Hennepin County Youth Sports Grant

Playground Grants

Purpose

The purpose of the playground grants is build playground structures throughout Hennepin County.

Criteria

These criteria will be among those considered in evaluating playground grant applications:

• New installations are favored over replacement or renovation
• Number of yearly visits estimate
• Partnerships between local government units and with non-profit organizations
• Ratio of the amount of matching funds to the total cost
• Support of the local community
• Grants will be distributed to communities throughout Hennepin County

Application

Attach information addressing the criteria listed above. Partnerships between local government units can include playgrounds co-located on school and park facilities or other operating arrangements. Partnerships with non-profit organizations can include matching funds from a source outside the LGU making the request or volunteering hours for community build installations. Community support can include letters from parent or neighborhood groups, a public process for seeking community input, or other evidence of community engagement with the project.

Awards

All Awards Are For Reimbursement

All awards are reimbursement to be paid after completion of the facility or purchase of the equipment. Award recipients will submit reimbursement payment paperwork according to processing guidelines provided after the awards are announced. Hennepin County will reimburse the local government unit once this paperwork is processed.

In-Kind Donations

If a facility grant application includes in-kind donations of materials or labor, please list the full retail value of the in-kind donation in both the project budget and the local matching funds sections. In the local matching funds section, note which funds are in-kind donations.

A local government unit (LGU) – a city, public school district, or park district – may submit an application for a facility that is located on private land on the behalf of a private entity, such as a charter school, private school or other non-profit organization that will operate the facility. The County Board resolution establishing the Hennepin Youth Sports Program grants does not require a project to be owned by a LGU or to be on public property. The resolution does however require that the applicant be a LGU.

Therefore, in cases where a local government unit is awarded a grant for a facility located on private land, the private land owner must agree to a covenant with the LGU that ensures long-term public access to the facility. It is suggested that the private land owner come to a verbal agreement about this covenant before the application is submitted. Details about the covenant can be found here.