Mississippi River Revolving Fund

Thanks to a lead grant from the McKnight Foundation, the $2.9 million Mississippi River Revolving Fund was established in 1994 to aid in the protection of wetlands, wildlife habitat, working landscapes, greenways and other natural areas in the ten states of the Mississippi River Corridor - from Minnesota to Louisiana.

Administered by The Conservation Fund, the Mississippi River Revolving Fund provides loans to nonprofit organizations and government agencies to aid in the protection of land along the main stem of the river or along key tributaries, as well as greenways that are part of larger regional projects. These loans enable groups to quickly acquire or protect properties using types of transactions: direct loans to land trusts and/or other nonprofit organizations, and advance purchases of land in partnership with public agencies.

Priorities

Through strategic use of funds, The Conservation Fund will promote/protect water quality in:

• Main stem/floodplain of Mississippi River
• Tributaries with most need (most polluted and most pristine)
• Greenways that are key for larger regional trail systems

Accessing Funds

Step One: Interested parties should contact The Conservation Fund for an informal consultation to determine whether a formal loan application or, if it is a request on behalf of a public agency, a Letter of Intent should be submitted.

Step Two: Applicants must complete and return a loan package form or Letter of Intent to The Conservation Fund at the address provided below. The Letter of Intent should outline the project, reason for the request, timeline of when public funding or other repayment revenue will be available, and an assurance that the title commitment, appraisal and environmental conditions of the property meet public agency standards.

Step Three: After an in-depth review of the application or request, a representative from The Conservation Fund will visit the property and meet with the board and/or staff of the applicant or agency.

Step Four: The Conservation Fund’s staff meets regularly to review proposed and pending advance purchase and loan transactions to analyze for each transaction the leverage of the deal and repayment plan. In the case of an advance purchase, a formal agreement will be prepared and, if it is approved, The Conservation Fund will proceed with the advance purchase and will then be reimbursed when public funding is available. For all loan applications, the committee will determine the amount and type of collateral needed for the loan. Collateral can include pledged cash assets of the land trust, promissory notes, letters of credit from donors, a mortgage or appropriate securities.

Funds are released as determined by the executed agreement.

Contact Us

Application forms are available by contacting:

Upper Mississippi Office (Minnesota)

Lower Mississippi Office (Louisiana)