Purpose

• Establish a Minnesota community schoolyards grant program to create parklike outdoor spaces at elementary and secondary schools.
• Goals include strengthening local ecological systems, providing hands-on learning resources, improving physical and mental health and wellbeing for students and community members, and fostering nature play, recreation, and social opportunities outside of school hours.

Key Components of the Program

• Two grant tracks:
  • Planning and design grant program: up to 150,000 per recipient for planning and designing a community schoolyard.
  • Capital construction and improvement grant program: up to 850,000 per recipient for building the community schoolyard.
• The program aims to make schoolyard spaces accessible to the broader community, promote lifelong physical activity, and integrate natural landscapes and educational spaces across science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

Eligibility and Partnerships

• Eligible applicant: a local government or a school district (includes American Indian schools).
• Communityuse partner: a local government or a school district that enters into a communityuse agreement with the eligible applicant.
• Communityuse agreement: must cover roles and responsibilities, hours of operation for community use, and documentation of a partnership with an organization that has expertise in outdoor learning spaces (such as nonprofits or Tribal Nations).
• Applicants must show the amount of matching funds or inkind contributions to augment grant money, and demonstrate need for a community schoolyard (using tools like the Trust for Public Lands map).

Planning and Design Requirements

• Planning and design grant recipients must develop a professional plan, design, and construction documents through a community-centered participatory design process with students, educators, and community members.
• Plans must include:
  • Education, health, and well-being goals (physical, mental, social health)
  • Ecological, environmental, and biodiversity goals
  • Recreation, accessibility, safety, and licensing standards
  • School enrollment and property size details
  • A concept plan with design features such as noninvasive trees and vegetation, natural playgrounds, outdoor classrooms, and both traditional and innovative playgrounds
  • Areas for athletic or multipurpose use, stormwater management, walking trails, heat mitigation features (shade, canopies, water features), pollinator and food gardens, cultural/interpretive elements, and calm spaces
  • Identification of community partners with expertise in outdoor spaces
  • A long-term maintenance plan
• Planning must occur through a participatory design process with students, educators, and community members.

Construction and Matching Funds

• For construction projects, a minimum matching fund requirement applies:
  • Projects over 500,000 require at least 10% of the total construction budget in matching funds at the time of grant award.
  • Projects over 1,000,000 require at least 25% matching funds.
• Matching funds can come from state or nonstate sources available to the school or local government.

Capital Construction and Improvement Grants

• Eligible applicant that does not apply for planning and design grants can apply directly for the capital construction and improvement grant program.
• Applications must include professional plan, design, and construction documents created through a community-centered participatory design process, and a communityuse agreement with a communityuse partner.

Commissioner Responsibilities and Timeline

• By January 1, 2027, the commissioner must:
  • Announce the planning/design and capital construction grant availability.
  • Establish program requirements, application processes, timelines, evaluation criteria, and grant awards processes.
  • Accept, review, and select applications, distribute funds, and set reporting timelines.

Reporting and Accountability

• Grant recipients must report to the commissioner on:
  • Grant money received for planning/design and for capital construction/improvement
  • The number of students affected by the grant
  • How grant money was spent
  • A plan for community access and use of the schoolyard outside school hours (contained in the communityuse agreement)
• By January 15, 2030, the commissioner must report to legislative chairs and ranking minority members summarizing grant recipient reports.

Funding and Administration

• The general fund is appropriated to the Department of Education for the program for the fiscal year designated, with separate allocations for the planning/design grant program and the capital construction and improvement grant program.
• A portion of the appropriation may be used for grant administration.
• The funding base is set for fiscal years 2028 and 2029.

What this Bill Seeks to Change or Create

• Creates a formal, state-supported framework for developing parklike, nature-rich schoolyards that can be used by the community outside school hours.
• Establishes two distinct grant tracks (planning/design and construction/improvement) and requires community partnerships, participatory design, and long-term maintenance planning.
• Introduces specific requirements for matching funds, design features, and accessibility/safety standards.
• Adds accountability measures through reporting to state lawmakers and a defined timeline for program implementation.

Relevant Terms - community schoolyards grant program - planning and design grant program - capital construction and improvement grant program - communityuse partner - communityuse agreement - eligible applicant - local government - school district - American Indian school - community-centered participatory design (or communitycentered participatory design) - outdoor learning spaces - nature play - noninvasive trees and vegetation - natural playgrounds - outdoor classrooms - stormwater management - heat mitigation features - pollinator gardens - cultural and interpretive features - long-term maintenance plan - matching funds / inkind contributions - Trust for Public Lands map - Tribal Nations - documentation of partnership with organizations experienced in outdoor education - reporting to the commissioner - appropriation / general fund funding - administration of grants