2026 Friends Group Work Plan Incentive Grant

Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota proudly offers a grant program that will award six Friends Group Partners a $500 grant each ($3,000 total) to support their efforts in establishing and implementing 2026 work plans.

Grant Overview

Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota proudly offers a grant program that will award six Friends Group Partners a $500 grant each ($3,000 total) to support their efforts in establishing and implementing 2026 work plans.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a Friends Group Partner (FGP) of Parks & Trails Council (P&TC).

Application (Work Plan / Project Plan)

The application for this grant consists of an Annual Work Plan or Project Plan of projects and/or events that the Friends Groups is planning to accomplish in 2026. No budget is required for this application.

For Friends Group’s of MNDNR State Parks and Trails, please use the template provided by the MNDNR. View sample work plan

For Friends Groups of regional or local parks and trails, please work with your agency staff to develop a plan that satisfies both the Friends Group and the agency. A sample plan may include a list of all the 2026 planned projects with these details:

    • Project name
    • Timeframe
    • People involved
    • Resources needed
    • Feasibility considerations
    • Project lead (i.e., is it led by the agency or by the Friends Group)

Timeline

November

P&TC announces the grant opportunity.

February 15 – July 31, 2026
or until grant funds run out

FGPs submit applications.

P&TC reviews applications as they are received and will award grant funds on a first-come, first-served basis, until grant funds run out.

January 15, 2027

FGP submit final report to P&TC.

Funding distribution method

The distribution method varies by the type of organization:

  • Fiscal clients of P&TC: Funds deposited into the designated fiscal client account.
  • 501c3 Nonprofits: Check issued to the nonprofit entity.
  • Unincorporated associations: e., groups that are neither fiscal clients nor registered 501c3 nonprofits: please contact us to discuss options.

 

Evaluation Process

The only evaluation for this round of grants is that the submitted work plan has a signed approval from:

  • The Friends Group main contact, and
  • The appropriate agency representative.

 

Reporting

Grant recipients must submit a final report by January 15, 2027, which lists the group’s 2026 accomplishments.

 

Questions

If you have any questions about this grant, please contact:

Lisa Filter, External Relations Director, lfilter@parksandtrails.org, 651-370-7901

NOTE: All grants have currently been awarded for this round of grants. We may open a second round later in the year. We are currently not accepting applications.

Grant Application

Please submit your application here anytime from February 15 through July 31, 2026, or until grant funds run out. 

Grant Status

Feb. 26, 2026: All grants have currently been awarded for this round of grants. We may open a second round later in the year.

Feb. 17, 2026:  Six grant applications have been received and are pending awards. You may still submit your application for consideration as two grants applications are currently contingent on satisfying a requirement. If those requirements are not satisfied, we will review subsequent applications.

Grant Report

Please use this PDF report template to submit your final report.

Download PDF