2025 GNF Grant Cycle Timeline
September 23 - Good Neighbor Fund Board Logistical and Finance Update Meeting (Zoom)
October 9 - Community Kick Off Meeting- Van Cleve Park (6pm-7:30pm)
https://umn.zoom.us/j/94945330961?pwd=muZOzzXt8WX10FcA0VdufkbZspzKIB.1
December 4 - Office Hours 9am-10am
https://umn.zoom.us/j/91399975489?pwd=Fb2poRJtD0Tn7HbreDXxNlB3X6bRPX.1
January 8 - Office Hours 9am-10am
https://umn.zoom.us/j/99864012119?pwd=S6W1M4ouommQaFg6tXnOP89iZkVHbb.1
January 17 - Applications due
January 24 - Projects Distributed to the GNF Board
February 7 - Project Rating Sheets Returned
Week of February 17- 1st GNF Board Meeting for Project Discussion
Week of February 24 - 2nd GNF meeting ( if needed)
February 24- March 24 - Contracts signed and checks distributed
*Second Disbursement upon completion if project is over $5,000
2025 Good Neighbor Fund grants
The Stadium Area Advisory Group board approved $100,000 available in total grant funds for the year 2025 from the Good Neighbor Fund endowment. We encourage applications for projects that reflect the long-term purpose of the U of M Good Neighbor Fund, which is to promote the beauty, stability, vitality, and security of the communities adjacent to the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must be member organizations of the University of Minnesota Stadium Area Advisory Group, and must be duly organized and incorporated and have systems in place to ensure financial accountability. Member organizations of the Stadium Area Advisory Group are:
- Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association
- Prospect Park Association
- Saint Anthony Park Community Council
- South East Como Improvement Association
- West Bank Business Association
- Dinkytown Business Alliance
- South East Business Association
- City of Falcon Heights
- City of Minneapolis
- City of Saint Paul
- Hennepin County
- Ramsey County
- Minnesota State Fair
- University of Minnesota Student Neighborhood Liaison Program
- Towerside Business Alliance
- Cedar Riverside Community Council
*Each Member organization can serve as fiscal agents for other organizations if approved.
Grant Application Process
Representatives from organizations in the campus area communities will review grant applications and make recommendations for funding. Grant applications are invited once each year. Funding recommendations are presented in May. Grant agreements are finalized and notifications will go out in May. Unless by special arrangement, grant activities are expected to be completed within one year. Staffing for the Good Neighbor Fund is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of Government and Community Relations.
Read full application process here: Good Neighbor Fund Request for Applications 2025
Good Neighbor Fund History
The Good Neighbor Fund (GNF) was founded in 2007 and is held and managed in an endowment by the University of Minnesota. The Stadium Area Advisory Group serves as the fund's board with representatives from local governments and neighborhood and business associations adjacent to the Twin Cities campus.
Formed with the purpose of enhancing and protecting the beauty, serenity, and security of the community we are part of, the University of Minnesota has awarded more than seven hundred thousand dollars of Good Neighbor Fund grants to community and local government partners for 128 projects.
Grant recipients have used the Good Neighbor Fund to implement projects that range from crime prevention and neighborhood building, to beautification of public spaces and the arts. Recent projects include the preservation of murals in Dinkytown, the cultivation of hanging gardens in the Towerside neighborhood, and the painting of picnic tables and benches with support from local artist Ifrah Mansour in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
Questions?
Please direct questions to [email protected].