The Council invests in the vitality of communities in the region. We award grants to communities through our Small Communities Planning Program, Livable Communities program and Community Tree Planting grants.
Small Communities Planning Program
The Met Council is offering to assist the region’s smallest and resource-limited communities with their Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan Updates by providing direct technical assistance and plan production. Eligible communities were identified based on selection criteria adopted by the Met Council, aimed at selecting communities in the region with significantly limited staff and financial capacity to fund and manage a Comprehensive Plan update process.
Participating cities and townships will work collaboratively with program staff from the Met Council’s Local Planning Assistance team to update their local Comprehensive Plan. Program staff will focus on the technical work of collecting information, data, and maps, and producing and writing the plan, while community members will lead the community vision, priority setting, and strategic direction to guide the community through the year 2050.
More about the Small Communities Planning Program
Livable Communities Program
The Council awards grants to cities, counties and their development authorities through the Livability Communities program. These grants, funded by property taxes and the Council's general fund, help clean up polluted sites for redevelopment, expand affordable housing opportunities and build pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented developments.
The program is a voluntary, incentive-based approach to help communities grow and redevelop, and to address the region’s affordable and lifecycle housing needs. The program was established in 1995 by the state Livable Communities Act (LCA).
To compete for LCA funding, communities must negotiate long-term affordable and lifecycle housing goals with the Council and develop a Housing Action Plan. Currently, 94 communities are participating in the program. The LCA’s emphasis is on cooperation and incentives to achieve regional and local goals. Communities are well-positioned to make decisions about how their cities and towns will grow and develop, but the LCA recognizes it often takes partnerships and shared resources to move from community plans to tangible results.
More about the Livable Communities grant programs
Community Tree Planting Grants
The Community Tree Planting Grants provide funding to cities, townships, counties, and regional park implementing agencies for projects that improve the region’s tree canopy, as established in Minn. Stat. § 473.355.
New in 2025, the Council is awarding funding to communities to improve their tree canopies on public land. These grants, funded by the State of Minnesota, support projects planting trees for environmental benefits, removing and replacing ash trees, and increasing canopy diversity and resilience.
More about the Community Tree Planting grant program