Second year of University-community partnerships enrich the future of Minnesota’s small cities and towns

The University of Minnesota is partnering with over a dozen communities across the state as part of the second round of the Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program. 

Small communities are defined as local jurisdictions of fewer than 15,000 people. These University-community partnerships help small communities use their assets to create infrastructure and projects that support and enhance community vitality, identity and resilience. Established by the state legislature in 2023, the program has enabled the University to work on more than 50 projects with more than 75 community and organization partners to date.

“The Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program has been a huge success — we’ve already completed dozens of projects with local partners in small cities and towns,” said Kyle Shelton, director of the Center for Transportation Studies. “Our partnerships have helped communities pursue additional state and federal funding opportunities using well-developed project ideas. We’re honored as the state’s land grant university to continue these partnerships to address the challenges and unique opportunities in smaller Minnesota communities.”

The second round of partnerships includes:

• Tactical Action: Seven projects will reach many more communities, including Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Koochiching, Itasca, Lake, St. Louis, and Pine counties; the cities of Lake Crystal, Madelia, Marshall, Redwood Falls, Rushford, Peterson, and Rushford Village; and White Earth Reservation. Many of the Tactical Action Projects address infrastructure needs. The Lake Crystal project focuses on the development of a new energy plan in light of the 2024 failure of the Rapidan Dam, an important energy source for the community.
• Community Futures: Six cities — Centerville, Henderson, Hinckley, Kenyon, Preston, and Sandstone — were selected to partner with the Minnesota Design Center through the Community Futures pathway to identify existing community assets, review the community’s vision for growth and change, and reimagine the future of their community infrastructure. For example, the University will work with the city of Kenyon to develop a comprehensive trail system, incorporating the natural assets and the special character of Kenyon.

The future of ESMC

The Minnesota Legislature recently renewed program funding through 2027. The additional $4 million in funding will allow the University to support more rounds of partnerships.

“We are grateful for the Legislature’s continued investment in our work with small communities in Minnesota,” said Tom Fisher, director of the Minnesota Design Center and a professor in the College of Design. “In this next phase of work, we want to bring community leaders together to share ideas, best practices and possible solutions to common challenges as a way to broaden the impact of our work.”

Applications for future program opportunities will be released in the coming months. Those interested can sign up for the ESMC mailing list for updates. Application requirements and program information will be available on the ESMC website. 

Empowering Small Minnesota Communities is collaboratively led by University of Minnesota partners from the Minnesota Design Center in the College of Design, the Center for Transportation Studies, Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs. 

A complete list of all awarded communities and a brief description of their partnerships can be found here. 

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About the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota System, with campuses in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, Rochester and the Twin Cities, is driven by a singular vision of excellence. We are proud of our land-grant mission of world-class education, groundbreaking research, and community-engaged outreach, and we are unified in our drive to serve Minnesota. Visit system.umn.edu.