Grant Program Updates
For all grant programs
Upcoming in-person grantee fall and winter trainings
We’re planning two in-person grantee trainings, scheduled for fall and winter of 2025. Specific dates and locations are still being finalized – save the dates with more information will be sent out in the coming weeks.
We look forward to bringing our grantee community together and continuing to support your important work.
Commercial Tobacco-Free Communities (CTFC)
Site visits
Site visits are taking place throughout the summer and early fall. If you haven’t scheduled a visit with Bethany yet, please consider some date and time options that work well for your team before your next check-in.
The Site Visit Form is available in Commercial Tobacco-Free Communities docs and files on Basecamp.
Year Three spending
There are five months remaining in the current grant year. Bethany will send out balance notifications to help you track Year Three spending. Please coordinate with your finance team to verify the accuracy of these numbers and contact us with any discrepancies.
We strongly encourage you to monitor your spending closely. Anticipated unspent funds may affect your year four award as we aim to limit carryforward and ensure full use of funds with only two years remaining in the grant cycle.
Year Four budget and work plan
A timeline for Year Four budget and work plan development will be shared later in June or early July. We do not anticipate significant changes to the budget or work plan templates from previous years, but we encourage you to begin thinking about your planning needs for fall.
Templates are available in the Commercial Tobacco-Free Communities docs and files Basecamp.
Invoices and activity trackers
Don’t forget – previous month’s invoices and activity trackers are due by the 30th day of the current month. Invoices cannot be approved unless activity trackers are up to date at the time of submission. As we approach the end of the state fiscal year on June 30, please ensure these materials are submitted in a timely manner.
Upload to your organization’s folder on the Commercial Tobacco-Free Communities Grant SharePoint site.
Youth E-cigarette Prevention and Cessation Initiative (YEPCI)
Room to Breathe Youth Conference
Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West, Plymouth, Minnesota
ACET staff sent registration details to each grant coordinator by ACET. Please complete registration by June 13.
Review the youth and chaperone expectations documents with your youth and staff before the conference. Chaperones must sign and return the form to ACET by June 13.
Room to Breathe website updates
The Room to Breathe website is getting an update! Web content will be expanded to further highlight the harms of vaping and mental health, tools and resources for youth, tips for quitting, and ways to get involved in the community.
This update also provides an opportunity to lift up your great work! If your youth group has work that we can highlight on the site, please let your grant manager know.
Youth E-cigarette Initiative Grantee Virtual Peer Group Call
Monday, July 21, from 11 a.m. to noon
This call will feature program updates, highlights, and challenges from Indigenous Peoples Task Force. Call details are in the Youth E-cigarette Initiative HQ calendar on Basecamp.
More reminders
- Submit previous month’s invoices by the last day of the current month.
- Complete activity trackers before your monthly check-in with your grant manager.
St. Anthony Villiage becomes first U.S. city to set minimum price for e-cigarettes
On April 8, the St. Anthony Village City Council voted unanimously to enact an ordinance that set a minimum price and package size for commercial tobacco products that includes a $20 minimum price for e-cigarettes. This move to set a minimum city-wide price for e-cigarettes is the first in the nation.
The ordinance also:
- Caps the number of commercial tobacco licenses in the city at zero.
- Ends price discounting and coupons for commercial tobacco products.
- Elevates minimum for fines and license suspensions for repeated violations – going beyond Minnesota state law.
This effort was supported by the Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota, as well as youth testifiers and local community advocates.
Thank-you emails may be sent to St. Anthony Village City Council at city@savmn.com.
Nicotine 'Quit Kits' help students ditch vaping in Faribault and Northfield
The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition made nicotine quit kits available at area schools and youth and learning centers in both Northfield and Faribault to help students struggling with vaping. The kits contained suckers, mints, lip balm, a keychain fidget, an anxiety breathing necklace, and motivational quote cards with a QR code that linked to quitting resources.
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To make them easily accessible, the kits were placed in shared spaces like bathrooms and rooms with trusted adults, so students could grab them without needing to ask. One student successfully quit vaping using the kits and shared their experience to inspire others. Another parent said the kits helped their child cut back on vaping and requested more for another child who was also struggling.
With the positive reception and feedback from both youth and parents, the Coalition plans to make more kits and distribute them again next year.
