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DNR and advocates outline community grants program goals; committee hears oversight concerns
Summary
Representative Hollins presented House File 2293 to appropriate ENRTF funds for a community grants program designed to help smaller nonprofits and municipalities access trust fund dollars.
Representative Hollins presented House File 2293, an appropriation request to implement the statutory community grants program created in 2023 to help smaller organizations and municipalities access Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF / LCCMR) dollars.
Catherine Sherman Hohen, DNR agency‑wide grants manager, described the department’s ongoing work to stand up the program: designing an advisory council that meets statutory member and geographic requirements, building application and risk‑mitigation processes, and coordinating with the Office of Grants Management. Sherman Hohen said the DNR is focused on transparency, fraud prevention, ease of application for small organizations and support for grantees of varying capacity.
Supporters including Mike Harley of Environmental Initiative and Cecilia Calvo of Rainbow Research argued the program addresses barriers that favor large institutions in traditional LCCMR processes, such as reimbursement‑based grants and limited staff capacity at small organizations. Harley described a coalition of rural and urban leaders that designed the community grants concept; Calvo said the advisory council will help ensure statewide reach and attention to overburdened communities.
Committee chairs and members acknowledged the intent but raised governance and accountability questions: what project types will be funded, grant size caps, monitoring and fraud controls, reporting requirements and how to ensure funds meet the constitutional permanent‑school‑fund criteria for natural resources (the ENRTF’s constitutional language). Chair Heintzeman and Representative Hollins both indicated they would continue bipartisan work to define guardrails and to refine the program structure so funds can be responsibly disbursed.
No formal action was taken other than the sponsor renewing a motion to lay the bill over for possible inclusion. DNR pledged continuing consultation with stakeholders and use of existing grants management practices to mitigate risk.
Outlook: Implementation details — eligibility, caps, monitoring and council composition — remain outstanding and are likely to be resolved through committee negotiations before any appropriation is finalized.
