Grant Guide

Energy Cooperatives

Operation Round Up Grants

Overview

Many local energy cooperatives in Minnesota administer an “Operation Round Up” program. Member-owners of the cooperative round up their bill to the next whole dollar. The additional rounded up amount is pooled into a community fund, which is granted to local organizations and projects that improve the quality of life for the community.

Find My Cooperative

Local energy cooperatives are under the umbrella of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. You can go to the link below, filter down to Minnesota, and find the energy cooperative in your area. Then, go to their website to see if they have Operation Round Up program, usually found under “Community” or “About Us.”

Application & Review Process

Deadline: Usually quarterly

Application deadlines are unique to each energy cooperative. Typically, there is an online or PDF application that is submitted in advance of a committee meeting where award decisions are made. These meetings may occur quarterly, bi-annually, or annually.

Funding Amount

Usually less than $5,000

The grant amounts vary by program, but typically requests will be from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Matches may be required, but are not common.

Eligibility

Projects

Each energy cooperative has their own program focus, but many of them include “environment” as a focus. Be sure to check for specific project eligibility.

tools icon orange Infrastructure

grass icon orange Land/Resource

gears turning icon orange Organizational Dev’t

people icon orange People/Engagement

Applicants

Most programs offer grants to nonprofit organizations, and some make funds available to individuals and government entities as well. Be sure to check with local program recipient eligibility.

heart handshake orange 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

columns icon orange Government Entity

Land Type & Geography

Typically, projects must fall within the service area of the energy cooperative. Check with local programs for eligibility about project location.

state icon orange State

region icon orange Regional

local icon orange Local

orange tree Parks

orange trail icon Trails

Examples

Past Award Examples

AmountRecipientProjectProgram
$800Friends of Lake Bemidji State ParkVolleyball court upgradesBeltrami Electric Cooperative Inc.
$1,060School District 288Climb and crawl slideMinnesota Valley Electric Cooperative
$1,500Boy Scouts of AmericaCamping trip in fallEast Central Energy
$2,000City of PrincetonRiebe Park interpretive signsEast Central Energy
$5,000Gilman Park & Rec AssociationReplace fencing around softball fieldEast Central Energy

The information about this grant was last updated on 2/10/2021. Be sure to contact the granting organization directly to verify details.