to talk about your project! 

Schedule a time to meet with the program coordinator for this grant program to talk about the scoring criteria, funding opportunities and how your project fits in. Schedule a time here.