Protecting Funding for Our Great Outdoors

Minnesota votes “Yes” FOR conservation

In November 2024—an election where many focused on division—Minnesotans came together and overwhelmingly voted to approve a constitutional amendment to rededicate state lottery funds for our Great Outdoors. The amendment won with 77.5%, the most votes in state history, securing clear majorities in every region, county, and district.

Again, Minnesota voters showed that we vote “Yes” when conservation and the environment are on the ballot. 

Even in the most divided of times, our shared love of Minnesota’s lakes, lands, nature, and wildlife are enduring values that we can rely on to create a brighter future.

We Built a Coalition

Conservation Minnesota managed the Minnesotans For Our Great Outdoors campaign working to educate and advocate for this Great Outdoors funding source. We built a coalition of over 150 conservation, tourism, business, and community organizations who affirmed our belief in finding common ground.

With message-tested communications we worked with our partners across the state to leverage local media outlets to tell the story of Lottery funding and the importance of voting YES on the ballot amendment. We spread the word from Farmfest in Southern Minnesota, press events in Duluth, and hunting events in Dakota County. And ran a highly targeted digital advertising campaign. The strength and work of the diverse coalition really shows what we can do when diverse organizations come together to work on something that benefits us all.

Lottery investments support our lakes & Great Outdoors

In 1988, Minnesotans first voted to use a portion of Minnesota State Lottery proceeds to fund conservation activities. Between its inception and the 2024 vote, over $1 billion had been invested to help restore and protect our water, land, and wildlife.

The Lottery funds over $80 million per year in projects through the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). These projects are "for the public purpose of protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources."  Thousands of projects have been funded in communities across the entire state. This includes everything from protecting endangered species in Voyageurs National Park, funding pollinator-friendly lawn grants, research on moose, loon, and wolves, cover crops and soil health, building new campgrounds, trails, and recreation areas, conducting stream restoration, and so much more. 

The renewal in 2024 ensures lottery dollars continue to work for the Great Outdoors for another 25 years. 

Beyond simply continuing to invest lottery funds into the ENRTF, the renewal created a new community grants program, which dedicates an additional 1.5% from the ENRTF. Historically, access to lottery funds has required an intensive application process. The new community grants program will create greater accessibility to the funds by ensuring smaller rural communities and BIPOC-led organizations have greater access to the funds.