Private Well Protection Grant
Clean Water Fund

Applicants must be a local, regional, or tribal unit of government working in at least one of the eligible jurisdictions.

Due to the petition to EPA to address nitrate in southeastern Minnesota, separate appropriations have been awarded to the following eight counties to meet similar objectives and are not eligible to apply: Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, and Winona.

Proposals must include all of the following elements:

• Outreach and education efforts to diverse groups of private well users about private well testing. 
• No-cost private well testing through an accredited laboratory for five common contaminants (coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, lead, and manganese) within a defined area with a one test per household/well limit, this includes multiple homes with a shared well.  
• Provide technical assistance and mitigation information to private well users so they understand their arsenic, coliform bacteria, lead, manganese, and/or nitrate results and potential options to address water quality issues.   
• Process for collecting water quality testing data including the corresponding unique well ID number or location if available.

Allowable Expenses Include (but are not limited to):

• Staff costs to plan and implement the program.
• Laboratory costs associated with private well water analysis for all five contaminants, including shipping costs - Must use a laboratory accredited by the MDH Environmental Accreditation Program.
• Reimbursement of in-state travel expenses (mileage).
• Program promotion.

Ineligible Expenses

• Out-of-state travel.
• Fundraising.
• Taxes, except sales tax on goods and services.
• Lobbyists, political contributions.
• Bad debts, late payment fees, finance charges or contingency funds.

Please read through the RFP and submit the Application document or use your own template answering the same questions.  

Application Deadline: Friday July 17, 2026, by 4:30 p.m. central time.

Application Instructions:

You must submit the following content in order for the application to be considered complete:

• Application with Project Narrative and Work Plan. 
• Budget.
• Applicant Conflict of Interest Disclosure form.
• Due Diligence Review Form. 

Incomplete applications will be rejected and not evaluated.

Applications must be submitted via email to:

Anne Nelson
Partner Engagement and Communications Specialist
Water Policy Center, Environmental Health Division 
Minnesota Department of Health
anne.nelson@state.mn.us

There are no match requirements.

The estimated grant start date is August 15th, 2026 - May 1st, 2029.

Collaboration

This grant prioritizes collaborative efforts. At least one collaborator is required. Soil and water conservation districts, environmental services, public health, water testing laboratories, medical professionals, schools, and other organizations can all help protect private well users’ health.

Infants and Children and Low-Income Households

This grant prioritizes efforts that target households with infants and children and low-income households.

Health Equity

This grant prioritizes proposals that engage diverse groups of private well users. Diverse groups include:

• Racial and ethnic communities, including American Indians
• People for whom English is not their first language
• LGBTQI communities
• Disability status
• Veterans
• Home ownership vs. rental status
• Socio-economic status
• Diversity of ages

All questions regarding this grant must be submitted by email to Anne Nelson at anne.nelson@state.mn.us. All answers will be posted within one week on this section of the webpage.

1. Will MDH be providing test kits or should we work with a lab to purchase them? 
   1. MDH will not be providing test kits. Please work with an accredited lab of your choice to set up a contract to purchase test kits. 
2. How much money can we allocate to staffing? 
   1. As much as you need but keep in mind the test kit goal for your county. We estimate test kits for the five contaminants will cost around $100 dollars each.
3. Can you explain what went into the formula for calculating the $126 cost estimate per well? 
   1. To reach the $126 estimate we calculated the cost of assembling test kits, analysis for the five contaminants, shipping of test kits to and from the lab, money for education and outreach, administrative and staff time to perform the grant duties. 
4. Does the grant provide money for mitigation/treatment devices/well repair/well construction? 
   1. Not at this time. We are only able to fund testing kits costs (analysis, shipping, assembly, etc.), staffing, admin, travel, contracts, and education and outreach. Please reach out if you have specific items, you have questions about. 
5. If bacteria is rejected out of holding time can participants get another test as part of the grant? 
   1. No, follow-up sampling is allowed but only after a mitigation or repair strategy has been implemented. 
6. What would an example contact look like with an accredited lab?
   1. Here are some things you should ask a lab for when connecting with them. 
      • Price for analysis of the five required contaminants. 
      • Shipping test kits (if you’d like to ship to participants).
      • Return shipping costs.
      • Assembly of test kits.
      • The price for single follow up contaminant tests and analysis.
      • Use your analysis goal listed in the Funding Ceilings document to guide your estimates you’d like from the lab. 
7. If multiple entities apply for a grant separately, will they each receive the full amount of funding, do they have to split funding, or should they apply together?
   1. There is only a designated allotment per county, we encourage multiple county entities to apply together – this will likely improve the strength of your application. Separate entities can apply separately however they risk scoring lower and not being funded. 
8. Are fringe and indirect eligible to be included in the staff time estimate? 
   1. Yes