For questions, email Ashley Gardener at ashley@healthycommunityinitiative.org.
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YOLO lifts up youth voices on the importance of mental wellbeing at Owatonna High School
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, YOLO - Steele County Public Health’s youth group, hosted a Youth Voices tabling activity at Owatonna High School. Students were invited to respond to one of four prompts for a chance to win a mental wellness basekets. Baskets included a journal, fidget pen, weighted stuffed animal, picnic blanket, water bottle, stickers, and My Life, My QuitTM resources.
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 YOLO collected over 200 responses from students, who shared how they prioritize their mental health and why being vape-free matters to them. YOLO plans to create a display to share these powerful messages, lift up youth voices, and educate the community about the impact of vaping and the importance of mental wellbeing.
For questions, email Emma Johnson at emma.johnson@steelecountymn.gov.
Recordings from recent webinars
Free materials to promote youth anti-vaping campaigns
MDH’s new Youth Counter-Marketing Campaigns page outlines the state’s anti-vaping campaigns and resources for public health partners, schools, or other youth-serving organizations. Grantees and partners can download materials to share, download materials to print on their own, or order from a limited supply of pre-printed materials.
As these campaigns evolve, the page will be updated with additional resources, as well as tips for extending these campaigns in your communities.
Learn more: Youth Counter-Marketing Campaigns | Commercial Tobacco Use
Smoke-Free Housing and Traditional Tobacco in Minnesota
The Public Health Law Center, American Indian Cancer Foundation, Association for Nonsmokers Minnesota, and Minnesota Department of Health are pleased to share a new resource to support the protection of traditional sacred use of tobacco in the context of smoke-free housing.
Learn more: Smoke-Free Housing and Traditional Tobacco in Minnesota (PDF)
Materials available: 2025 Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Control Conference
Materials are now available from the 2025 Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Control Conference. Some conference presentations may be unavailable – either we either didn’t receive it or were unable to obtain permission to post it publicly. Feel free to contact the presenter directly if you'd like a copy of their slides.
Materials are available through July 2025.
Learn more: 2025 Conference Presentations
Materials available: Injury Prevention and Mental Health Grantee Summit
Materials are now available from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Injury Prevention and Mental Health Division grantee summit held on May 6. Dr. Johnanna Ganz led the morning session on Occupational Identity Management, and Violence Free Minnesota led the afternoon session on Strategic Communication.
Learn more: 5/6/2025 IPMH Grantee Summit
For youth: Applications open for HealthPartners Teen Leadership Council
Applications are now open for the HealthPartners Teen Leadership Council for the 2025-2026 school year. The Teen Leadership Council is a free program for high school students across the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin who care about health, wellbeing, and creating positive change in their communities. As part of the Council, teens will:
- Participate in public health workshops with professionals
- Volunteer and give back to their communities
- Explore career pathways in health and leadership
- Serve as youth consultants on real-world projects
- Build leadership and communication skills
- Connect with peers across the region
- Join action teams to design and lead health-focused community initiatives
Share this opportunity with teens who might be interested or who need a little encouragement to step into their leadership potential.
Applications are due on June 29, 2025.
Learn more: Teen Leadership Council
Funding opportunity: Minnesota School-Based Health Center Grant
School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are a safety net health care delivery model located in or near a school facility that provides students with high quality comprehensive medical care, including preventive and behavioral health services. These services are provided by licensed and qualified health professionals in accordance with federal, state, and local law.
This opportunity will support existing SBHCs and facilitate the growth of SBHCs by establishing new or expanding SBHCs in Minnesota. Fund will support projects in two separate categories –planning of new and emerging SBHCs and supporting operating SBHCs.
Applications are due Thursday, July 10, by 11:59 p.m.
Learn more: Minnesota School-Based Health Center Grants – Request for Proposals (PDF)
Free Help to Quit Smoking or Vaping
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Many people who smoke, chew, vape, or use other commercial tobacco want to quit. The good news: free help is available to all Minnesota residents. And people who use phone coaching and quit medications are twice as likely to successfully quit.
Free materials to promote quitting in your community
Materials are available to download and print to help promote Quit Partner, the American Indian Quitline, and My Life, My Quit in your communities. For a limited time, you can order free, select printed promotional materials, like flyers, palm cards, and posters.
Get promotional materials
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